It’s typical of the Left to praise a monster

Peter Hitchens last week was completely correct in describing the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro as a ‘monster’.

Left-wing politicians are happy to overlook the despotism of Marxist dictators, while relentlessly criticising even the slightest shortcoming displayed by any right-of-centre politician. By doing so, they are continuing the tradition of so-called Left-wing intellectuals who excused and denied the atrocities committed by other communist leaders, such as Stalin and Mao.

Let us hope that, with Castro’s demise, the evils of communism will be confined to history. Keeley-Jasmine Cavendish, Tulse Hill, South London

In the early 1960s, I was a young RAF Serviceman serving on a secret base armed with rockets ready to launch an attack because of Fidel Castro’s stand-off with President Kennedy.

This conflict had nothing to do with the UK, but these weapons were based in the UK so we were on standby. It was frightening to see these weapons being readied for an attack.

Ken Livingstone and Jeremy Corbyn both recently praised Castro, but they must have been young boys when all this took place, so what do they know?

Castro has gone but his legacy will live on if we have people like Livingstone and Corbyn supporting his memory. Don McKay, Kincorth, Aberdeen

Castro was not perfect, but Cuba has one of the best health and education services in the world. Alan Lowe, Northwich, Cheshire

Castro’s regime was as benevolent as any dictatorship can be, while our democratic style has developed a really vicious streak. If we could take the good things from his outlook and rid ourselves of the selfish mindset characterising our society today, then we would be on our way to making society fairer for all. Denis Bruce, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow