America: A lethal cocktail of racist rhetoric and gun rule

The murderous events of the past week have shaken the United States to its core

People write condolence notes and lay flowers at a growing memorial in front of the Dallas Police Headquarters Pic: Getty

This column was to have focused on the latest twists in the race to the bottom that is the 2016 US presidential election. And there’s enough to fill a book; the speaker-free and sponsor-starved Republican convention. Bill Clinton’s campaign trail incompetence, and his wilful arrogance and cavalier disregard for the collateral damage he inflicted on US Attorney General, Loretta Lynch’s career and hitherto impeccable reputation.

Not to mention the Republican Party’s temper tantrum ...