The German Minister of Defence resigned today. "Baron Cut-and-Paste" was found to have copied large parts of his law doctoral thesis without attribution. He lives in a castle in Bavaria with a beautiful wife, an aristocratic "dream of a politician" earmarked as a possible successor to Merkel. The poor dear is now undone by "Xerox-gate".
Will he now be consigned to oblivion? Will anyone even remember his name? Unlikely, given the length of it: Karl-Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jakob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg. He could at least take out the "Maria". That wasn't serious for a defence minister. I suspect Donald Maria Rumsfeld wouldn't have had quite the same clout in the Oval Office back in 2002. Yes: shorten the name as well as the thesis, mate. After all, few remembered the name of Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern Schleppenden Schlitter Krasskrenbon Fried Digger Dingle Dangle Dongle Dungle Burstein von Knacker Thrasher Apfel Banger Horowitz Tikolensich Grander Knotty Schpelltinkel Grandlich Grumbelmeyer Spelterwasser Kurzlich Himbeereisen Bahnwagen Gutenabend Bitte Ein Nürnburger Bratwurst Gerspurten Mit Weimacht Lueber Hundsfut Gumberaber Schönedanke Kalbsfleisch Mittler Aucher von Hautkopf of Ulm(*), did they?
[There's something about stories such as zu Guttenberg's that makes me feel illicitly warm and smug inside.......]
(*) lifted from Monty Python (It's the Arts).
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