Anyone with a sense of history might not have avoided shivers of apprehension on witnessing the Inauguration speech Donald Trump gave today.

Quite apart from the fact his hand gestures resemble those of Benito Mussolini, his invocation of the term “America First” has historical resonance as that was the name of an organisation which sought to prevent the US from becoming involved in what was then a European war during 1940 and 1941. That would have been an admirable objective if only some of its leaders and many of its adherents had not articulated views which were anti-semitic.

If the new US President did not know the baggage which the phrase America First brings with it, he ought to have done and then avoided saying it. If he did know, what does that say about him?

I heard Mr Trump also say words to the effect that crime, gangs, drugs, unemployment etc stop right now. Good luck with that endeavour.

I wonder what his reaction is going to be to the first (and subsequent) High School shooting(s) that occur(s) under his Presidency will be, for history shows they will come.

I note with sadness that protests against his inauguration did not all remain peaceful. I am afraid that violence will only beget violence and will be used as an excuse to institute controls on any sort of protest. In this regard I fear an event which will be a Reichstag Fire moment, seized on and taken advantage of either by him or the people behind him.

In the weeks since his coming to electoral prominence I have increasingly come to think of him as T Ronald Dump – as that, I am afraid, is what he is about to do on us all.

The Guardian this week published several pieces about the African country of Eritrea, which is ruled by a repressive regime.

The Guardian briefing about the country is here.

Two of these articles were, however, illustrated by photographs of Art Deco buildings – a relic of Mussolini’s invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) of which Eritrea was then a part.

I couldn’t find all of the photos from the print editions on the Guardian website but the main piece on the Art Deco buildings is here.

The Fiat Building in Eritrea’s capital Asmara is simply stunning:-

This is the Cinema Impero in Asmara:-

And here is a café interior:-

The photographs shown here are credited in the Guardian to Natasha Stallard/Brownbrook.

For those of you who don’t know of her Ms Davidson is the Conservative Party’s Scottish leader. She has the distinction of being the first leader of a political party in the United Kingdom to be openly gay. Not bad going for a Tory.

Something about her demeanour has always nagged at me, though. She carries herself with a certain swagger, almost an arrogance. While watching Sunday Politics Scotland on BBC 1 one week I got it. The way she moves is exactly like Benito Mussolini.

I now keep expecting her to cross her arms over her chest and begin to nod as if sagely.