From: Robin Smith, Shadwell.

There is something disturbing about the way parliamentary select committees appear to conduct their business these days, if the recent Culture Media and Sport Committee hearing into racism in English (principally Yorkshire) cricket is anything to go by.

Chris Water's excellent article in The YP provides a good introduction to the problem, but watching an iPlayer recording of the hearing itself (which I have just done) reveals the whole troubling picture.

Two examples will suffice, namely the attack on Colin Grave's integrity by Alex Sobel MP, and the allegation by Cindy Butts, the chair of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, that Lord Ian Botham was guilty of "mistruths".

Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves speaking to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee at the House of Commons. PIC: PA Wire.

placeholder image — Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves speaking to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee at the House of Commons. PIC: PA Wire.

Both Colin Graves and Lord Botham have long records of selfless service to the game of cricket, and both are entitled to their views, and yet CMS select committee members and Cindy Butts thought it part of their function to attack the integrity of both under the protection of parliamentary privilege. This constitutes reprehensible abuse of power in my judgement.

Surely the function of Parliament and its committees is to hold the government to account, not to deploy the protection of parliamentary privilege in meddling publicly and oppressively in the lawful affairs of private individuals. It is time for a thorough review of the function and operation of parliamentary select committees.