King of Comedy

Swiss politicians have a reputation for being grey, humourless bureaucrats.

The previous post was in danger of getting a bit heavy, so on a crisp Sunday morning – praise the dawning – let’s lighten things up a bit.

Think of Swiss politicians and you might think of secretive, behind-the-scenes dealmakers – although the British swipe at the “gnomes of Zurich” was of course aimed at bankers. But you’d have to have a heart of stone not to at least smile at this clip of former Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz, who became a fleeting internet sensation last year – around the world – when he got the giggles during a speech about imports of Bündnerfleisch, a sort of air-dried meat from canton Graubünden.