Though it lacks the drama of Russ Hodges “The Giants Win the Pennant” call in 1951, Belgium has a government after 541 days! Belgium has been surviving with a caretaker government for the last year and a half. The stalemate seems to revolve around linguistic cleavages between the countries Flemish speaking majority, and its’ French speaking minority.
The case of Belgium has provided plenty of ammunition for libertarians and others who believe that less government is better. Less government in Belgium has meant that it has weathered the European economic crisis better than most others because of smaller government budget and less debt. The main lesson is that less government is more beneficial in a crisis. Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2011/1206/What-s-the-hurry-Belgium-Somalia-has-gone-without-a-government-for-20-years.
At the extreme of the no government scale is Somalia, who has not had a consistent national government since 1991. Although there is something approximating government in the northern part of the country, much of the country is plagued by tribalism and warlordism and subject to frequent famine.
Disputes are often solved via gun or bomb rather than diplomatic means. Meanwhile, there’s always the ever circling band of pirates off the coast of Somalia.
Consider it proof, that no government is just as toxic as too much government.
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