Most people will have heard the classic version of 11th century King Canute attempting to hold back the waves, and failing. Well, it seems we now have a modern equivalent.
The National Union of Students (NUS) is bringing in a new “initiative” to stem the tide of binge-drinking amongst students (the Home Office is also involved).
…the aim is to create a “cafe culture that runs into the evening”.
Not that old “cafe culture” thing again! The British and “cafe culture” are poles apart – and the gap is even wider where students are involved. One of the prime considerations for people going to university is the night life – the choice of university for many students is based purely on the craic available in the host city. “Cafe culture” doesn’t even appear on the list.
It’s like tapas bars. They’re great if you go to Spain, but in Britain they’re both expensive (compared to Spain) and pretentious. We have one in West Bridgford, and you should see the kind or people who go in there (actually, West Bridgford is probably the only place one would work in Nottingham). And “cafe culture” is the same – the British just don’t do “cafe culture” very well at all.
Driving past any of the numerous student complexes in Nottingham (this is yet another way in which the City Council is screwing up this place – instead of building houses, it builds student flats, and then tears up green belt for the houses) you can see the level of “cafe culture”, as the current residents proudly display their empty vodka and Jägermeister bottles on their windowsills. You can also assess how well the “cafe culture” went the previous evening from the number of smashed bottles and glasses in the roads around student digs when you go to pick up a pupil from one of them.
The true British ethic is also well illustrated by the boards outside trendy bars (“shots and bombs, £1 all night”), and this is where you should start if you’re going to try and prevent students getting rat-arsed at every opportunity. If they had to pay £4 a pop like the rest of us, they’d soon cut down.