Mike Sivier
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midwalesmike.bsky.social
Mike Sivier
@midwalesmike.bsky.social
290 followers 24 following 2.5K posts
Vox Political writer and therefore poverty-stricken.
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midwalesmike.bsky.social
Mike Sivier @midwalesmike.bsky.social · Sep 24
If you’d rather get independent UK political news straight to your phone, follow Vox Political on Telegram: t.me/VoxPolitical
Vox Political
Independent UK political analysis, commentary and satire
t.me
midwalesmike.bsky.social
The two-child benefit cap punishes families and exposes our dysfunctional relationship with those in power.
#TwoChildCap #ChildPoverty #UKPolitics #VoxPolitical
thewhipline.substack.com/p/why-do-we-...
Why do we let politicians cheat us out of our children's future?
This is unusual for The Whip Line - an article created on YouTube, intended to be watched, rather than read.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:37 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Big-money donors are quietly hedging their bets as Reform UK rises in the polls — and Lord Bamford’s “small business” excuse does not hold up.
#UKPolitics #ReformUK #Tories #PoliticalDonations
thewhipline.substack.com/p/do-you-bel...
Do you believe businesspeople's excuses for donating massively to right-wing politicians?
Billionaire JCB chairman Lord Bamford has given £200,000 each to both the Conservative Party and Reform UK, saying he wans to support parties that “believe in small business”.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:29 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Fresh scrutiny on UK asylum hotels as new findings reveal rats, overcrowding and malnutrition.
#Asylum #Migration #UKPolitics #AsylumHotels #HumanRights #LabourGovernment #HomeOffice #Ramfel #MigrantRights #PublicMoney #Outsourcing #SocialJustice
voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/11/11/r...
UK asylum hotels: rats, malnutrition and overcrowding exposed
Report finds rats, overcrowding and malnutrition in UK asylum hotels as profit-driven contractors mislead the public.
voxpoliticalonline.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:18 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Billionaire JCB boss Lord Bamford has given £200,000 each to the Conservatives and Reform UK — and the “supporting small business” explanation does not add up.
#UKPolitics #ReformUK #Tories #BusinessInfluence
thewhipline.substack.com/p/do-you-bel...
Do you believe businesspeople's excuses for donating massively to right-wing politicians?
Billionaire JCB chairman Lord Bamford has given £200,000 each to both the Conservative Party and Reform UK, saying he wans to support parties that “believe in small business”.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:55 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
New report blows apart the “luxury asylum hotel” myth.
#Asylum #Migration #UKPolitics #AsylumHotels #HumanRights #RefugeesWelcome #LabourGovernment #HomeOffice #Ramfel #MigrantRights #PublicMoney #Outsourcing #SocialJustice
voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/11/11/r...
UK asylum hotels: rats, malnutrition and overcrowding exposed
Report finds rats, overcrowding and malnutrition in UK asylum hotels as profit-driven contractors mislead the public.
voxpoliticalonline.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:33 AM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Another migrant has been caught trying to return to the United Kingdom. Critics will complain, but do they have a right to?
#UKPolitics #Immigration
thewhipline.substack.com/p/second-mig...
Second migrant sent to France has been caught trying to get back into the UK
Let’s beat the naysayers by pointing out that this is a really good sign.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:39 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Join today’s live Politics Live chat on The Whip Line:
open.substack.com/chat/posts/3...
The Whip Line in The Whip Line
Let's talk about the BBC's Politics Live show, starting today (Monday, November 10, 2025) at 12.15pm GMT. The BBC has been reporting heavily on the resignation of director general Tim Davie and news b...
open.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:05 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Crisis says core homelessness has risen by a fifth – and it is not caused by migrants, but by the sell-off of the UK’s social housing.
#Homelessness #UKHousing #SocialHousing
thewhipline.substack.com/p/homelessne...
Homelessness is higher than official figures show - because of rental home privatisation?
Research is telling us that more people are homeless than official figures suggest - but what does this really mean?
thewhipline.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:47 AM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
BBC boss Tim Davie & head of news Deborah Turness resign amid bias claims over Trump doc & BBC Arabic coverage. Symbolic shake-up, or real reform?
#BBC #Bias #TimDavie #DeborahTurness #MediaIntegrity
thewhipline.substack.com/p/bbc-direct...
BBC Director General and news boss resign - but will this silence accusations of bias?
The BBC has lost two of its top leaders, but will this shake-up silence its critics—or just make the corporation look politically compliant?
thewhipline.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:39 AM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Nearly half of families targeted in Labour’s child benefit crackdown were wrongly accused of fraud due to flawed data.
#Labour #ChildBenefit #HMRC #WelfareJustice
voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/11/10/l...
Labour child benefit crackdown wrongly flagged families as fraud
Nearly half of families were wrongly accused of child benefit fraud in Labour’s crackdown, exposing systemic errors and flawed data use.
voxpoliticalonline.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:15 AM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
PPE Medpro now owes £187 million in tax and damages — yet its owners extracted huge profits before the collapse. This VIP lane disaster demands answers.
#PPEScandal #Mone #Barrowman #VIPLane #UKPolitics
voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/11/09/m...
PPE Medpro’s debt exposes scandal behind pandemic contracts
PPE Medpro owes millions in tax and damages, raising serious questions about pandemic contracts and VIP lane failures.
voxpoliticalonline.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:12 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Late-night thought: if ministers say falling productivity means ordinary people must take the hit, why do MPs still get automatic pay rises that ignore productivity entirely?
#MPs #UKPolitics #Productivity #MPPay #Inequality
thewhipline.substack.com/p/if-product...
If productivity is falling, why do MPs never feel the pinch?
Whenever Westminster starts muttering about “lower productivity”, it is always ordinary people who are told to brace themselves.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:10 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Shabana Mahmood wants to remodel the UK’s asylum system on Denmark’s hardline approach — but the plan is legally shaky, practically unworkable, and politically dangerous. Here’s why the “Danish solution” is a trap.
#UKPolitics #Immigration #Labour
thewhipline.substack.com/p/mahmoods-d...
Mahmood's Danish immigration inspiration is a trap
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is going to Denmark for inspiration on how to re-organise the UK’s immigration and asylum system - and it will be a disaster.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:00 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Late evening is when the spin quietens down — and the BBC’s crisis looks even worse. A single Panorama edit has opened the door to a political free-for-all, exposing deep faults across the Corporation.
#BBC #UKPolitics #MediaBias #VoxPolitical
voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/11/08/t...
BBC impartiality crisis hands politicians a powerful weapon
The BBC’s editorial failures and inconsistency have opened the door to political attacks that threaten its credibility and independence.
voxpoliticalonline.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:47 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Workers are told falling productivity means tax rises and tighter belts — yet MPs get automatic pay increases that ignore productivity altogether.
#MPs #Productivity #UKPolitics #CostOfLiving #Inequality
thewhipline.substack.com/p/if-product...
If productivity is falling, why do MPs never feel the pinch?
Whenever Westminster starts muttering about “lower productivity”, it is always ordinary people who are told to brace themselves.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:19 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Labour’s Shabana Mahmood looks to Denmark for immigration policy inspiration – but copying the Danish model risks legal battles, chaos, and political fallout. #UKPolitics #Immigration #Labour #Refugees
thewhipline.substack.com/p/mahmoods-d...
Mahmood's Danish immigration inspiration is a trap
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is going to Denmark for inspiration on how to re-organise the UK’s immigration and asylum system - and it will be a disaster.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:18 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
The BBC’s Panorama edit and deep inconsistencies across its services have handed politicians the perfect weapon.
#BBC #MediaBias #UKPolitics #VoxPolitical
voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/11/08/t...
BBC impartiality crisis hands politicians a powerful weapon
The BBC’s editorial failures and inconsistency have opened the door to political attacks that threaten its credibility and independence.
voxpoliticalonline.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:19 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
As the day winds down, remember this: a handful of wealthy donors can buy private access to the people who want to run the UK. The rest of us get ignored.
#PoliticsForTheFew #ToryDonors #UKPolitics
thewhipline.substack.com/p/are-the-to...
Are the Tories hiring out their politicians to the highest bidder - again?
Kemi Badenoch is relaunching an ‘advisory board’ giving Tory donors access to top politicians in the party.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:01 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Reform UK’s Kent council chaos is getting worse. Suspensions, walkouts, wrecked committees and now the prospect of a maximum council tax rise. If they cannot run a county, how could they run the UK?
#ReformUK #KentCountyCouncil #UKPolitics #GovernmentFail
voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/11/07/i...
Reform UK’s Kent council chaos shows why it cannot govern
Reform UK’s Kent council is collapsing with suspensions, chaos and no financial plan. If it cannot run a county, why trust it to run the UK?
voxpoliticalonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:38 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
On your way home? Spare a thought: the Tories are once again offering the super-rich direct access to their top politicians. Politics shouldn’t be for sale.
#ToryCorruption #DemocracyForSale #UKPolitics
thewhipline.substack.com/p/are-the-to...
Are the Tories hiring out their politicians to the highest bidder - again?
Kemi Badenoch is relaunching an ‘advisory board’ giving Tory donors access to top politicians in the party.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:51 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Kemi Badenoch is relaunching a Tory donor advisory board — giving the super-rich private access to top politicians. Is this cash for influence? #ToryDonors #UKPolitics #CashForAccess
thewhipline.substack.com/p/are-the-to...
Are the Tories hiring out their politicians to the highest bidder - again?
Kemi Badenoch is relaunching an ‘advisory board’ giving Tory donors access to top politicians in the party.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:14 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Reform UK’s Kent council is imploding — nine councillors gone, committees collapsing, and a possible five per cent council tax rise after promising savings. If this is how they run a county, imagine them running the UK.
#ReformUK #Kent #UKPolitics #CouncilChaos
voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/11/07/i...
Reform UK’s Kent council chaos shows why it cannot govern
Reform UK’s Kent council is collapsing with suspensions, chaos and no financial plan. If it cannot run a county, why trust it to run the UK?
voxpoliticalonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:51 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
As people get home and face rising bills, Rachel Reeves is preparing tax rises after a productivity downgrade — but will she hit wealth or working households?
#Labour #Reeves #Budget #TaxJustice #CostOfLiving
thewhipline.substack.com/p/lower-prod...
Lower productivity means tax rises seem inevitable. But will Reeves tax cleverly?
Let’s be fair to Rachel Reeves: she really has a complicated economic knot to untie and her Budget may be expected to do the impossible.
thewhipline.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:48 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
As tonight’s news rolls in, remember: the UK’s sickness crisis wasn’t caused by sick people.
It was caused by political choices that broke the NHS and failed a generation.
#UKPolitics #NHS #Austerity #LongCovid
voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/11/06/t...
The UK’s sickness crisis is personal – not economic
Politicians blame the cost of sickness on the economy – but their policies caused the crisis. The real suffering is personal, not financial.
voxpoliticalonline.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:42 PM
midwalesmike.bsky.social
Lunchtime headlines are full of claims about the “cost” of sickness in the UK.
But the real cost isn’t to the economy – it’s to the people politicians have failed for years.
This crisis is personal, not financial.
#UKPolitics #NHS #LongCovid #DisabilityRights
voxpoliticalonline.com/2025/11/06/t...
The UK’s sickness crisis is personal – not economic
Politicians blame the cost of sickness on the economy – but their policies caused the crisis. The real suffering is personal, not financial.
voxpoliticalonline.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:49 PM