The Christmas Whip A little ditty on David Lightbown, the marauding giant of a Tory whip dressed as Father Christmas. theusualchannels.substack.com/p/the-christ...

Wish I had the same level of irony as the person who came up with the spelling of the word phonetic

‘I looked at my phone and rallied myself. Enough. Fuck this thing and its control on my life, on my attention, on my well-being. I picked up a book and sank into the sofa.’ I Read 100 Books in 2025. This is What I Learnt open.substack.com/pub/whalemig...

Keir Starmer and I need to get real Today you have to put yourself out there and make your case. Again and again and again. But the big question remains: what is it that you want to say? open.substack.com/pub/theusual...

So funny to me the idea that Liz Truss’ undoing was just the mini-budget and not that she was obviously unsuited to the role of prime minister by basically every conceivable metric

Inspired by @danbloom1.bsky.social’s brilliant piece on the Tories’ improved output in opposition, I’ve written about the ‘Fuck-Up Squad’, the Tory committee that wreaked havoc against the Jim Callaghan government in the late 70s. Is the old band back together? open.substack.com/pub/theusual...

Bested by an ex-Chief Whip An interview that went wrong. This week’s The Usual Channels Substack is out now! open.substack.com/pub/theusual...

‘The book is a huge hit for any Westminster political junkie, and what makes it work is the feast of political anecdotes that pepper the 500-plus pages.’ So thrilled with Roger Alton’s review of The Usual Channels in @dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/a...

‘In my time, the Tories were always better organised, their whipping arrangements more sophisticated, and their whole practice of dealing with the whips’ office was better.’ A piece on Labour’s whipping inferiority complex - and why a new look whips’ office will be up against it

Blair didn’t remove the whip from Corbyn et al. Starmer did. But who was right? All this and more in The Usual Channels Substack

Cracking the Code: How I took on the near impenetrable world of the whips’ office. The first article of The Usual Channels Substack is now live, ft words from my favourite (anonymous) ex-Chief Whip and pen pal theusualchannels.substack.com/p/cracking-t...

"Whale interviewed a large number of whips and ex-whips, enabling him to write an accurate and sympathetic account" 📚 Lord George Young reviews @sebwhale.bsky.social 'The Usual Channels: Inside the Mysterious World of Political Whips' | @bitebackpublishing.bsky.social bit.ly/431Mrq7

LATEST PODCAST | What are the Usual Channels? A short history of Westminster whipping We talk to @sebwhale.bsky.social about his new book, pulling back the curtain on one of Westminster's most notorious elements: the Whips. Listen below 🔽 buff.ly/phTKkve

🌟“A magnificent achievement. Whale has delivered the authoritative book on the most mysterious pillar of Westminster’s power structure – the whips’ office. Packed with insight and colourful anecdotes from inside the Houses of Parliament, this is a political junkie’s dream.” Jack Blanchard

Few better feelings! A special moment shared with Jeremy Hughes, a close friend and illustrator extraordinaire, who designed the cover. The Usual Channels is out on Thursday! tinyurl.com/yc2hdkar

Really enjoyed this week's episode of The Rundown on the 'dark arts' of political whipping with @alaintolhurst.bsky.social @sebwhale.bsky.social & former Govt Chief Whip, Lord Harper. Straight onto the Reading List for #PIED2706 Week 2: Who's Who in Parliament open.spotify.com/episode/1zAe...

“They’re not going to destabilize the [UK-EU trade deal] just for a few stinky fishermen.” And so it proved. @politico.eu

Politics isn’t just speeches and elections; it’s what happens behind closed doors. 📚These five books expose the hidden power players, backroom deals and real decision-makers shaping the UK 👉 www.bitebackpublishing.com/posts/unders... @tomjonbrown.bsky.social | @sebwhale.bsky.social

This is one of those stories that I keep thinking will get bigger and bigger but which no-one outside of small security circles is talking about much... www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...

A Changing World And my attempts to make sense of it.

I spent much of 2013 pondering it. Then two articles in Intelligent Life magazine made up my mind. Why I Became a Journalist

When I die, I want my ashes scattered during breakfast at El Pica, a tapas bar in central Seville. Here’s why: