- Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves?
Waive Britannia, Britannia waive the rules -

The fair land of Great Britain. Home to many an established institution. Breeding ground of some of the greatest writers and thinkers in history. Respected and feared the world over for its political and military might.

Also the home to many a drunk, violent yob. Breeding ground of some of the worst diseases, thanks in full to its piss-soaked streets. Feared the world over for its terrorists these days.

Faced, as usual, with a mountain of work today, I ran out of websites to visit, so I decided to snoop around the dark alleys of the LSE website to find out what prizes are awarded to 2nd year students in my course annually.

The Allyn Young Prize
1 @ 100
Outstanding performance in Micro Economics in the 2nd year.

The CS McTaggart Prize
9 @ £300
3 prizes for each of 1st, 2nd and 3rd year BSc or BA students based on exam results in each year, with reference to previous years results for 2nd and 3rd year prizes.

The Rishi Madlani Award
1 @ £100
Awarded to an undergraduate obtaining the top mark in Macroeconomic Principles paper (EC210).

These lay among a host of prizes awarded to students in a variety of courses at the school.

And then I saw the mother of all LSE prizes, the holy grail of LSE awards, the crowning glory of the school's bounty.

The Richard Goeltz Prize
Approximately £2000 (amount varies)
Awarded to UK undergraduates completing their second year in Economics.

The Richard Goeltz Prize. Ah, the Richard Goeltz Prize.
ONLY OPEN TO UK UNDERGRADUATES.

Tony Blair, that champion of free trade and reduced protectionism, would be turning in his grave, if he were dead. But he's not, so he's probably just turning a blind eye and a deaf ear.
Damn the French CAP! Down with protectionist trade measures! Apparently no one's listening at home.

Annual tuition fees cost £1000 for local students and about £10,600 for international students at the LSE. Yet when the government proposed to raise top-up fees to £3000 for international students, a great hullaballoo erupted. This is unfair, they screamed, amid the hue and cry.
They decried the proposal, labelling it a tax on learning.

The Richard Goeltz Prize
Approximately £2000 (amount varies)
Awarded to UK undergraduates completing their second year in Economics.

This is the very reason why spoilt, sheltered Brits grow up to loiter around football stadiums, in one hand a half-full bottle of Foster's that goes in their heads, in the other an empty one which breaks on a rival team's supporter's.
This is why they grow up to believe they rule the world and can go about doing whatever they damn well please with impunity.
This is why Great Britain is no longer.