Boys will be boys

News that the London School of Economics rugby team have been suspended from playing for one year by their student union really does signal the end of amateur rugby as I and my peers know it.

In these times of political correctness and positive discrimination, one would have expected a group of men who are targeting high profile and influential  roles in society to be a bit more aware of the potential uproar their advertising flyer could have caused.

I found some of the comments amusing in the way I found student rag mags a good way to pass an underground journey in the '70s and '80s. Some of the comments I suspect were also close to the truth. Sadly one has to be so careful these days about going into print with potentially female ( or other minority group) comments which could be taken as not too complimentary.

The event did remind me, however, of the way one traditional rugby club embraced the ethos of new player induction, and the ladies were fully supportive. The team in question had their pitch and clubhouse on the edge of the village, and after the first away game of the season, new members of the club were dropped off on the ring road in just their birthday suit and trainers. They then had to run through the village to the clubhouse while the coach went several miles round the village to reach the same destination. The players were encouraged to get there first, by most of the female population who turned out on this notable date to cheer them on and check out the new talent!  The police turned a blind eye as several of them played for the local team themselves!!

So farewell banter and innuendo based comment, LSE alumni such as John F Kennedy and Ed Miliband can rest easy knowing  that the LSE student union, in the capable  hands of Nona Buckley-Irvine, will make sure these sort of sexist escapades become a thing of the past.

Its interesting thought that the LSE student union newspaper which reported the progress of the issue is called 'Beaver Online'.  Maybe she should be looking to rename that!