Iceland EU debate has split families, Independence Party leader says

Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, leader of Iceland’s Independence Party, says the debate over European Union membership has divided the country so deeply that some families can barely meet, mbl.is reports.

“It has reached the point where families here can hardly meet. I met a teacher last week who said she could not meet her mother’s family. Children have stopped being able to meet their parents because people argue fiercely and cannot be bothered with it anymore,” Guðrún said on RÚV’s political programme Silfrið.

The leaders of the political parties represented in Iceland’s parliament debated the upcoming referendum on whether to restart membership talks with the European Union. The vote is scheduled for 29 August.

Prime Minister and Social Democratic Alliance leader Kristrún Frostadóttir said the result could go either way. Many voters remain undecided, she said, and that group could determine the outcome.

“I think a lot will happen in the coming days and weeks. I think it was good that we had some time over the summer and some distance from the daily routine and the usual political debate,” Kristrún said.

She announced a tour of the country on Monday, during which she plans to meet voters. She said she was pleased with the debate so far and welcomed the involvement of people outside politics.

“That is how a debate on an issue like this should be, because this is not just a party-political issue. It concerns the entire nation,” she said.

Guðrún said the referendum was dividing the country and argued that the government had carefully chosen its timing without putting the nation’s interests first.

“I have travelled all over the country and met people everywhere. What strikes me is that many do not want to familiarise themselves with the issue, cannot be bothered, and many plan to vote yes just to see what happens before making a decision,” she said.

Foreign Minister and Reform Party leader Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, who sponsored the parliamentary proposal for the referendum, said she had never experienced as much support during her political career.

“I see a certain value in the debate for us as a nation, regardless of all the noise,” she said.

Centre Party leader Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson said the debate had been strange from the beginning and that it was clear Icelanders did not want to join the European Union.

“More or less everyone who is aware of international developments knows what an application for membership of the European Union entails,” he said, adding that he would rather discuss the economic situation that had emerged in Iceland under the government.

“Instead of bringing out the sledgehammer that was promised to bring down interest rates and inflation, an axe was brought out to split the nation,” he said.