Who will lead the resistance against Trump? I choose James Murdoch…

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I often enjoy the fallout from the Murdoch family dramas, as well as Succession, the wonderful TV series they inspired (“Inside the real-life Murdoch succession drama: The cruel king exposed by his own son”, Friday 21 February).

The very existence of unhappy billionaires seems oxymoronic to me. It certainly has an irony that I’m sure those on the Rich List will never understand.

Yet I recently found myself shocked to be in the somewhat sympathetic position of agreeing with Rupert’s younger son, James Murdoch. He may be the 1 per cent of the 1 per cent who is self-aware.

At least, self-aware enough to realise that the tabloid culture that has paid for his private education, private jets and designer suits is, in fact, something “nasty and scary and manipulative”.

In a world where wealthy, power-hungry maniacs like Donald Trump and Elon Musk seem to be running the show, is it possible that the voice of resistance could come from one of their own?

If James is serious about this philosophical divide between him and his father, it might signal a serious shift in media culture – or at least an incentive for another sequel series from HBO.

Daisy Foran

Aylsham, Norfolk

Some questions are better left unanswered

I recently read Primo Levi’s book, If This Is a Man. I was particularly struck by the relevance of his postscript, in which he answers reader’s questions.

One in particular is haunting: “Why did the fascists hate Jews?”

Levi comments that to try to understand is, in some ways, to justify these evil acts (“Why Putin’s Nazi smears on Poland and other nations spell more than a war of words”, Friday 21 February).

We must only recognise them as evil, and stop so-called “charismatic” leaders and political prophets who try to seduce us with their views.

It is not just these charlatans who we must beware of, but us the common man; we who normalise and accept their obnoxious views or, worse, try to understand them.

We know that Donald Trump and his acolytes are wrong. We should not empathise or accept their views as normal, we can’t seek to understand them. We can only fight back before it’s too late.

Maurizio Moore

Chelmsford, Essex

German chutzpah

Well done to Germany for having some national pride and taking no notice of the United States (“Germany’s Friedrich Merz takes swipe at Trump and calls for ‘independence from the USA’”, Monday 24 February).

Let’s follow the Germans and be brave, for once in our lives.

It’s clear that, under this new administration, the US is now indifferent to the UK and, frankly, hostile towards the rest of Europe.

I think we should now trust the Americans as much as we trust Russia and China.

It’s a new age and we need to play catch up. We have to seek independence from our neighbours across the pond.

Gordon Marler

Address supplied

History lesson

I am bereft that well-educated people like the Germans – who have such a dark history within living memory – would even consider voting for the AfD ("Germany’s best defence against the AfD is for mainstream parties to offer hope", Saturday 22 February). Even if I was feeling generous in describing them, they are, at best, borderline neo-Nazis.

Europe and the wider world have many problems, but returning to the 1930s is never a solution.

Robert Boston

Kings Hill, Kent

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