Like thousands of young people across Britain, especially those from South Asian communities, I grew up playing cricket.
I know it is far from being Scotland’s national sport but since I was a boy, it’s been a big part of my life. It’s the one sport I can remember watching with my dad.
Even now, playing and watching cricket with my own sons is a thing I look forward to whenever we get the chance. Part of cricket’s strength, and part of the reason it continues to thrive despite competing for attention against much more popular sports, is that it brings together people of all backgrounds and classes.
In that respect, it mirrors the best bits of wider society, a place where we all come together to achieve a bigger goal. But, as we saw last week, like society as a whole – in too many institutions, you cannot escape racism and discrimination.
After an independent review into allegations of racism in Cricket Scotland, its governance and leadership have been found to be institutionally racist. There were 448 examples of discrimination raised.
This is a disgrace. More than that, the people who had the courage to come forward and raise issues were ignored and sidelined. A culture of racism developed and the unacceptable behaviour in question was allowed to flourish.
It was a devastating report and a stark reminder that we must intensify efforts to overcome hatred and prejudice. Every recommendation must be implemented and lessons properly learned.
I want to take a minute to extend my solidarity and thanks to Majid Haq, Qasim Sheikh and all those who bravely spoke out about their experiences. That these elite sportsmen suffered clear discrimination while representing their country is shameful.
It also serves as a powerful reminder that racism festers across our society. All my life, I have seen the damage that racism does.
It’s why I talk about the hatred faced by tens of thousands of our fellow Scots, or the other forms of prejudice like bigotry, misogyny, and homophobia that occur. Let me be clear, this isn’t about defeatism. It can be too easy to look around at inequality and throw up our hands.
But I see every day how, when we come together, face uncomfortable truths, listen, learn and forgive, we can repair the foundations of our broken world. But it starts with accepting a responsibility that everyone has to take to heart. Together we have to make it clear that silence is no longer an option.
We can’t leave the fight against prejudice to any individual community. No part of society is immune to it and we must all do what we can to challenge it wherever we find it.
We can’t leave the fight against Islamophobia to the Muslim community or the fight against antisemitism to the Jewish community.
Ending misogyny and the fight against sexism cannot be a job just for women. The fight against homophobia is a battle we’re all part of with the LGBT+ community.
We can’t leave the fight against disability discrimination to people with disabilities. We can’t leave the fight against racism to our diverse minority communities.
It must be a fight for all of us – to build a better future, together.
Drugs deaths
LAST week, we learned that drug deaths in Scotland are at their second-highest point on record. My thoughts are first and foremost with the 1330 people whose lives were cut short, and their loved ones.
Every drug death is a personal tragedy but each is also a political scandal. All are preventable but the system is failing people in their hour of need.
The SNP did not just take their eye off the ball – they took an axe to drug and alcohol services. Now every year this report provokes condolences, apologies and promises – but what has this actually delivered? So far, a fall of less than one per cent in the number of lives lost.
This is not good enough and I was astounded to see Nicola Sturgeon, pictured, and other SNP politicians welcoming this woeful progress. These figures are not a cause for celebration – they are a call to action.
I am aware that the words of politicians ring hollow until matched with action and I’ll keep fighting for the change needed to save lives. The SNP call this an emergency – they need to start treating it like one.
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