History is repeating itself, with Putin as the new Stalin, Trump as the new Mussolini, and Farage as the new Oswald Mosley.

Vladimir Putin, who the CIA records as being the world's “unofficial” richest person, is an old-school kleptocrat, presiding over a kleptocracy. Old school in that he is a dictator who will brook no criticism and imprisons or assassinates anyone perceived as a threat. Also, after reinstating the Russian Orthodox Church, through fear and threat, he insists the church give him its full backing – or else!

His prime objectives are to weaken both the EU and the USA economically and politically, and weaken NATO militarily.

His number one ally in doing this on the international stage is Nigel Farage, generally believed (although not proven categorically) to be a Russian asset. Farage’s main objectives were to weaken the EU by getting the UK to withdraw from it, which he achieved with Brexit, mainly through racist fearmongering and extreme nationalism. Also, through similar methods and tactics to weaken the USA, again achieved by getting Trump (generally perceived to be the worst and weakest ever president) elected twice. (In a speech, Trump said Farage and Brexit were essential to his 2016 election win.) In power, Trump has seriously weakened NATO and America's foreign policy influence.

Why does Putin want this? He hankers for regaining political and military power over the old communist bloc countries that turned towards Western Europe and the EU when they got their freedom in 1989.

Mussolini had a “monstrous egotism” and developed a personality cult that demanded constant attention and praise. He believed in a personal foreign policy that led to disastrous results. In order to avoid conflict with the Catholic Church and its influence on the general public, Mussolini appeased the church to gain its support. The church then encouraged its huge congregations to support the fascist dictator, for the church’s own ends. Mussolini then established the Blackshirts, an organisation of paramilitary thugs who used violence to achieve their political aims. The Blackshirts eventually numbered two hundred thousand. Later, Hitler's Brownshirts SS would be based on the Black Shirts.

Trump has used both Farage’s racist and nationalistic rhetoric, plus appeasing the Catholic Church (especially on the issues of abortion and sexual orientation) to gain its, and other “Christian” churches' support, and thereby their congregations' support. He is now almost indistinguishable in his egotistical hubris from Mussolini. Trump is now putting face-masked ICE (Immigration and Customs) patrols on the streets, who are becoming known as a form of authoritarian secret police. Also, Trump is now putting the military on the streets, but only in Democratic controlled cities, similar to what happened in Argentina and Chile in the 1970s, leading up to their military dictatorships. Perhaps this is how Trump intends to stay in office for an illegal third term?

Farage is a political opportunist, heavily financed by Russian money, and now having achieved his two main purposes of Brexit and Trump, aspires to become the UK Prime Minister, leading his Reform party of overtly racist and nationalist supporters. Oswald Mosley created the British Union of Fascists (BUF) in 1932. The BUF used much rhetoric of racism and nationalism and copied much of Hitler’s antisemitism and nationalistic oratory.

Farage now faces a problem with his plans because Tommy Robinson, the UK's most prominent anti-Islamic campaigner, is in his way. Robinson, previously a member of UKIP, a thug and jailbird with convictions for violence, financial and immigration frauds, cocaine possession with intent to supply, public order offences, mortgage fraud, and having served at least three separate custodial sentences, is gaining the support of more thugs in violent anti-immigration rallies. Robinson’s rallies and reputation are now beginning to turn off support for Farage and Reform, who, although non-violent, are being tarred by the Robinson brush, which is turning off previous moderate Reform voters.

It should also be noted that Robinson has become wealthy, having gained income reported to be up to two million pounds, from various sponsors and events, including from the USA.

So why is this all happening now? As Bill Clinton famously said, “It’s the Economy, Stupid.” Hitler came to power at a time of deep economic crisis. Mussolini also came to power during a weak economy and social unrest. The UK economy is weaker than it ought to be. Analysis suggests that because of Brexit, the UK economy is 2.5% lower than it should be, and there are millions more people in the UK with inadequate incomes than there were twenty years earlier.

Housing illegal immigrants in comfortable, warm hotels, while many British pensioners cannot afford to put on their heating, or afford nutritious food, and low-paid working people who are struggling to afford family basics, is bound to wind people up. It is political incompetence in the extreme. Yes, these illegals have to be cared for. I don’t think anyone other than abject racists would disagree with that. The question is how? And 3-star hotel accommodation is not the answer. It just gives the likes of Farage more ammunition for his nefarious purposes.

UK economic growth is abysmal. People see a weak government and virtually no opposition party. Ideal conditions for fermenting social unrest.

When a country is growing economically, with good government and full and fair employment, social tensions become negligible, and do not allow people with agendas to sow discord so easily.

I have lived most of my life in growing economies – the UK until the mid-seventies, then the Middle East and Asia until now. Working in Saudi there was always full employment, financed by Petrodollars. With a strict immigration and work visa policy, the country was multicultural, multiethnic, and friendly. There was no unemployment, and people lived a good life at all levels of society. The situation was similar in Qatar. There is illegal immigration, usually from overstaying expired work visas. Illegal immigrants are occasionally rounded up in humane police actions and returned to their countries of origin. Middle East countries do not recruit from anywhere that has serious human rights issues.

In the Philippines, there is an abundant workforce, yet much unemployment and underemployment. Foreign immigrant workers are allowed employment visas only where local skills are lacking, usually in senior management positions. Therefore, there is no threat to employment from legal immigration. Nor are the Philippines targets for illegal immigration, other than obvious (usually Chinese) deliberate criminal activity after overstaying tourist visas.

When I worked in Manila in the mid-nineties, a friend would visit once a month for a long weekend break from Hong Kong. He worked for the British Government vetting Vietnamese Boat People. These were people arriving in Hong Kong by boat from Vietnam (and some from Cambodia) claiming asylum based on threats from the new communist government. Trying to separate the wheat from the chaff, as he said, genuine versus economic boat people, was an almost impossible task.

We are in a world of illegal mass migration, almost always caused by poor economic opportunity, in turn often caused by dictators who, instead of focusing on developing their countries' economies and improving their people's livelihoods, prefer kleptomania, war, power…….

China, despite its “modern” communism, nevertheless has a population who are at their historical pinnacle of prosperity, thanks to a government focused on economic growth. The average Chinese citizen has, as Harold MacMillan once said of the British economy, “never had it so good.”

The problems of racism will never go away, unfortunately. I have never understood racism, yet it appears to be ingrained in some people who then indoctrinate it into their children/communities. But stopping self-serving politicians and dictators using racism for their own ends will only end when all the world's leaders start focusing on improving the economic conditions within their countries, for the benefit of all their people. Sadly, not in my lifetime.