Hordur Torfason Interview (1) with Scoop's Alastair Thompson - Massey Memorial 22 March 2013
Channel: Scoop
Date: 2013-03-22

On Wednesday night Iceland's Cutlery Revolutionary Hordur Torfason presented to a mostly walk in audience of 230 at the Paramount Cinema in Wellington. 

Last night he spoke to an audience of around 120 in St Francis's Hall, Clive (in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand). 

This morning he spoke to Scoop Editor Alastair Thompson at the Massey Memorial in Wellington. 

In this interview (Raw Footage in 6 Parts) Hordur talks about his recently departed father, his philosophical position - secular humanism - and growing up with loving and supportive parents. 

At the end I ask him to sing a song for New Zealand, he tunes my guitar (which is a little too small for comfort) and sings a love song about the day and the night . 

Below is a link to a story on Scoop which contains the complete raw footage of his story and discussion with  the meeting.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1303/S00121/hordur-torfason-500-words.htm

Hordur Torfason | 500 Words
Thursday, 21 March 2013, 5:46 pm
Column: Alastair Thompson

Hordur Torfason speaks in testament. His personal story. And what a story. A story with purpose, and great weight.

Hordur was the leader of the 2008-09 Cutlery (or Kitchen) Revolution in Iceland, an event which signaled the beginning of the democratic response to the worst side of the global financial crisis.

Short version: After Iceland was bankrupted almost over-night - Hordur said it felt like WW3 had begun - thousands of Icelanders refused to accept the international financial medicine which their Government was taking: they banged pots and pans for four days in their thousands and the Government and the Bank of Iceland Board resigned.

Since then we have seen multiple governments fall around Europe as a result of Bank bailouts and austerity plans. Iceland has served as an example to us all of the insanity - and what happened there was particularly insane.