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www.concrete-online.co.uk
Tuesday 13 March 2012 - Issue 267

@Concrete_UEA

facebook.com/ConcreteNewspaper THE DRUGS ISSUE

COMMENT

Dance Squad & Ballet present

Binge drinking cant be ignored

preoccupation of elderly old farts that seem to have forgotten their own misspent youth. If a culture of binge-drinking becomes established amongst a particular group of people, it damages the lives of all of them and reduces their potential self-fulfilment, as well as imposing the costs of crime and poor health upon the rest of society. Heavy drinking is often the consequence of low self-confidence or low self-esteem. Individuals drink to get the Dutch courage to go out with less insecurity and meet others with what they mistakenly believe is greater poise and selfassurance. This is sometimes accompanied by (usually low-level) bullying as the social group presses its members to conform to the culture of binge drinking. I believe that the answer lies in trying to change social behaviours by strengthening the real (not alcohol-enhanced) selfconfidence of young people. This is an educational task which should start in school, but can be reinforced at university, particularly in the first year, through a series of more demanding courses which focus on building students all-round educational capacity, including articulating themselves in a range of different mediums. Such an approach should be reinforced by trying to create social centres where consumption of alcohol is not the central activity, and where there are genuine and satisfying alternatives. This is easier as alcohol becomes more and more expensive, a trend which will certainly continue. These techniques, rather than draconian prohibition or removal of licensed premises and alcohol sales, are likely to be more effective in the medium term. Binge drinking cannot be ignored. It has to be faced-up to, and addressed. Its consequences are too serious for both individuals and wider society for it to be ignored.

DANCE SHOW 2012

Charles Clarke
Students have a big reputation, sometimes deserved, sometimes less so, for drinking a lot of alcohol. Thats true in Norwich, with the bars on campus as well as the pubs of the Golden Triangle and Prince of Wales Road profiting handsomely from the patronage of students from UEA and elsewhere. Students often resent the suggestion of their elders that this is some kind of problem. They point out, usually accurately, that theres nothing new about students drinking, that their parents did it just as much as they do, and in any case theyre old enough to make up their own minds and decide how theyre going to behave. And in any case, its legal so whats the problem? But the truth is that there is a problem. Alcohol is the main reason why people end up in A&E on weekends. Alcohol is the biggest cause of violent crime, and drunks are the biggest victims of violent crime. As Eric Joyce MP has just reminded us graphically, people do things whilst drunk that they would never do in full control of themselves, and they sometimes get a criminal conviction as a result. Repentance the morning after will usually simply range over a series of social and personal embarrassments, but can sometimes be a good deal worse. Less dramatically, over-consumption of alcohol damages your health, diverts your energies from more interesting and worthwhile activities, and can set back your educational progress. Worrying about all this is not just the

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Russias tradition of control will remain a barrier to democracy

As most people have gathered, the recent presidential elections held in Russia have stirred up a hornets nest of comment and protest. Vladimir Putin, who the electorate returned to power for a third six-year term as president, and his party supporters, have both been accused of fraud, ballotrigging, abusing absentee voting, denying opponents coverage in the media, the lot. The independent Russian election watchdog, Golos, described receiving up to 3,000 reports of voting fraud, and the League of Voters, a monitoring group set up by protestors, called the election an insult to Russian society. secure and people knew what they had to do and when to do it. On this basis, it must be acknowledged that there is not the deep attachment to democracy as the best form of government that there is in the west, and that consequently the transition must be gradual. We would also do well to remember that we, as a nation, have gone through a gradual process to reach the system of government we have now. We began 800 years ago with the Magna Carta, progressed through killing our king and experimenting with a Lord Protector under Cromwell, then evolved to a constitutional

Putin seems simply to be continuing a tradition of repressing and controlling the Russian people which was endemic under the Tsars and, if anything, got worse under communist rule
If the reports are true, it would seem there is only disappointment waiting for those who hope desperately for true democracy for Russia. If we look back through Russian history, Putin seems simply to be continuing a tradition of repressing and controlling the Russian people which was endemic under the Tsars and if anything got worse under the communists. It must be borne in mind that the Russian people have never experienced anything closer to democracy than the post-Soviet governments of Yeltsin and Putin, in which power has been concentrated in the hands of oligarchs and corruption has become widespread and commonplace. There is a fondness in Russia for strong leadership as there was under Joseph Stalin, when jobs were monarchy, the Labour Party, trade unions and the rise of a situation in which ordinary people have a say. We have not always been a democracy: we have been where the Russians are now. However, it must also be acknowledged that there are those who believe not only that democracy is coming to Russia fast, but Putin will be the man to bring it. Former German Chancellor, Gerhard Schrder, accused observers of succumbing to prejudice, saying: I believe he [Putin] is seriously orienting his country towards being a democracy. That that is a lot to do, no one knows better than he himself. It seems we can certainly look to the future, albeit with a degree of sceptiscm, and the Russian people can look forward to a future of democracy in Russia with cautious optimism.

Take pride in your University

In all considerations, the American college arguably has a single concept which surpasses that of the British university. It is not the greater numbers, the house parties the keg stands. but rather it is what our American cousins would describe as college spirit. Here at UEA, there is perhaps a single day in the academic year which offers a chance for all students to don the blue and yellow and chant, sing, and support in true American fashion. This day is called Derby Day. Having taken place last week (7 March), the entire 22 hour day was a fantastic experience, despite the wind and rain, and a few instances of trouble between Essex fans and UEA players. It is clear Derby Day is a big issue, yet the Union of UEA Students did a poor job of drumming up the hype which was in clear evidence across Essex. Having donned their red and black shirts, with faces painted and banners waving, the students at the University of Essex were clearly feeling the American spirit more so than the visitors. This can be taken as a learning curve though, and Derby Day 2013, taking place at home, is an opportunity to tell all that UEA really is wonderful. Even if you are not a big sports fan, Derby Day gives all a chance to take pride in your academic institution. It should be a primary goal of the Union to facilitate this, build up support, and to say to Essex that the only way is UEA.

Nicola Walters

Joshua Resoun