Socks to be you What Iceland’s boycottal of the ICW’s Geneva conference means fo

Socks to be you What Iceland’s boycottal of the ICW’s Geneva conference means for the rest of the wizarding Europe GENEVA, SWITZERLAND THE INTERNATIONAL Confederation of Wizards is not normally an organization one would associate with political upheaval, or indeed, any kind of political action at all. It is, at best, viewed as a purveyor of unwanted and needlessly complicated rules and regulations on such vague issues as the standardization of cauldron bottom thickness. Not, then, the place one would expect a diplomatic incident to take place. On the 3rd of June, however, Iceland proved to be the exception to the rule. At a press conference in Reykjavik on Wednesday night, Iceland’s Minister of Magic shocked the wizarding world when she announced that Iceland would be boycotting the ICW Geneva Conference on the 19th of June, calling it ‘a waste of time for our representatives’ and 'a step back in time for our country’. The issues, Minister Sigríður said, were not of pressing concern to Iceland’s representatives and moreover, that the proposed legislation to deal with the growing House Elf Rights movements all over Western Europe would restrict, rather than free Iceland’s elf population. Iceland’s boycottal of the ICW’s Geneva conference has caused considerable ire among the rest of Europe’s leaders, with some calling Iceland 'uncooperative’ and 'unwilling to come alongside the rest of the world’. While this is not the first time that a country has refused to vote on issues tabled at ICW conferences, it is the first time that a member country has gone so far as to refuse to attend a conference because they felt the issues being discussed were 'irrelevant’ to their country’s interests. Minister Sigríður’s further claim that if the rest of Europe was to look 'northwards’ they would find the answer to their House Elf 'problem’ provoked severe indignation among Europe’s representatives. Roger Davies, England’s representative in the ICW, patiently points out that although not all problems may be universal, it is the responsibility of all the members of the confederation to offer possible solutions where they can be of help. While Iceland has certainly set an example for the rest of Europe with its progressive stance on elf and house-elf rights, Minister Sigríður’s suggestion that the rest of Europe simply look 'northwards’ is disingenuous when one considers the hugely differing sociopoliticaleconomic contexts of Iceland and the rest of Europe. House elves have long formed the backbone of Britain and continental Europe’s economic system, being the 'invisible hands’ that power our economy, as it were. While there is no one who would suggest that the house elves do not deserve complete freedom or indeed, better working conditions and a uniform wage system, it is certainly naive to believe that instant freedom would solve all the problems posed by the employment of house elves - or that it would not create new problems that are not merely economic. Studies by researchers with the House Elf Liberation Front, examining written records held by old pureblood families across Europe, have shown that the nature of the magic that binds house elves to families and places is such that it causes considerable psychological damage to these creatures. This damage is permanent. After several generations, house elves raised by other house elves react as their parents do. Even though the binding magic thins over generations, then, house elves reared by other house elves are likely to react much as their forefathers who were bound by much stronger magic. Freeing elves instantly could possibly cause far more psychological damage than if they were to be gradually freed via a process of rigorous re-education - similar to the ongoing programme at Hogwarts - while being flexible enough to allow for instant freedom for those elves who want it, as proposed in the draft legislation being tabled at the conference. Some elves are more equal than others. It is equally naive, however, of Europe’s representatives to mark Iceland’s boycottal down to sheer Nordic pigheadedness. Sweden’s representative to the ICW has privately called Iceland’s move 'courageous’ and it is quite likely that Norway may follow in Iceland’s footsteps and refuse to join the conference as well. Iceland’s refusal to join the conference, citing the 'irrelevance’ of the issues being discussed must be seen in the wider context of growing Nordic discontent at the way in which the European chapter of the ICW is currently dominated by England, Germany and France. These three countries alone account for ten of the bills under consideration by the ICW at the moment. Of these ten bills, at least three would be a step backwards for the Nordic countries, if they were to sign these bills and agree to follow these legislations in lieu of any laws they may have on the matter. The House Elf Rights bill might just be the metaphorical riddle that snapped the Sphinx’s cool. If the ICW is to avoid such boycottals in the future, it is necessary that a certain amount of nuance is brought to the discussion of legal matters within its European chapter. Rather than blanket legislations that overwrite pre-existing laws in each country, perhaps a better approach would be to allow for a certain amount of flexibility for the application of these laws, applying them only where no other laws exist to set a precedent and discarding them where the currently existing law is far more progressive. They might even ask other countries for their inputs while drafting bills that will govern important issues and not merely cauldron bottom thickness. There is also the problem of Iceland’s huldufólk or, free elves. According to Rolf Scamander, a noted magianthropologist, these elves are far more in common with our Irish fae folk than they do with the average house elf. Clubbing them together with house elves as the legislation does, in his view, is a big mistake; Iceland’s elves view themselves as vastly superior to their tamed cousins elsewhere and moreover, have considerable freedom under Iceland’s laws, which allow them a fair amount of privacy, a certain degree of latitude where the Statute of Secrecy is concerned and the right to retaliate as viciously as they choose when slighted. It is hardly likely, then, that the ICW’s proposal that all elves be classified as sentient magical creatures and therefore be made to follow all the laws that are applicable to sentient magical beings, including the Statute of Secrecy, would please these feisty creatures. Perhaps Iceland’s representatives have the right idea after all. From: The Wixenomist, June 7th - 13th, 2009 -- source link

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