Richard Pope
@richardpope.org
I wrote a book on public services:
https://londonpublishingpartnership.co.uk/books/platformland-an-anatomy-of-next-generation-public-services/
It’s time to share the benefits of digital with the public properly.
https://londonpublishingpartnership.co.uk/books/platformland-an-anatomy-of-next-generation-public-services/
It’s time to share the benefits of digital with the public properly.
This, by Ré Dubhthaigh of Dublin City Council, is a wonderfully clear description of why data about place is probably not what you have in your head (it’s just addresses, right?), and why sense making from messy data over time is not an ... https://richardpope.org/2026/02/10/this-by-r-dubhthaigh-of/
February 10, 2026 at 11:20 AM
This, by Ré Dubhthaigh of Dublin City Council, is a wonderfully clear description of why data about place is probably not what you have in your head (it’s just addresses, right?), and why sense making from messy data over time is not an ... https://richardpope.org/2026/02/10/this-by-r-dubhthaigh-of/
Reposted by Richard Pope
The work on making National Conversations about digital happen in the May elections is starting to heat up.
Working on prelection hustings on Digital Society and the Private Sector and Economy as well as a post-election event on the State and Public Sector
nationalconversations.org
Working on prelection hustings on Digital Society and the Private Sector and Economy as well as a post-election event on the State and Public Sector
nationalconversations.org
National Conversations
Help put digital technology at the heart of political life in Scotland and Wales.
nationalconversations.org
February 6, 2026 at 1:35 PM
The work on making National Conversations about digital happen in the May elections is starting to heat up.
Working on prelection hustings on Digital Society and the Private Sector and Economy as well as a post-election event on the State and Public Sector
nationalconversations.org
Working on prelection hustings on Digital Society and the Private Sector and Economy as well as a post-election event on the State and Public Sector
nationalconversations.org
Reposted by Richard Pope
It’s the last chance to book our FREE webinar looking at how we can use AI to improve public services. With @emercoleman.bsky.social @richardpope.org @elenasimperl.bsky.social & Andy Dudfield from Full Fact
buff.ly/eIYzuif
buff.ly/eIYzuif
February 2, 2026 at 11:00 AM
It’s the last chance to book our FREE webinar looking at how we can use AI to improve public services. With @emercoleman.bsky.social @richardpope.org @elenasimperl.bsky.social & Andy Dudfield from Full Fact
buff.ly/eIYzuif
buff.ly/eIYzuif
Reposted by Richard Pope
📌 ICYMI — Jeffrey Epstein ‘Co-Owned’ Venture Fund with Palantir Founder as it Entered UK Government
The Russian connected convicted sex trafficker co-owned a fund…
https://bylinetimes.com/2026/02/04/jeffrey-epstein-and-peter-thiel-co-owned-venture-fund-as-thiels-palantir-entered-uk-government/
The Russian connected convicted sex trafficker co-owned a fund…
https://bylinetimes.com/2026/02/04/jeffrey-epstein-and-peter-thiel-co-owned-venture-fund-as-thiels-palantir-entered-uk-government/
Jeffrey Epstein 'Co-Owned' Venture Fund with Palantir Founder as it Entered UK Government
The Russian connected convicted sex trafficker co-owned a fund with Peter Thiel, now embedded in Britain’s most critical infrastructure with the help of Peter Mandelson
bylinetimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:00 AM
📌 ICYMI — Jeffrey Epstein ‘Co-Owned’ Venture Fund with Palantir Founder as it Entered UK Government
The Russian connected convicted sex trafficker co-owned a fund…
https://bylinetimes.com/2026/02/04/jeffrey-epstein-and-peter-thiel-co-owned-venture-fund-as-thiels-palantir-entered-uk-government/
The Russian connected convicted sex trafficker co-owned a fund…
https://bylinetimes.com/2026/02/04/jeffrey-epstein-and-peter-thiel-co-owned-venture-fund-as-thiels-palantir-entered-uk-government/
Useful phrase from this Chatham House blog post about sovereignty (defence, digital and political)
"Not all dependencies are strategically significant. The challenge lies in distinguishing tolerable interdependence from vulnerabilities"
"Not all dependencies are strategically significant. The challenge lies in distinguishing tolerable interdependence from vulnerabilities"
February 5, 2026 at 9:37 AM
Useful phrase from this Chatham House blog post about sovereignty (defence, digital and political)
"Not all dependencies are strategically significant. The challenge lies in distinguishing tolerable interdependence from vulnerabilities"
"Not all dependencies are strategically significant. The challenge lies in distinguishing tolerable interdependence from vulnerabilities"
So much work is doomed from the start because of the assumption you can successfully chop up it up into discrete parts in advance, then try and create coherence through governance retrospectively. ‘Workstreams’. ‘Pillars’, all that nonsense, is, more often than not, based on a flawed assumption.
February 4, 2026 at 9:48 AM
So much work is doomed from the start because of the assumption you can successfully chop up it up into discrete parts in advance, then try and create coherence through governance retrospectively. ‘Workstreams’. ‘Pillars’, all that nonsense, is, more often than not, based on a flawed assumption.
Scaling innovations in public health systems: guidance and toolkit - WHO
"Scaling health innovations is a nonlinear, iterative set of interconnected processes. Governments can enable scaling through three different processe... https://richardpope.org/2026/02/04/scaling-innovations-in-public-health/
"Scaling health innovations is a nonlinear, iterative set of interconnected processes. Governments can enable scaling through three different processe... https://richardpope.org/2026/02/04/scaling-innovations-in-public-health/
February 4, 2026 at 9:28 AM
Scaling innovations in public health systems: guidance and toolkit - WHO
"Scaling health innovations is a nonlinear, iterative set of interconnected processes. Governments can enable scaling through three different processe... https://richardpope.org/2026/02/04/scaling-innovations-in-public-health/
"Scaling health innovations is a nonlinear, iterative set of interconnected processes. Governments can enable scaling through three different processe... https://richardpope.org/2026/02/04/scaling-innovations-in-public-health/
Reposted by Richard Pope
One of the reasons why there are the horrific transporter accidents in Star Trek is because you know deep down part of the transporter software has regexes in it.
February 3, 2026 at 11:02 PM
One of the reasons why there are the horrific transporter accidents in Star Trek is because you know deep down part of the transporter software has regexes in it.
Reposted by Richard Pope
"The gov shouldn't be on X". Sure, but "the government should regulate monetisation/blue tick programmes" would be more meaningful.
Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced…
economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com/britain/2026...
January 31, 2026 at 6:31 PM
"The gov shouldn't be on X". Sure, but "the government should regulate monetisation/blue tick programmes" would be more meaningful.
Reposted by Richard Pope
NEW: Our investigation for @thenerve_news reveals not only that Peter Thiel’s Palantir is completely enmeshed in our critical national infrastructure.
It’s also the ‘cloud support’ for our nuclear weapons system 🤯
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-t...
It’s also the ‘cloud support’ for our nuclear weapons system 🤯
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-t...
January 28, 2026 at 11:32 AM
NEW: Our investigation for @thenerve_news reveals not only that Peter Thiel’s Palantir is completely enmeshed in our critical national infrastructure.
It’s also the ‘cloud support’ for our nuclear weapons system 🤯
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-t...
It’s also the ‘cloud support’ for our nuclear weapons system 🤯
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-t...
Confirmation from Apple that they have, somehow, despite being quite good at creating software, apparently created a system unable to create VAT invoices for AppStore purchases that include a company name. The best they do is m... https://richardpope.org/2026/01/28/confirmation-from-apple-that-they/
January 28, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Confirmation from Apple that they have, somehow, despite being quite good at creating software, apparently created a system unable to create VAT invoices for AppStore purchases that include a company name. The best they do is m... https://richardpope.org/2026/01/28/confirmation-from-apple-that-they/
I saw House Above The Sun. Lovely sound and stage presencence. Would definitly recommend.
January 27, 2026 at 8:25 PM
I saw House Above The Sun. Lovely sound and stage presencence. Would definitly recommend.
Nothing that there are a couple of weeks left for people to apply for a digital job that could be make or break for the NHS Director General for Technology, Digital and Data
Department of Health and Social Care
Here’s a screenshot as I’m pretty sure no one clicks past the ‘I’m not a robot’ page.
Department of Health and Social Care
Here’s a screenshot as I’m pretty sure no one clicks past the ‘I’m not a robot’ page.
January 26, 2026 at 1:13 PM
Nothing that there are a couple of weeks left for people to apply for a digital job that could be make or break for the NHS Director General for Technology, Digital and Data
Department of Health and Social Care
Here’s a screenshot as I’m pretty sure no one clicks past the ‘I’m not a robot’ page.
Department of Health and Social Care
Here’s a screenshot as I’m pretty sure no one clicks past the ‘I’m not a robot’ page.
Reposted by Richard Pope
35 English/Welsh local authorities, so far, instructed by a govt-owned company, a company controlled by govt department responsible for encouraging innovation with data, to spend their scarce time reexamining decisions they've already made to publish address data
Less than ideal, to put it politely
Less than ideal, to put it politely
The insanity of UK public bodies threatening other UK public bodies with the apparent intention of limiting the reuse of UK address data. Meanwhile the rest of the world has long recognised that postal address data is critical digital public infrastructure in the 21st century.
An Ordnance Survey lawyer has been in touch about open address data released by UK local authorities www.owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ad...
This post relates to the Council Tax datasets listed at www.datadaptive.com/addr/
#FOI #opendata #openaddresses #geospatial #datastrategy
This post relates to the Council Tax datasets listed at www.datadaptive.com/addr/
#FOI #opendata #openaddresses #geospatial #datastrategy
January 24, 2026 at 9:23 AM
35 English/Welsh local authorities, so far, instructed by a govt-owned company, a company controlled by govt department responsible for encouraging innovation with data, to spend their scarce time reexamining decisions they've already made to publish address data
Less than ideal, to put it politely
Less than ideal, to put it politely
Give the word ‘Tory’ predates the Conservertive Party, I wonder if it might, at some crutical mass of defections, detach itself from that party and attach onto a new host?
January 18, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Give the word ‘Tory’ predates the Conservertive Party, I wonder if it might, at some crutical mass of defections, detach itself from that party and attach onto a new host?
Quoting Cory Doctorow:
"Trump denounced the ICC, and then the ICC lost its Outlook access, its email archives, its working files, its address books, its calendars?"
"Microsoft says they didn’t brick the ICC – that it’s a ... https://richardpope.org/2026/01/17/quoting-cory-doctorow-trump-denounced/
"Trump denounced the ICC, and then the ICC lost its Outlook access, its email archives, its working files, its address books, its calendars?"
"Microsoft says they didn’t brick the ICC – that it’s a ... https://richardpope.org/2026/01/17/quoting-cory-doctorow-trump-denounced/
January 17, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Quoting Cory Doctorow:
"Trump denounced the ICC, and then the ICC lost its Outlook access, its email archives, its working files, its address books, its calendars?"
"Microsoft says they didn’t brick the ICC – that it’s a ... https://richardpope.org/2026/01/17/quoting-cory-doctorow-trump-denounced/
"Trump denounced the ICC, and then the ICC lost its Outlook access, its email archives, its working files, its address books, its calendars?"
"Microsoft says they didn’t brick the ICC – that it’s a ... https://richardpope.org/2026/01/17/quoting-cory-doctorow-trump-denounced/
Reposted by Richard Pope
Technical design *is* business process design *is* team design *is* service design *is* user centred design. If you insist that one is superior to another or that you don’t need to concern yourself with all aspects, you’re doing your organisation and your users a disservice. This course looks great!
Many Product Owners view software architecture as a technical concern, something strictly for the developers. Yet, the boundaries of a software system are often defined by business decisions and language, not just code.
...
...
January 14, 2026 at 8:21 AM
Technical design *is* business process design *is* team design *is* service design *is* user centred design. If you insist that one is superior to another or that you don’t need to concern yourself with all aspects, you’re doing your organisation and your users a disservice. This course looks great!
As is now seemingly traditional, new year optimism about work productivity not survived contact with reality. Mid Jan already and clocked up 2.5 days work, despite being busy constantly.
January 13, 2026 at 1:49 PM
As is now seemingly traditional, new year optimism about work productivity not survived contact with reality. Mid Jan already and clocked up 2.5 days work, despite being busy constantly.
The principles behind indiweb (https://indieweb.org) and open source are, it seems, more important for nation states and public institutions than they are for individuals
January 9, 2026 at 10:40 PM
The principles behind indiweb (https://indieweb.org) and open source are, it seems, more important for nation states and public institutions than they are for individuals
Reposted by Richard Pope
Think I’ve found the right repos to propose these for removal:
github.com/alphagov/gov...
github.com/alphagov/fro...
github.com/alphagov/e-p...
github.com/alphagov/gov...
github.com/alphagov/fro...
github.com/alphagov/e-p...
January 8, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Think I’ve found the right repos to propose these for removal:
github.com/alphagov/gov...
github.com/alphagov/fro...
github.com/alphagov/e-p...
github.com/alphagov/gov...
github.com/alphagov/fro...
github.com/alphagov/e-p...
Cognitive dissonance between this and the approach to grok / users of grok www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Starmer says rioters can expect rapid sentencing - BBC News
Teenager James Nelson is thought to be the first person to be jailed for their part in the disorder.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 9, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Cognitive dissonance between this and the approach to grok / users of grok www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Richard Pope
I know there's a lot going on, but this is a deathblow to a large number of International organizations and UN groups. The factsheet and full memo are online now.
If it wasn't clear yet that the US is at war with the int'l system, this should do it for you.
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
If it wasn't clear yet that the US is at war with the int'l system, this should do it for you.
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
January 8, 2026 at 1:54 AM
I know there's a lot going on, but this is a deathblow to a large number of International organizations and UN groups. The factsheet and full memo are online now.
If it wasn't clear yet that the US is at war with the int'l system, this should do it for you.
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
If it wasn't clear yet that the US is at war with the int'l system, this should do it for you.
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...
Are there any precedents for the the US Coast Guard operating in our UK waters?
UK armed forces helped US seizure of tanker, says MoD www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK armed forces helped US seizure of tanker, says MoD www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK forces helped US seizure of tanker, says MoD
Venezuelan-linked Marinera was stopped by the US Coast Guard as it travelled through waters between Iceland and Scotland.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 7, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Are there any precedents for the the US Coast Guard operating in our UK waters?
UK armed forces helped US seizure of tanker, says MoD www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK armed forces helped US seizure of tanker, says MoD www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Richard Pope
I am extremely confused as to why the UK government and police are saying Grok’s mass-scale CSAM generation is an issue for Ofcom.
This isn’t about X failing to moderate CSAM, which is an Online Safety Act issue. It is about the company and its technology being actively involved in its generation.
This isn’t about X failing to moderate CSAM, which is an Online Safety Act issue. It is about the company and its technology being actively involved in its generation.
January 7, 2026 at 7:37 AM
I am extremely confused as to why the UK government and police are saying Grok’s mass-scale CSAM generation is an issue for Ofcom.
This isn’t about X failing to moderate CSAM, which is an Online Safety Act issue. It is about the company and its technology being actively involved in its generation.
This isn’t about X failing to moderate CSAM, which is an Online Safety Act issue. It is about the company and its technology being actively involved in its generation.