Erik's View: Migration, Alcohol & Feminism

Erik Redli is a university graduate from Slovakia who is currently living in London. Each week he gives his view on the events of the last seven days. This week, he looks at migration policy, binge drinking and feminism.

Student Migration

Net migration rules turned overseas students into statistics. At least the Prime Minister said that the correlation of the migration statistics is the main reason they were not withdrawn from migration figures.

I agree with the government’s approach to foreign students, I already mentioned that people from colonies have always made a contribution to the economy. Also the closer you look at the university applicants the easier it is to eradicate students who come just to party or even something worse.

Post-study work changes will help with unemployment figures once they complete their degrees. A student that knows a little bit beyond the compulsory curriculum won’t have problems finding a decent job where he will earn enough to get the work visa. Or, I should say, he will create such a job.

Binge Drinking

I did my bachelor's thesis on the problem of binge drinking in Britain, particularly I was interested in the opinion of the media, and therefore I would not resist the offered drink.

Back in 2003, after the licensing act, it was the small retailers who disdained the alcohol licensing that it would put them into a disadvantage with the supermarkets. Now the government have tackled Tesco and co, but it will not help either.

In my country, friends used to tell me stories from their childhood how they would put together pocket money, buy the cheapest paper box of wine and get drunk. But except for them and the homeless no one would think of drinking from a box.

Since then, the drinking culture has developed more sophisticated tastes. People party hard and not cheap. Most of them would not grab the cheapest stuff, therefore it does not matter whether it costs 20 or 45p. Poor homeless people will have to try harder on the streets, but that’s it. The only ones who will suffer are the shops and taxpayers.

Feminism

I think that feminism is a reminder that once women had to fight for their rights. But that’s history in most parts of the world.

Sure, there are physiological differences between the two sexes that put the men at an advantage in strength and endurance levels. But on the other hand, women athletes have a better predisposition for rhythm and technique.

Have you ever seen male modern gymnastics or synchronized swimming? Certainly, there exists many more differences that were not covered in my lectures on human kinesiology.

Pity that in some parts of the world women are treated as inferiors. But elsewhere it could be religion or social class that matters. It is an issue of culture, not biology.

Read more posts by Erik here.

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