This question is not exclusive to the United States; Ireland can’t build anything, anywhere, at any price. A lazy ideological answer is that the US and Ireland are capitalist countries and more socialist state planning is required to build infrastructure. The ability and willingness to build infrastructure cannot be attributed solely to ideology. Lawyers prize process and rights, leading to more checks, litigation, and more ways to delay and block infrastructure projects. Fast-tracking projects means appointing more engineers to key planning bodies and giving them power to do things.

Source: The Irish Times November 22, 2025 13:30 UTC