Monday, January 08, 2018

No Government

Twelve months ago, Northern Ireland found itself without a government.  it means there is little happening at the Stormont Assembly: a budget had to be imposed from London and day-to-day decisions on devolved issues are made by civil servants.

Germany has been getting by without an elected government since late September, following its inconclusive federal election.

 Belgium set a record for the longest period without an elected government in a democracy was set in 2010-11 and a 589-day power vacuum.

Spain spent the first 10 months of 2016 in a similar position, which only ended when the opposition "socialists" effectively voted to allow the conservatives to form a minority government.

Somalia had no government to speak of for a 15-year period.

Iraq went without for much of 2010.

In the United States, government shutdowns - when Congress and the president fail to agree funding for its operation - occur periodically, and lead to the closure of museums, passports not being issued, and mortgage approvals being delayed.

Mario Monti government  in Italy between 2011 and 2013 experts were appointed, instead of politicians, to take decisions following the collapse of Silvio Berlusconi's government.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's the message to be taken from this? Socialists want no government, but in a different context! The 'socialists' mentioned in the fourth paragraph should be in inverted commas...

ajohnstone said...

Point taken and apologies for a rushed post.