HIGHLIGHT OF THE ELECTION SO FAR: Michael Howard is the best thing in the election, just two days in: we thought that appearing to have the words "Are you thinking what we're thinking?" permanently superimposed on his chest was funny enough; but it's clear that that Aussie chap they imported to try and run their campaign has decided that whenever Howard appears on TV, he should have a small crowd of admirers and supporters behind him. Like George Bush did.

Trouble is, Bush had millions of Republicans to choose from. Howard is trying to assemble a crowd from much thinner material - it's a ploy that would always look a bit shit in the UK; the only sort of people who hang around in the back of shot on British television are mouthing "hello mum" anyway - but a couple of times their crowd has been so thin it's made them look like they're huddling together for warmth. And having seen the faces of people who Howard is surrounded by... well, that's got to be worth a two point swing to the Lib Dems right there.