Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Ape (bleep) Icelanders (cont)

Iceland: Britain's unlikely new enemy

The collapse of Iceland's banking system - one in which many Britons had a stake - is the reason for this resentment.

In a bid to claw back some of the money, the British government seized Icelandic assets in the UK under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. The die was cast. Your average Icelander draws the line at being called a terrorist.

For those with long memories, there's a sense of deja vu about the fallout.

The cod wars between the two countries that started in the 50s came to a head in the mid-70s when an Icelandic gunboat opened fire on a British ship after a clash of boats within Iceland's territorial waters.

Iceland eventually came out on top, winning the right to keep British fishing vessels outside its 200-mile exclusion zone.

Cod Wars - what a cute little name for a conflict. They should all have cutesy names...

No comments: