Italy scores 66 but France wins on 67

QUESTION How many Italian governments have existed since the Second World War? Is it a record?

ITALY has had 66 governments since World War II. This isn’t a record in Europe; France has had 67.

After the Second World War, Italy was divided politically and economically: the poorer south voted in the 1946 referendum for a monarchy, while the wealthy north wanted a republic. The referendum aimed to take account of Italy’s regional variation, while making it constitutionally impossible for a dictator to take power. This resulted in a constitutional system with a weak executive.

The prime minister needs a majority in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Forming a government and keeping it together depends on the co-operation of several parties, often with diverging interests. Under such a system, a small party can bring down the government.

France’s worst period of political instability came in the Fourth Republic, from 1946 to 1958, when it had 27 governments — one every six months. Charles De Gaulle instituted the Fifth Republic in October 1958, which weakened the role of parliament and the prime minister in favour of a strong presidency. This slowed the political merry-go-round, with governments lasting, on average, 17-and-a-half months.

In contrast Germany has had fewer than 30 since 1945.

L. E. Tyler, Bradford.

QUESTION Has anyone been killed chasing a tornado or watching a volcano?

FURTHER to the earlier answer, the most famous example was the ancient writer Pliny the Elder. He died while attempting the rescue by ship of a friend and his family from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, which had destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Jane Rice, Nottingham.