In the modern-day equivalent of storing all your cash under your mattress, the Ukip MP Douglas Carswell asked to be paid in pure gold – rather than via money transfers – for advertising revenue on his blog.

The rabid libertarian asked the political advertising agency, MessageSpace, to pay him in gold nuggets rather than wire transfers. This was hailed as “the quirk about Douglas” and an act of being “fiscally responsible” by the agency’s founder, Jay Singh.

Carswell later told Total Politics that his request for gold had been “tongue-in-cheek”, but did admit to being paid by the company in half gold sovereigns.

Your mole would ridicule this pretentious and anachronistic approach to, er, getting paid a little bit of money, if it weren’t so reminiscent of one of television’s best characters, and most loveable libertarians: Parks and Recreation’s Ron Swanson.