GERMANY:Germany's Bild newspaper has crowned "Cheekiest Unemployee of the Year" a man told to "get a shave and a haircut" by the Social Democratic leader Kurt Beck.
Unemployed tram driver Henrico Frank won his 15 minutes of fame last week after heckling Mr Beck at a Christmas market that he had no work and less dole money because of Schröder-era economic reforms.
Mr Beck told the bedraggled, bearded, ageing punk that if he washed and shaved he would have a job in three weeks.
Bild newspaper picked up the story and paid for a shave and a haircut.
Mr Frank even removed his two nose-rings to show his goodwill to the project.
But when Mr Beck's office found six jobs for Mr Frank, they found he wasn't interested in the opportunities.
They arranged a time for him to come to Mr Beck's office.
But Mr Frank cancelled the meeting, scheduled for yesterday, saying he hadn't the time.
Mr Frank told Bild he "wasn't a lazy bum", but the newspaper turned on him, pointing out that the badge of his lapel read: "Work Sucks".
While the newspaper crowned him "Cheekiest Unemployee of the Year" its leading columnist rejoiced at Mr Beck's politically incorrect "wash and shave" remarks.
"What's wrong with shaving?" asked Franz Josef Wagner.