A.B. Sanderson

A B Sanderson has ten years experience working in EU politics both in Brussels and Strasbourg and here in the UK.

Articles by A.B. Sanderson

Tory Minister To Marry Secret Gay Lover After 29 Years

Conservative MP Nick Gibb has announced he is to marry his partner of 29 years, having only told his family last week he was gay. Mr Gibb praised his party for championing gay marriage and even said the Church of

Nick-Gibb

British Aid ‘Funds Foreign Armies’ While UK Troops Face Cutbacks

While Britain’s own defence budget is being slashed, MPs have discovered that the ring-fenced overseas aid budget is helping to fund armies in developing countries. Research from the House of Commons Library found that defence spending in some of the

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Student Becomes Batman To Avoid Plane Ticket Surcharge

A student has changed his name by deed poll to Adam West because it was cheaper than paying Ryanair’s administrative fees. Adam Armstrong was told by the company that it would cost him £220 to change the name on his plane

Batman

Greece May Not Pay IMF Loans In June

Heavily indebted Greece has played the latest hand in the game of euro one-upmanship by refusing to honour the latest instalment in its debt repayment plans to the IMF. The  €300m (£218m) owed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is due

The Associated Press

100th UK Town Bans ‘Charity’ Beggars

Croydon in South London has become the latest town to sign up to a scheme banning ‘chuggers’ – charity muggers – who hassle members of the public for money. The ‘stop and sign-up’ fundraisers, who stop people in the street

chuggers

John Cleese Tweets Show He Thinks Sepp Blatter Is A Very Naughty Boy

Comedian John Cleese has weighed into the FIFA scandal, tweeting that Sepp Blatter has ‘given himself four months to destroy the evidence” after ex-FIFA executive Jack Warner named the Swiss in a television broadcast about the investigation for corruption. The

The Associated Press

SNP Call For Britain To Take More Migrants

Scottish National Party MP Angus Robertson has described the deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean as “a stain on the conscience of Europe.” The party’s leader in Westminster was speaking during a debate in the House of Commons on international

reuters

UK National Health Service Spends Whopping £26m on Gardening

Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) spent more than £26 million on maintaining grounds and gardening services in 2013-14 despite a huge budgetary black hole. The figures were calculated by the Tax Payers’ Alliance (TPA) who said that 43 hospital trusts in

labour-poster

Merkel Throws Struggling Cameron a Bone Over EU Reform

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has thrown David Cameron a bone in his bid for EU reform by saying treaty change was not “totally impossible”. In a press conference following the pair’s meeting which rounded off the first part of the

The Associated Press

Ex-UKIP Leader Asks Government To Support Draw Mohammed Competition

Former UKIP leader Lord Pearson of Rannoch has asked the British government if they will support a competition by artists to depict the Muslim Prophet Mohammed. Lord Pearson, who led the party during the 2010 General Election when Nigel Farage

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BBC Job Ad: No Qualifications Needed, But You MUST be Disabled

The BBC is offering training for potential new weather presenters – but instead of requiring knowledge of meteorology the applicants must instead be disabled. An official advert by the publicly funded broadcaster said the BBC does not currently have any disabled weather

BBC(2)

EU To Filter Out Caffeine Intake (Except In Its Own Buildings)

The European Food Standards Agency wants to limit how much caffeine an adult can consume every day which could see adults banned from frequent visits to coffee shops. According to a report from the European Food Standards Agency, seen by

cup of coffee

Revealed: Snowden Leaks ‘Crippled’ War On Terror

Security leaks by CIA contractor Edward Snowden “crippled” Britain’s counter terrorism ability and put lives in danger, a major study has confirmed today. The theft of the 1.7 million documents from the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the US

reuters-gchq

Shock Revelation: Lib Dem Says All Politicians Lie

A former Liberal Democrat MP has defended the party’s sole representative in Scotland,  Alistair Carmichael, who has been called on to step down, by saying that all politicians lie. Sir Malcolm Bruce, former Deputy leader of the party, was defending the

Alistair Carmichael

Two Party System Dealt Blow In Spanish Elections

The two party system was delivered a blow in Spain’s municipal elections as voters turned their backs on the parties who have dominated the electoral scene since democracy was reintroduced to the country in 1980. The Popular Party (PP) which

The Associated Press

Who Knew? Think Tank Claims ‘Mondeo Man’ Could Be British Asian

Middle England ‘Mondeo Man’ could be a member of the British Asian community, a think tank has claimed. New research shows that David Cameron was returned to Number 10 with his unexpected Conservative majority following an increase in support from

The Associated Press

UK Commissioner Joins EU-Funded Fat Cats To Oppose Brexit

Britain’s EU Commissioner has attacked anti-EU campaigners by implying their cause would damage trade and business. Lord Jonathan Hill, who earns around EUR20,000 a month plus expenses from his taxpayer-funded job overseeing financial services, said he believed the country would

Wind your neck in, Farage says Juncker should stay out of EU debate.

Children Take To Amsterdam Streets To Demand White Classmates

Two schools in the Netherlands have resorted to knocking door-to-door to get white children to sign up in order to prevent their closure, blaming segregation in the Dutch education system. Around 100 youngsters from Arab, Turkish and African backgrounds were

Dutch_Schoolchildren_AFP

SNP Already On The Offensive Over Slim Conservative Majority

Alex Salmond has already predicted failure for the new Conservative government only days after it was swept to power by the unexpected majority. The new MP for Gordon says Mr Cameron will have trouble legislating his manifesto pledges, especially on

Alex-Salmond

The In/Out Referendum: Cameron Still Faces A Battle In Brussels

David Cameron will stick to his promise to hold an In/Out referendum on Britain’s EU membership following his victory at the polls. The Conservatives pledged to hold a vote in 2017 after they had renegotiated Britain’s terms of membership should

The Associated Press

Battle Lines Drawn As Farage Snubs Nuttall As Interim Leader

Nigel Farage only resigned as UKIP leader yesterday but already the camps are digging in for the race to become the party’s next leader. Emotions are high following Farage’s disappointing second position in South Thanet which resulted in him stepping down from

paul_nuttall

UKIP Cement Power Base In North East But Fail To Take Great Grimsby

GRIMSBY, United Kingdom – UKIP have demonstrated that they are not just the party of dissatisfied Conservatives as the results in North East England show large swings to Nigel Farage’s party. With results declared in Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South

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UKIP Candidate Missed Off Ballot Papers

Darlington Council is under fire for leaving off the name of the UKIP candidate on a number of the ballot papers. David Hodgson was missing from 89 ballot papers in the Harrowgate Hill ward of Darlington and was only made

Nigel Farage, the leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) arrives to vote i

French Boules Match Descends Into Violence

Seven people were arrested in south western France when a regional boules match descended into a mass brawl. The Aquitaine pétanque championships ended in chaos and the referee suffered a blow to the head after one of the players became annoyed by

boules

Japanese Zoo Apologises For Calling Baby Monkey Charlotte

A Japanese zoo has bowed to pressure and opted not to name a baby monkey Charlotte, after the newest arrival to the British royal family. The Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Gardens in Oita Prefecture, southern Japan invited visitors to vote for

baby_monkey

Watch Out For Higher Prices As EU Votes On Carbon Credits

MEPs have voted for an increase in the price of carbon credits. This will push up the cost of energy and fuel and drive up prices across the market, Reuters report. In a deal agreed on Tuesday, the European Commission,

Patrick Seeger / AFP