IS THIS THE HUMAN FACE OF POLITICS?
With a shout of “Order, order!”, proceedings for the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee get underway. On a bleak January morning, the House of Commons committee is hearing evidence from some of England’s cricket clubs as it looks into racism in the sport following allegations made by Azeem Rafiq in 2020 that he’d been subjected to horrendous abuse while at Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
I’m at Portcullis House, opposite the Houses of Parliament, to meet John Nicolson MP, who represents Ochil and South Perthshire for the Scottish National Party (SNP), and also sits on the DCMS committee. When we meet afterwards, Nicolson confirms my suspicion that although he’s not the biggest cricket fan, he feels passionately about racism and he goes on to chat about the issues that have been raised during the committee’s investigation.
“We [previously] heard some devastating evidence from Rafiq about his awful experiences and the way in which he felt himself to be bullied out of cricket. He was once expected to play for his country and now, I think, he’s working in the fast-food industry.
“He told us that once upon a time, he thought his life’s work was to play for his country. Now he thinks his life’s work is to shine a spotlight onto racism
