Howard will stand down as leader

Well, this is a genuine surprise. Good riddance though.

Tory leader Michael Howard will stand down "sooner rather than later" to allow a younger leader to take over.

The Tory party will have a real problem replacing him. Can anyone think of a suitable leader? I know I blame Thatcher for everything, but this is her fault. She was always paranoid and so sat on anyone she saw as a potential threat. Looks at Chris Patten. He is without doubt the most intelligent MP the Tories have had since Ted Heath. So what do they do with him? They sent him off to be governor of Hong Kong. Out of sight, out of mind. Ken Clarke is the only person who could possibly lead them but being a Europhile he is reviled by much of the party. A generation of potential Tory leaders has been lost.

Still, fuck ‘em. Die you Tory dinosaur, die.