THERE are some universal truisms which appear to pertain wherever you may happen to be in the world. Sadly.

Politicians lie through their teeth, the rich will always do their damnedest to stay that way at the expense of others and “police contact” often proves fatal if you’re a young black man.

Events in Ferguson, Missouri, in recent days after cops gunned down unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown as he held his hands up in surrender have graphically borne this out.

There was almost a sense of sad inevitability to the whole situation as it played out. 

Racist cops shoot young black man. Aforementioned cops treat bereaved family and community with contempt and try to lie their way out of the situation. Community convulses with long pent-up rage.

The next steps are equally and depressingly predictable.

Right-wing government introduces draconian new laws in response to civil disturbances. Cops demand new and better weapons. And get them. Repeat ad nauseam.

There has been an unseemly stench of smugness and the hum of rank hypocrisy emanating from certain organs of the fourth estate and the corridors of power in recent days, as they cast their supercilious eyes over events elsewhere and tut at the uncivilised behaviour of the colonials.

Of course such a thing could never happen here in good old Blighty, could it?

The irony being that most of those who wring their hands over the destruction and violence which inevitably ensues are those who want to give the police greater powers to abuse our rights and more draconian punishments for those involved — as long as they’re not wearing a uniform of course.

Very few of them ever take a moment to consider exactly what the cause of such a situations is, namely the ghettoisation and dehumanisation of large sections of the community. 

If you treat people like second-class citizens and shove them around like cattle what do you expect is going to happen? You’re not exactly going to be top of their Christmas card list that’s for sure.

If you then lord it over these people, sneer at them, imply your own superiority and, in the case of both the US and Britain, effectively criminalise people for their skin colour or economic background, you have all the ingredients for a seriously incendiary situation. 

Add to that mix massive social deprivation, constant police harassment, the egregiously discriminatory use of stop and search powers and what appears to amount to an unofficial shoot-to-kill policy and total police impunity and you don’t have to be Cassandra to predict the results.

I’m sure many of the residents of Tottenham and Brixton can empathise with their counterparts in Ferguson.

Elsewhere outrage and revulsion has rightly been expressed this week over the brutal murder of US freelance reporter James Foley by an individual believed to have been a British member of extremist group Islamic State (Isis).

Foley — by all accounts one of the more honourable members of the fourth estate — unusually for a war reporter seemed to have been distinctly lacking in gung-ho arrogance. 

He had risked his life on numerous occasions to try and get to the truth, or at last an informed version of it, of what was going on in the Middle East.

His murder was therefore not just appalling but entirely counter-productive as he was one of the few Western reporters who had an open mind on the issues at hand. There are now even fewer. Not that Isis seems too bothered about bad publicity mind you.

What was interesting, and disturbing to note was the US reaction to the atrocity.

Obama said: “Today the entire world is appalled by the brutal murder of Jim Foley by the terror group Isis. No just god would stand for what they did yesterday.” 

Difficult to disagree with the first part of that, but a few points if I may.

First, the entire history of religion has been based on adherents committing acts of appalling savagery against “unbelievers” or “infidels,” not least so-called Christians. The Crusades anybody?

Second, what gives the president of the US the right to take the moral high ground when it comes to the “execution” of an innocent civilian? 

The US executes people all the time, many of whom are innocent, and often on camera.

Does it make it better if it’s someone strapped into an electric chair or pumped full of toxins?

James Foley was “executed” simply because he was a US citizen. 

Michael Brown was “executed” by a Louisiana cop simply because he was black. 

The only difference is one was killed by an employee of the state.