The people of Iceland will be updating their constitution in the coming months. What’s interesting is how they’re doing it: by polling Facebook users.
Do let’s make jokes now.
When they gained independence in 1944, Iceland pretty much copied and pasted the Danish constitution. The name for the legislature was changed from Folketing to Althingi, and the office of the king was replaced with an elected president. Almost everything else remained intact.
Their current constitution takes a few concepts from ours, but can be vague on certain matters of civil rights. Section VI establishes a state church, and allowances are made for restrictions on liberty in the name of “public order,” which is a bit vague. Then there’s this:
The law shall guarantee for everyone the necessary assistance in case of sickness, invalidity, infirmity by reason of old age, unemployment and similar circumstances.
Sound familiar?