It's been a busy week for Boris Johnson, writes Debbie Andalo. After helping to win a reprieve for the subject of ancient history at A-level, the shadow higher education minister has now involved himself in another campaign, this time defending alcohol-fuelled student rites of passage.
Mr Johnson has called on a student union sports society to "get a grip", after it banned alcohol-fuelled initiation ceremonies following the death of a student last year.
Exeter University's athletic union imposed the ban and introduced a programme to educate students about the dangers of binge drinking after student Gavin Britton, aged 18, died last November from suspected alcohol poisoning.
His death came after taking part in a fancy dress pub crawl with members of the university's golf society.
The athletic union now wants fellow sports societies at other universities to follow its lead in an attempt to avert further alcohol-induced tragedies.
But yesterday Mr Johnson, in an interview with the university student newspaper Exeposé, said the ban was a panic measure which was unlikely to alter behaviour.
He told the magazine he was "very much against panic bans as a result of some tragic accident".
Mr Johnson likened the Exeter move to the decision to ban handguns following the Dunblane tragedy in 1996 when 16 pupils and a teacher were shot dead in their school gym.
Despite the change in the law, handguns were "absolutely rife in London" and has created the "ludicrous" situation where the GB shooting team has to travel abroad to practice ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, he told the student paper.
Gavin's death last year hit Exeter students hard and the athletic union has tried to use what little authority it has to try to change student behaviour to prevent further tragedy.
There is no guarantee that next year's freshers will stick to the new rule but at least, thanks to the union, they may be more aware of the potential danger they face by binge drinking.
Mr Johnson knows he is a man of influence. It was his speedy outspokenness about the value of A-level ancient history which has probably saved the qualification from being abolished.
So why did the shadow higher education minister find it so hard to speak out in support of the campaign by students at Exeter when a few chosen words, rather than ridicule, might have done some good?
