UnNews:German plagiarism minister makes odd resignation speech

This article is part of UnNews, your source for up-to-the-picosecond misinformation.

9 February 2013

Schavan with Merkel in 2009; the moment she remembered where she got the idea for the Christian Democratic Union's election slogan.

BERLIN , Germany -- German Education Minister Annette Schavan, who resigned after a university stripped her of her doctorate for plagiarism, has made further waves with her familiar sounding resignation speech.

"And now," she began, "the end is near. And so I face the final curtain. My friends, I'll say it clear; I'll state my case, of which I'm certain."

A bemused journalist with a basic knowledge of the work of Frank Sinatra inquired as to whether her resignation constituted an admission of guilt, to which Schavan said, "People have got to know whether or not their, er, Education Minister is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook."

Schavan's resignation will come as a blow to Chancellor Angela Merkel, for whom she has been an important ally. Merkel in turn championed Schavan's work since the latter's introduction of her No Kinder Left Behind act in 2002. In 2009 Schavan was said to be instrumental in Merkel's re-election, and is widely credited with the catchy slogan that accompanied the campaign, Yes we cann.

Her reputation was hit last year when it was revealed that her doctoral thesis, A Brief History of Time was almost entirely copied and pasted. University authorities were first alerted by the tell-tale presence of the letter 'v' at the top of a page. Merkel stood by her minister's claims of innocence, saying, "I have faith in Annette. I can't believe anyone who wrote a song as lovely as Yesterday would stoop so low as to copy a doctoral thesis."

Today, when asked about her relationship with the chancellor, Schavan replied, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms Merkel."

Sources

• Leverage, "German minister Annette Schavan quits over 'plagiarism'" BBC, February 9, 2013