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The country I live in uses a proportional voting system - and what happens is that one of the smallest and most narrow special interests party gets to be the the point of equilibrium - as nobody can form government without it.

And then that party proceeds to blackmail everybody all the time.

Thus all the governments need to pander to this particular party and they get to gridlock the government whenever they feel the smallest slight or displeasure.

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nobody can form government without it

Of course they can, they just choose not to. What you are saying is that the parties are choosing a blackmailer over a self-declared "enemy". That's a choice, it's not inevitable.

Besides, if the political landscape is diverse enough, a minority coalition can be a boon for everyone: it means that the ruling parties must actually learn to cooperate with the opposition instead of dictating policy for the duration of their term.

You are indeed correct.

However our political landscape is polarized to a degree where minority coalition has no chance of doing anything.

Not that any political problem could solve people acting as idiots.

as the Hardline unionists did in the UK which is why northern irland lags the rest of the UK in civil rights

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