I read Richard Wolffe’s typically engaging contribution on the Trump White House with interest (Trump’s right on one thing – his people truly are gutless, 7 September).
He compares the mindset of the anonymous benign insurgents to hypothetical functionaries in Mussolini’s Italy who may have wished to act “for the good of the republic”. Italy was actually a monarchy until 1946, after Mussolini had met his fate. I do not make this point merely out of pedantry, but to highlight how easy it is for an educated and excellent writer to overlook the fact that Mussolini was never the legal head of state. King Umberto II had the constitutional authority to remove the fascist dictator had he so wished; however, few would argue that he had the capacity to do so.
It serves as a warning in populist times of what can happen when we fail to maintain the strength and legitimacy of our institutions of governance and the rule of law.
Dr Graham Symon
University of Greenwich
• Richard Wolffe says President Trump is “fundamentally a threat…
