Polly Mackenzie
@pollymackenzie.bsky.social
Co-founder and CEO, Zinc Innovation Partners - helping turn science into real-world change. Fomerly Demos, UAL, MMHPI, No10. Adviser at Future Governance Forum, Family Business UK, Door10 Recruitment. Writes at https://howtorunacountry.substack.com/
Pinned
Tax is a story
Shaping the narrative of what we owe one another
howtorunacountry.substack.com
No-one thinks about tax and welfare as a set of net transfers between citizens and the state. We respond to a deep story of punishment and reward. If we want to solve our fiscal problems, we need to engage with those deep stories and find new ones.
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/tax-is-a-s...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/tax-is-a-s...
pretty happy with this, ngl. apparently I'm more of a cyclist than a feminist these days. intriguing.
February 9, 2026 at 7:05 PM
pretty happy with this, ngl. apparently I'm more of a cyclist than a feminist these days. intriguing.
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
ICYMI: Our Invitation to Tender for a proposed People's Forum on Advanced AI Assistants. Full details below.
We have also developed some FAQs for potential applicants ➡️https://adalovelaceinstitute.org/assistants-tender-faqs
Deadline for submissions: 15 February 2026.
We have also developed some FAQs for potential applicants ➡️https://adalovelaceinstitute.org/assistants-tender-faqs
Deadline for submissions: 15 February 2026.
February 9, 2026 at 2:05 PM
ICYMI: Our Invitation to Tender for a proposed People's Forum on Advanced AI Assistants. Full details below.
We have also developed some FAQs for potential applicants ➡️https://adalovelaceinstitute.org/assistants-tender-faqs
Deadline for submissions: 15 February 2026.
We have also developed some FAQs for potential applicants ➡️https://adalovelaceinstitute.org/assistants-tender-faqs
Deadline for submissions: 15 February 2026.
Friendship is magic.
Lessons for No10 from the My Little Ponyverse
open.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
what is interesting about the Goodwin example is that child benefit was introduced as a replacement for child tax allowances, part of the system until the 1970s. Switch benefited low earners/ mothers (this was pre-independent taxation) but CTAs were not regarded as a wild proposal
No-one thinks about tax and welfare as a set of net transfers between citizens and the state. We respond to a deep story of punishment and reward. If we want to solve our fiscal problems, we need to engage with those deep stories and find new ones.
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/tax-is-a-s...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/tax-is-a-s...
Tax is a story
Shaping the narrative of what we owe one another
howtorunacountry.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:51 PM
what is interesting about the Goodwin example is that child benefit was introduced as a replacement for child tax allowances, part of the system until the 1970s. Switch benefited low earners/ mothers (this was pre-independent taxation) but CTAs were not regarded as a wild proposal
No-one thinks about tax and welfare as a set of net transfers between citizens and the state. We respond to a deep story of punishment and reward. If we want to solve our fiscal problems, we need to engage with those deep stories and find new ones.
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/tax-is-a-s...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/tax-is-a-s...
Tax is a story
Shaping the narrative of what we owe one another
howtorunacountry.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:11 AM
No-one thinks about tax and welfare as a set of net transfers between citizens and the state. We respond to a deep story of punishment and reward. If we want to solve our fiscal problems, we need to engage with those deep stories and find new ones.
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/tax-is-a-s...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/tax-is-a-s...
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
I believe we call this an emergency podcast. pod.fo/e/38b2fb
How To Win An Election: Emergency Episode: McSweeney Resigns
Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer's chief of staff. With Number 10 in survival mode, can the prime minister find a new strategy, and how long will potential leadership challengers wait?...
pod.fo
February 8, 2026 at 7:04 PM
I believe we call this an emergency podcast. pod.fo/e/38b2fb
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
"Thank you for dialling 999. Which emergency service will you be requiring? Police, Fire, Ambulance, or Podcasts?"
I believe we call this an emergency podcast. pod.fo/e/38b2fb
How To Win An Election: Emergency Episode: McSweeney Resigns
Morgan McSweeney has resigned as Keir Starmer's chief of staff. With Number 10 in survival mode, can the prime minister find a new strategy, and how long will potential leadership challengers wait?...
pod.fo
February 8, 2026 at 7:22 PM
"Thank you for dialling 999. Which emergency service will you be requiring? Police, Fire, Ambulance, or Podcasts?"
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
Today we talked quite a lot about Peter Mandelson on our podcast that used to feature Peter Mandelson.
Full ep here: pod.fo/e/388d04
Full ep here: pod.fo/e/388d04
February 5, 2026 at 3:14 PM
Today we talked quite a lot about Peter Mandelson on our podcast that used to feature Peter Mandelson.
Full ep here: pod.fo/e/388d04
Full ep here: pod.fo/e/388d04
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
Delighted that we at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk are once again supporting this annual online event aimed at reaching people currently under-represented in the think tank sector… please share with your networks…
February 4, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Delighted that we at @instituteforgovernment.org.uk are once again supporting this annual online event aimed at reaching people currently under-represented in the think tank sector… please share with your networks…
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
sorry to be sentimental but this is the most amazing heartwarming story
February 4, 2026 at 10:16 AM
sorry to be sentimental but this is the most amazing heartwarming story
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
Important! AHRC is looking for a new Executive Chair. A critical role for arts and humanities. £160k - £170k. Please share widely to help get the best possible field!
fa-evzn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
fa-evzn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
February 3, 2026 at 9:21 AM
Important! AHRC is looking for a new Executive Chair. A critical role for arts and humanities. £160k - £170k. Please share widely to help get the best possible field!
fa-evzn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
fa-evzn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
This a great piece on something that really matters for people - that is well known from our daily lives - and on the difficulties as to why this is hard to solve for. The solution is one that there’s been some great work on over 20 years and can be built on now
Pain is a canonical example of the kind of problem the modern state should be able to address, and cannot. I've written about how - if we could solve for this - we could solve for anything.
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain
Pain
Solving problems that don’t belong to anyone
howtorunacountry.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:37 PM
This a great piece on something that really matters for people - that is well known from our daily lives - and on the difficulties as to why this is hard to solve for. The solution is one that there’s been some great work on over 20 years and can be built on now
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
Such a great piece from @pollymackenzie.bsky.social. 1 in 4 adults in the UK lives in pain but the state is not good at doing anything about it as the problem doesn't belong to a Department, we are bad at prevention, and solutions are not travelling
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain?utm_s...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain?utm_s...
Pain
Solving problems that don’t belong to anyone
howtorunacountry.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:06 PM
Such a great piece from @pollymackenzie.bsky.social. 1 in 4 adults in the UK lives in pain but the state is not good at doing anything about it as the problem doesn't belong to a Department, we are bad at prevention, and solutions are not travelling
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain?utm_s...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain?utm_s...
Pain is a canonical example of the kind of problem the modern state should be able to address, and cannot. I've written about how - if we could solve for this - we could solve for anything.
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain
Pain
Solving problems that don’t belong to anyone
howtorunacountry.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 9:14 AM
Pain is a canonical example of the kind of problem the modern state should be able to address, and cannot. I've written about how - if we could solve for this - we could solve for anything.
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/pain
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
The more I watch this from Hannah Spencer, two things happen:
1. The more I like it and her.
2. The more it makes me want to get out and do what she says by volunteering.
... I'm surprisingly moved by 2, as I can physically feel it breaking through the armour of scepticism I've built around myself.
1. The more I like it and her.
2. The more it makes me want to get out and do what she says by volunteering.
... I'm surprisingly moved by 2, as I can physically feel it breaking through the armour of scepticism I've built around myself.
January 30, 2026 at 1:38 PM
The more I watch this from Hannah Spencer, two things happen:
1. The more I like it and her.
2. The more it makes me want to get out and do what she says by volunteering.
... I'm surprisingly moved by 2, as I can physically feel it breaking through the armour of scepticism I've built around myself.
1. The more I like it and her.
2. The more it makes me want to get out and do what she says by volunteering.
... I'm surprisingly moved by 2, as I can physically feel it breaking through the armour of scepticism I've built around myself.
Until a couple of years ago we had a cat called Ringo. Last week we finally felt ready for a new feline friend. So we got kittens: two girls. In Ringo’s honour, the children have named them John and Paul.
January 30, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Until a couple of years ago we had a cat called Ringo. Last week we finally felt ready for a new feline friend. So we got kittens: two girls. In Ringo’s honour, the children have named them John and Paul.
i can get behind the steak and eggs.
January 29, 2026 at 8:44 AM
i can get behind the steak and eggs.
A stranger has lent me his battery pack on the bus for my phone. Things that are not news: London is not a hellscape.
January 28, 2026 at 7:20 AM
A stranger has lent me his battery pack on the bus for my phone. Things that are not news: London is not a hellscape.
I was the first person in my family to go to university*
*except for my mum, my dad, my brother, my sister and my three step sisters.
*except for my mum, my dad, my brother, my sister and my three step sisters.
January 27, 2026 at 9:02 PM
I was the first person in my family to go to university*
*except for my mum, my dad, my brother, my sister and my three step sisters.
*except for my mum, my dad, my brother, my sister and my three step sisters.
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
So it looks like the government is announcing a National Police Service. Again.
It's one of those ideas that seems perfect from the outside, but yet we never seem to be able to get right.
It got my brain whirring, so I wrote up some reflections.
andreasthinks.me/posts/reflec...
#Policing #uk
It's one of those ideas that seems perfect from the outside, but yet we never seem to be able to get right.
It got my brain whirring, so I wrote up some reflections.
andreasthinks.me/posts/reflec...
#Policing #uk
Reflecting on the National Police Service – Andreas Varotsis
So we’re doing this again…
andreasthinks.me
January 25, 2026 at 4:20 PM
So it looks like the government is announcing a National Police Service. Again.
It's one of those ideas that seems perfect from the outside, but yet we never seem to be able to get right.
It got my brain whirring, so I wrote up some reflections.
andreasthinks.me/posts/reflec...
#Policing #uk
It's one of those ideas that seems perfect from the outside, but yet we never seem to be able to get right.
It got my brain whirring, so I wrote up some reflections.
andreasthinks.me/posts/reflec...
#Policing #uk
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
Scroll to the end of Polly’s substack post - some interesting links for those of you who feel somewhat ‘stuck’ and/or want to do something in response to the darkening global political clouds.
Having spent the weekend feeling rather paralysed by the moment, I wrote something. A voice is not enough. What can I do? Isn't that the question we all face?
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/an-inflect...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/an-inflect...
howtorunacountry.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:41 AM
Scroll to the end of Polly’s substack post - some interesting links for those of you who feel somewhat ‘stuck’ and/or want to do something in response to the darkening global political clouds.
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
This this THIS
I needed to read this this morning and even more, YOU need to read this this morning.
I needed to read this this morning and even more, YOU need to read this this morning.
Having spent the weekend feeling rather paralysed by the moment, I wrote something. A voice is not enough. What can I do? Isn't that the question we all face?
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/an-inflect...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/an-inflect...
howtorunacountry.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:28 AM
This this THIS
I needed to read this this morning and even more, YOU need to read this this morning.
I needed to read this this morning and even more, YOU need to read this this morning.
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
It’s 592 days since the Labour manifesto proposed a ‘National Data Library’.
571 days since the 2024 General Election.
DSIT have *finally* published something on the National Data Library: www.gov.uk/government/p...
It was not worth the wait.
571 days since the 2024 General Election.
DSIT have *finally* published something on the National Data Library: www.gov.uk/government/p...
It was not worth the wait.
National Data Library: progress update, January 2026
Update on the discovery phase, guidelines for AI-ready data and 5 projects testing improved data sharing approaches.
www.gov.uk
January 26, 2026 at 8:46 AM
It’s 592 days since the Labour manifesto proposed a ‘National Data Library’.
571 days since the 2024 General Election.
DSIT have *finally* published something on the National Data Library: www.gov.uk/government/p...
It was not worth the wait.
571 days since the 2024 General Election.
DSIT have *finally* published something on the National Data Library: www.gov.uk/government/p...
It was not worth the wait.
Reposted by Polly Mackenzie
Surprisingly moving and thought-provoking from @pollymackenzie.bsky.social calling on all of us to reflect on the contribution we can make by volunteering our skills to improve our civic infrastructure and help challenge the madness and badness we see in the world. open.substack.com/pub/howtorun...
An inflection point
How to decide what you will do when the moment calls
open.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:08 AM
Surprisingly moving and thought-provoking from @pollymackenzie.bsky.social calling on all of us to reflect on the contribution we can make by volunteering our skills to improve our civic infrastructure and help challenge the madness and badness we see in the world. open.substack.com/pub/howtorun...
Having spent the weekend feeling rather paralysed by the moment, I wrote something. A voice is not enough. What can I do? Isn't that the question we all face?
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/an-inflect...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/an-inflect...
howtorunacountry.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:06 AM
Having spent the weekend feeling rather paralysed by the moment, I wrote something. A voice is not enough. What can I do? Isn't that the question we all face?
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/an-inflect...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/an-inflect...