Mike Sivier
LightNews LightNews
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Mike Sivier
@midwalesmike.bsky.social
300 followers 25 following 2.9K posts
Vox Political writer and therefore poverty-stricken.
Posts Replies Media Videos
midwalesmike.bsky.social
UK voters are being trapped by political blackmail. Labour validates Reform’s framing, but real change comes from voter-enforceable policies, not slogans. #PoliticalBlackmail #VoterAccountability #UKPolitics
thewhipline.substack.com/p/uk-voters-...
UK voters are unhappy - because they simply don't know what they need or how to get it
Simon Wren-Lewis, over on Mainly Macro, is circling an uncomfortable truth - but seems reluctant to come out with it.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 18, 2026 at 6:30 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
UK unemployment has hit 5.2 per cent — nearly 1.9 million people out of work, with youth unemployment above 16 per cent. What a shame MPs only seem to believe in 'jobs for the boys'.
#UKUnemployment #YouthJobs #Labour #Economy #TheWhipLine
thewhipline.substack.com/p/does-anybo...
Does anybody in Parliament know how to tackle unemployment?
Joblessness in the UK has risen to its highest level in nearly five years, according to the Office for National Statistics.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 18, 2026 at 1:20 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Trump and Farage attack UK-California green energy deal with insults. Miliband and Newsom push forward on clean tech and climate jobs.
#GreenEnergy #ClimateAction #UKPolitics #Trump #Farage
thewhipline.substack.com/p/trump-and-...
Trump and Farage attack UK-California green energy deal - with personal insults
Former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher once said political opponents only resort to personal attacks when they have nothing of substance to say.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 17, 2026 at 6:19 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Labour has backed down from delaying 30 council elections after a Reform UK court challenge. Democracy defended – or political games on all sides? #Labour #ReformUK #LocalElections #UKPolitics
thewhipline.substack.com/p/labour-is-...
Labour is foiled in its bid to delay democracy
The UK’s Labour government has been forced to back down from a bid to delay elections in 30 local councils, after receiving advice that it could be unlawful.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:55 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Cheaper to fly to Turkey than shop at Tesco? This grocery stunt is real — but the economics tell a deeper story about UK rents, energy and retail costs.
#CostOfLiving #Tesco #Turkey #GroceryPrices #TheWhipLine
thewhipline.substack.com/p/this-shopp...
This 'shopping in Turkey' gimmick has a serious message for us all
Let’s fact-check something.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 5:39 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
The UK wants to fine or ban AI chatbots that put children at risk. But can generative AI ever be fully “safe” — or is the law chasing a moving target?
#AI #OnlineSafetyAct #ChildSafety #TechPolicy #BBCNews
thewhipline.substack.com/p/lets-make-...
Let's make AI chatbots safe for children - but is it really that easy?
The UK government wants to fine - or even block - AI chatbots that are deemed to put children at risk.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 1:05 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Is Keir Starmer ignoring renewed calls for investigations into Labour Together and the Cabinet Secretary frontrunner? Is his judgement doubtful?
#KeirStarmer #LabourTogether #UKPolitics #CivilService #PoliticsLive
thewhipline.substack.com/p/will-starm...
Will Starmer's job be on the line if he ignores renewed calls for investigations?
The UK’s embattled prime minister, Keir Starmer, is facing renewed calls for investigations into a think tank that helped him get where he is and his preferred choice of new head of the civil service.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 11:14 AM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
The BBC says Labour Together commissioned a report on a journalist’s faith and background after he investigated its funding. What does that say about factional politics — and loyalty?
#LabourTogether #UKPolitics #MediaFreedom
thewhipline.substack.com/p/does-inves...
Does investigation of this journalist highlight how Labour Together turns on its allies?
An investigation into journalists examining undeclared donations to the think tank Labour Together went far beyond what was necessary, according to new information.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 15, 2026 at 1:31 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
First Mandelson. Then Doyle. Now the Cabinet Secretary. Is Keir Starmer facing a third due diligence crisis — and this time, who can he blame?
#Starmer #UKPolitics #DueDiligence #CivilService #Westminster
thewhipline.substack.com/p/will-this-...
Will this civil service resignation be the final straw for Keir Starmer?
After the big shocks of the Mandelson and Doyle scandals, one might think the resignation of a civil servant - even one as senior as the Cabinet Secretary - would be minor.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:54 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Streeting claims he's offering a “real-terms” NHS pay rise. September inflation was 3.8 per cent. He’s offering 3.3 per cent.
That’s a cut.
#NHS #WesStreeting #Inflation #PublicSectorPay
thewhipline.substack.com/p/wes-street...
Wes Streeting is misleading us about the NHS pay rise
NHS staff - apart from resident doctors, one assumes, after he promised they would receive more than their colleagues - are being told that Health Secretary Wes Streeting is giving them an above-infla...
thewhipline.substack.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:10 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
High Court rules Palestine Action ban unlawful, although it remains in place. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she'll appeal.
#PalestineAction #UKLaw #HighCourt
thewhipline.substack.com/p/home-offic...
Home Office humiliated as High Court says Palestine Action proscription is 'unlawful'
The Labour government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation is ‘unlawful’ according to a ruling by the High Court.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 13, 2026 at 11:55 AM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
How many scandals can Keir Starmer survive? First Mandelson, now Matthew Doyle... Is this just a little damage… or something worse?
#KeirStarmer #Labour #UKPolitics #HouseOfLords #Mandelson #PoliticsLive
thewhipline.substack.com/p/how-many-s...
How many scandals will it take to sink Starmer?
How agile is the Westminster Establishment going to have to be, in order to keep Keir Starmer in office as the scandals pile up against him?
thewhipline.substack.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:02 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Starmer was “forensic”. Then he was “a decent man”. The “decent” narrative lasted 24 hours before the Doyle scandal exploded.
#Starmer #Labour #UKPolitics #Doyle
thewhipline.substack.com/p/starmer-us...
Starmer used to be 'forensic'; now he's 'decent'. How long can that survive the latest scandal?
Within days of the Mandelson–Epstein scandal biting, a striking rhetorical shift occurred across the mainstream media.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 12, 2026 at 9:36 AM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Is Scotland’s transgender prison row really about prisons — or about human rights law? The European Court may have the final word.
#ScottishPolitics #ECHR #EqualityAct #TransgenderDebate
thewhipline.substack.com/p/there-may-...
February 11, 2026 at 12:11 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
The BBC says council tax is rocketing because of a “challenging financial position”. It's actually caused by a decade of austerity, asset stripping and engineered decline.
#CouncilTax #Austerity #LocalGovernment #SEND
thewhipline.substack.com/p/why-wont-t...
Why won't the media tell you the real reason council tax is rising by so much?
I think the quality of reporting here is disgraceful.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:22 AM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
The Guardian's Owen Jones just confirmed what The Whip Line warned from the start: Starmerism had no plan, no politics, and no future.
#Starmer #Labour #UKPolitics #Starmerism
thewhipline.substack.com/p/the-guardi...
February 10, 2026 at 5:13 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
‘Yes, Minister’ worked because bureaucrats blocked change. Now politicians block it, fearing unelectability. Starmer is a frontman for a PR campaign.
#UKPolitics #Labour #YesMinister #Starmer
thewhipline.substack.com/p/yes-minist...
'Yes, Minister' would not be accurate today because politicians' focus is now on SURVIVAL
A co-writer of the hugely popular sit-com Yes, Minister has claimed its enduring appeal is that nothing has changed.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:35 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
The UK has sunk to a new low in Transparency International’s corruption index. The measure is flawed – but failure to enforce higher standards is clear.
#UKPolitics #KeirStarmer #Corruption #Labour
thewhipline.substack.com/p/embattled-...
Embattled Starmer should be worried that the UK has plummeted in 'corruption' index
The UK and the US have fallen to new lows of corruption, according to an index influenced by businesspeople and 'experts'.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:13 AM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Labour-linked operatives commissioned investigations into journalists who scrutinised them. That’s deterrence. It's why McSweeney had to go.
#Labour #PressFreedom #UKPolitics #Starmer
thewhipline.substack.com/p/if-you-thi...
If you think Labour was wrong to ditch McSweeney, think about this
The Labour Party commissioned an investigation into journalists across the news media who had published reports criticising Labour Together, the right-wing organisation headed by Morgan McSweeney.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:35 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Anas Sarwar has crossed the line that changes everything — calling on Keir Starmer to resign over the Mandelson scandal.
#Starmer #LabourCrisis #Mandelson #UKPolitics
thewhipline.substack.com/p/sarwar-tur...
Sarwar turns the screw on Starmer over the Mandelson scandal - with call for him to quit
I said it first, but now the leader of the Labour Party in a devolved UK Parliament has called for Keir Starmer to take responsibility for wrongly appointing Peter Mandelson to a senior ambassadorial ...
thewhipline.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:53 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
McSweeney resigns over Mandelson — but Starmer still stands. You can’t rebuild trust by sacrificing aides while dodging responsibility.
#KeirStarmer #Mandelson #LabourCrisis #UKPolitics #Accountability
thewhipline.substack.com/p/mandelson-...
Mandelson scandal: the organ grinder resigns. When will the monkey go too?
Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff - taking “full responsibility” for the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the United States, despite his known connection...
thewhipline.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 5:51 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Windrush victims are dying before justice arrives. Delay is not neutral — it is an outcome. The scandal is not over; it is being prolonged.
#Windrush #JusticeDelayed #HostileEnvironment #UKPolitics
thewhipline.substack.com/p/why-are-vi...
February 8, 2026 at 2:29 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
DEFRA wants to “diversify” the countryside — without ever asking whether anyone wants it. It's policy leading evidence, not reality.
#DEFRA #Countryside #PublicPolicy #Equality
thewhipline.substack.com/p/is-the-cou...
IS the countryside 'too white'? Or does it simply reflect our diverse national interests?
The government wants to encourage people from ethnic minorities to visit and use protected landscapes and the natural environment in rural areas, without ever having checked whether they want to.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:36 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Reform UK says it can run the country better. But with its Worcestershire council on the brink of bankruptcy, who would trust them with the UK?
#ReformUK #UKPolitics #LocalGovernment #Section114
thewhipline.substack.com/p/if-this-is...
If this is how Reform UK runs a council, who'd let that party run the country?
Worcestershire Council - run by Reform UK - is on the verge of bankruptcy.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 7, 2026 at 12:18 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Five Palestine Action protesters were cleared of key charges, yet face a possible retrial. Is this justice – or political pressure?
#PalestineAction #UKJustice #CivilLiberties #Protest
thewhipline.substack.com/p/are-palest...
Are Palestine Action protesters facing retrial simply so a political point can be made?
Five members of proscribed protest group Palestine Action are facing a possible retrial after a jury reached partial or no verdicts on charges of criminal damage and violent disorder.
thewhipline.substack.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:18 PM