As long as I remember, politicians and media organisations have been sending people in chicken costumes to embarrass their opponents. It happened in the Thatcher years, it happened in most elections since. Hell, it even happened in the West Wing. But I’ve not actually seen anyone properly counter the tactic, not even in the carefully scripted Sorkin show.

Until last evening, when this happened.

Mr Cameron came face to face with the bird – sent by a national newspaper which claims the Tory leader has failed to answer its questions on the peer Lord Ashcroft.

But Mr Cameron appeared to be expecting the confrontation, and gave the chicken a hug, before removing its head to ask him face to face and asking him what question he wanted to ask.

Heh.

I used to read the Mirror most days, but I hadn’t really read it in many years. Random circumstances in the last couple of weeks have had me read the rag a couple of times, and I have to say that I’m quite surprised how pathetically they’re toeing the Brownite line. So seeing this little bird of theirs come a cropper was mighty entertaining.