Diplomats as poets: A hilarious scandal on the Foreign Office intranet

A little bumpy, a little cheeky, but above all: a glorious storm in a teacup. (Federal Foreign Office) There's a new scandal . But what happened? In the Foreign Office's internal magazine, "InternAA," a satirical poem appeared about two prominent former ministers whom we all remember well. Titled "Ken & Barbie," the poem took aim at the duo Baerbock and Habeck. From "feminist foreign policy" to "hand-knitted sweaters" to "glossy makeup," the poem wasn't exactly good, but it was entertaining nonetheless. It reveals that even within the Foreign Office, not everyone always sees the same side .

Wording of the satirical poem from the Foreign Office

The text of the witty satirical poem about Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck is as follows:

“Heating off, sweater on, hand-knitted, from man to man.”

The outside worlds, conceived from a feminist perspective, were meant to save the world, but not everyone laughed.

A child's nightmare soaring high, politics just like a bad book, a country searching, striving, wondering where the path now leads.

Traveling the world with glossy makeup, her hair always perfectly wavy, giving glossy speeches, but lacking skill, she no longer had people in mind.

The roots once so deep in the ground, but change came, times were colorful, A green tree that bore peace, lost the path it once forged.

His step rushes ahead, just not home, the descent at the end, philosophy, in the foreign committee.

And she, leaving her homeland, off to the Big Apple, what a celebration, a job swindled, quite elegantly, the people rejoice, now she is banished.

And so they go on their way, the two of them, so cheerful, we wave to them, now we have peace.

SIGGIG, April 2025”

Much ado about little meter

The Foreign Office's reaction was swift and—unsurprisingly—deadly serious. They spoke of "sexist narratives" and "infamous defamation." The editorial team hastily deleted the text and apologized for the "unfortunate mistake ." Our opinion? Let's be honest: Anyone involved in politics has to be able to tolerate the occasional (admittedly somewhat clumsy) poem. In a world full of regulations, visa requirements, and diplomatic etiquette, a bit of satire is a welcome change. From a lawyer's perspective, the Foreign Office could certainly use a bit of lightheartedness.

The highlights of “diplomatic poetry”

We find the underlying legalistic undertone particularly amusing: The "obtained" job: The fact that Annalena Baerbock is now chairing the UN General Assembly in the "Big Apple" seems to particularly irk the author. The portrayal of Robert Habeck's move to the Danish research institute as a "demotion" is also quite amusing. You don't have to be a Green Party fan to recognize that this is a pointed observation of what is probably already being whispered in the office's grapevine.

Conclusion: Dare to be more humorous!

At Visaguard, we advise clients daily on navigating the jungle of bureaucracy. If everything there were as creative and passionate as in the "InternAA" editorial office (even when things go wrong), the daily grind of dealing with government agencies would be considerably more entertaining. The poem has since been deleted, but the internet never forgets. And us? We cheerfully wave goodbye to "Ken & Barbie" and are pleased that there are apparently still real people at the Foreign Office – and not just boilerplate text.