In the news

Good article and police work.

Shit human being and shit sentence.

Is it too soon to talk about van control?

I'm beginning to think motor vehicle licencing should be a 2-year course and require annual recertification.

The Pope has sent an Italian military air ambulance (how does this work?) to take him to a Vatican hospital now.

What the actual fuck

Alfies Army on Twitter are the maddest people you could shake a stick at:

20th April 1889: Adolf Hitler was born. He ordered to kill thousands
of sick people 'cause their life was futile. 20th April 2018: UK High
Court orders Alder Hay to kill #AlfieEvans 'cause his life is futile.
AH. Same initials.

amazing. Aldous Huxley would be cacking himself if he was alive.

"Why does an American need an AR-15?"

To make sure what's happening to #AlfieEvans never happens here.
That's why.

Joe Walsh
@WalshFreedom

To clarify, that ^ would be former congressman/all-around dickhead Joe Walsh, NOT James Gang Joe Walsh.

Wait - so the guy just rammed the motorbiker off the road and to his death on Christmas Day because he was irked that he overtook him?

What the actual fuck?

Sadly, that's how I read it.

7 years in prison + disqualified for driving for 6 years. Does his driving ban start after he gets out of prison, cause otherwise seems kind of pointless.

Does his driving ban start after he gets out of prison

yes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43902599

...a day after rudd suggested no such target existed.

of course none of these people will ever be held to account for their bullshit. they've said sorry, surely that's the end of it?

Individual politicians get the sack if there is pressure from inside their party. As the Conservative Party are afraid that were a new general election called, Labour would win it, none of them will budge or risk anything. Theresa May will therefore be Prime Minister until 2022, by which time the Tories will have implemented voter ID and the Boundary Review, leaving Labour with only a slim chance. They'll obviously also FUBAR a good number of other things apart from 'Brexit'.

Except they are propped up by the DUP who won’t accept a hard border in Ireland.

Sure, but the DUP also really, really doesn't want Labour to get in, least of all Jeremy Corbyn. They'll work something out. (I'm obviously aware that 'Brexit' and the Irish problem are incompatible.)

At any other time I'd be impressed if Rudd survives. The number of fuck ups combined with the misstatements/lies and subsequent backtracking is outstanding.

At the moment though?

Is anyone more up on the internal dynamics of the Conservative Party right now? What sway Rudd holds or whether May needs her support, etc?

There's also the broader point which is does anyone really care if there were illegal immigration targets. It hardly seems like an issue that's going to vex voters.

What they're going to have to accept is a hard border in the Irish Sea

Quite a few voters don't even seem to care that current immigration targets / controls are completely stupid. The Tories keep going on about this 100K a year net immigration, em, how? Why?

NHS nurses leaving due to Brexit? Woa, who cares, we will get other ones.
EU people and Brits leaving due to Brexit? Good riddance.
People outside the EU being exploited as the government changed the visa rules on them? Pfff who cares, they are not from here.

The attitude of "its just foreigners" is rife atm in some groups and politics. So people simply don't care about it enough to punish the Conservative party. London (and also Belfast and a lot of NI actually) doesn't have this crappy attitude as a whole, but it's common in some parts of England

The DUP isn't great there either btw, they refused to help on EU citizen rights.

No cabinet minister is going, (sacked or resigned), this side of the forthcoming local Government elections.
Even then it would take a typical Tory scandal, (sex or sleaze). Lying to Parliament, abusing election spending limits, being demonstrably useless, just not worth the bother.
Also Rudd has some traction, senior Tory female, covering May's tracks as Home Secretary, Remainer, supposedly a 'liberal' Tory.
Let's hope she gets voted out at the next GE anyway.

Just to lay out my bias upfront - I'm pro- immigration.

I agree the 100k target seems odd and arbitrary. But we've got to a point where it is an emotive issue. Having controls is something that resonates with people and has done for a while, dare I say it partly from the Blair years original management of the new European countries, and subsequent resource management.

Moreover this is an ongoing, cross party issue (just chat to anyone about asylum cases under Jacqui Smith's tenure).

.....Who did blackface

Rumour has it Rudd is resigning tonight and being replaced by Gove. If it happens you heard it here first.

(Taps nose)

If there's any truth in it then Rudd would be absolutely livid. Majority slashed by May's shit decision to call an election, then taking the rap for something May put in place.

Don't get me wrong, she's an awful human too, but I hope she goes down fighting and takes May with her.