Diary - Bush, Schwarzenegger top English gobbledegook poll
September 10, 2009
Former US president George W Bush topped a poll of the worst examples of mangled English released yesterday, followed closely by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Donald Rumsfeld, the former US secretary of defence.
French footballer-cum-philosopher Eric Cantona and former US president Bill Clinton also produced prime examples of gobbledegook, according to the online poll of 4 000 people inspired by the Plain English Campaign.
The notoriously language challenged former president Bush romped to the top accolade for his: "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
Second came Schwarzenegger, who during an election campaign in 2003 minted the puzzling: "I think that gay marriage should be between a man and a woman."
The rest of the top 10 in the poll, commissioned by an insurance company after it won an award from the Plain English Campaign, included Rumsfeld, motor racing commentator Murray Walker, football commentator John Motson and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who, explaining budget plans to legislators in July, said: "Total spending will continue to rise and it will be a zero percent rise in 2013-14." - Sapa-AFP
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