As if he's not got enough on his plate at the moment, agriculture minister Nick Brown should be aware that his old adversary, the blonde protester who slammed a squidgy chocolate eclair into his face at the NFU annual conference two years ago, has got a job just around the corner from MAFF. For protester Birgit Cunningham, the one time flatmate of superstar Liz Hurley, is, according to our Whitehall informers, now senior press officer at the Green Party. That means her walk to work takes her past the MAFF citadel in Smith Square. And my mischievous Whitehall informer also tells me that there's a delightful patisserie nearby which sells excellent eclairs. Perhaps Nick should use the back entrance to MAFF from now on? {{COUNTERPOINT }}