Partisan gridlock? Not in Ireland
Page 3 of 3
And can’t the same be said for many other European countries – such as Greece, Spain, and Italy – whose lawmakers simply rubber-stamped bad policies over the last decade?
So even as Congress endures another episode of short-term politics, US voters might heed a lesson from the Emerald Isle and other European democracies where legislative consent is rarely in doubt.
Stalemate is not an attractive spectacle. But it does require that Congress and the president negotiate. And as the Founders intended, it just might prevent each side from doing something the country will come to regret.
Steve Coronella has lived in Ireland since 1992. He is the author of “This Thought’s On Me: A Boston Guy Reflects on Leaving the Hub, Becoming a Dub & Other Topics.” He can be reached at sbcoro@eircom.net.
