History does seem to repeat itself here

SIR – On Saturday Rhodri Morgan criticised Hilary Benn’s speech for comparing an attack on Isis to the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. Well, all historical analogies are inaccurate but, in defence of Mr Benn, there are some remarkable similarities. Benn’s point was to argue that the Islamic fanaticism of Isis is a similar threat today to that of fascism in the 1930s.

British and French socialists volunteered to fight Franco because Western democratic governments refused their help. Had the RAF been ordered to bomb Franco, as the Nazi Condor squads supported him, then perhaps we could have stopped the fascists in 1936.

Maybe the Second World War would have been avoided.

As in today’s Syria there were many factions in Spain and they were often in conflict with one another. Again as in Syria, the Russians supported the “legitimate” government. Both conflicts were religious and Franco was supported and sustained by right wing Catholicism. This led to support from some surprising and to this day embarrassing quarters (as Rhodri has pointed out here in Wales). Today in Syria Isis is at least tolerated and quietly supported by many of our so-called friends and allies.

Rhodri and others go on to draw their own historical analogy between Iraq in 2003 and Syria now. It is fair to point out that both conflicts had no credible peace plan and indeed in Syria no credible army to implement it. But in Iraq we destroyed a functioning state which did not threaten us. Isis does threaten and there is no functioning state to break. Jon Owen Jones

Penylan for the 150th anniversary celebrations in July, he spoke in English.

Naturally this did not go down well. I feel that his action showed a monumental lack of sensitivity and is a slight to the determination and perseverance of the Welsh descendants who are struggling to keep the Welsh language alive against overwhelming odds.

Joy Davies Celyn Avenue, Caerdydd