Gordon Guthrie
@foundationsofthedigitalstate.com
Just published The Foundations Of The Digital State - a report for the Scottish Government
http://foundationsofthedigitalstate.com/
and blogs at
digitalpolicy.substack.com
Politician manqué, girl group fan, code monkey
http://foundationsofthedigitalstate.com/
and blogs at
digitalpolicy.substack.com
Politician manqué, girl group fan, code monkey
Blimey my failed PhD after my supervisor abandoned me, for 20 years I couldn't look at it without crying, and here's me pulling it out lolol
November 11, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Blimey my failed PhD after my supervisor abandoned me, for 20 years I couldn't look at it without crying, and here's me pulling it out lolol
We no longer live in the Imagined Community that we used to - and we better cop on to it
November 11, 2025 at 4:35 PM
We no longer live in the Imagined Community that we used to - and we better cop on to it
my bad 1970, the GDR recognised the border in 1950, the BRD in 1970 (whilst not recognising the existence of the GDR) and the post-Soviet united Germany tidyied up what was not a disputed border
By contrast the UK border was comprehensively disputed
By contrast the UK border was comprehensively disputed
November 11, 2025 at 12:02 AM
my bad 1970, the GDR recognised the border in 1950, the BRD in 1970 (whilst not recognising the existence of the GDR) and the post-Soviet united Germany tidyied up what was not a disputed border
By contrast the UK border was comprehensively disputed
By contrast the UK border was comprehensively disputed
...and on the matter of legislative iteration, the reformed Scottish parliament and Welsh Senate are better placed to do it.
We tend to talk of the political urge to reform the UK constitution and less of the administrative necessity, but that is very real - a pre-Napoleonic state is not acceptable
We tend to talk of the political urge to reform the UK constitution and less of the administrative necessity, but that is very real - a pre-Napoleonic state is not acceptable
November 10, 2025 at 11:06 PM
...and on the matter of legislative iteration, the reformed Scottish parliament and Welsh Senate are better placed to do it.
We tend to talk of the political urge to reform the UK constitution and less of the administrative necessity, but that is very real - a pre-Napoleonic state is not acceptable
We tend to talk of the political urge to reform the UK constitution and less of the administrative necessity, but that is very real - a pre-Napoleonic state is not acceptable
Your big IT project will go through puberty after 2-3 years - expect it, plan for it and it won't be a crisis
November 10, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Your big IT project will go through puberty after 2-3 years - expect it, plan for it and it won't be a crisis
Don't make me tap the footnote to Notes on AI in Foundations Of The Digital State
November 10, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Don't make me tap the footnote to Notes on AI in Foundations Of The Digital State
Legislation is already iterative software development - why don't we focus on continuously improving this working process?
It makes digital systems, maybe badly, but it is complete and ripe for improvement
It makes digital systems, maybe badly, but it is complete and ripe for improvement
November 10, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Legislation is already iterative software development - why don't we focus on continuously improving this working process?
It makes digital systems, maybe badly, but it is complete and ripe for improvement
It makes digital systems, maybe badly, but it is complete and ripe for improvement
We have some problems of success to deal with...
November 10, 2025 at 2:24 PM
We have some problems of success to deal with...
Move over Satanic Wedding, new hellmouth in town
hashtag FML
hashtag FML
November 10, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Move over Satanic Wedding, new hellmouth in town
hashtag FML
hashtag FML
Naively reading across from the private sector to the public sector is a mistake - Government is Government
There is a lot to learn from iteration in the tech sector, but it must be learned and applied in context, not blindly copied...
There is a lot to learn from iteration in the tech sector, but it must be learned and applied in context, not blindly copied...
November 10, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Naively reading across from the private sector to the public sector is a mistake - Government is Government
There is a lot to learn from iteration in the tech sector, but it must be learned and applied in context, not blindly copied...
There is a lot to learn from iteration in the tech sector, but it must be learned and applied in context, not blindly copied...
This is an exact description of Tony Blair and the Iraq War
November 9, 2025 at 11:59 AM
This is an exact description of Tony Blair and the Iraq War
Great read - strong Saddam-rebuilds-Babylon stuff
November 9, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Great read - strong Saddam-rebuilds-Babylon stuff
if King Offa's golden penny in Latin and Arabic is abything tongo by, I'd say Birmingham in the 8th C
November 5, 2025 at 2:20 PM
if King Offa's golden penny in Latin and Arabic is abything tongo by, I'd say Birmingham in the 8th C
We are going to build Georgian houses on the moon when the cabinet guide to making legislation doesn't even mention technology? Really?
Any anglo-futurism that doesn't address a political apparatus that is pre-Napoleonic, a parliament that has a dead revising chamber that you can buy seats in...
Any anglo-futurism that doesn't address a political apparatus that is pre-Napoleonic, a parliament that has a dead revising chamber that you can buy seats in...
November 5, 2025 at 12:20 PM
We are going to build Georgian houses on the moon when the cabinet guide to making legislation doesn't even mention technology? Really?
Any anglo-futurism that doesn't address a political apparatus that is pre-Napoleonic, a parliament that has a dead revising chamber that you can buy seats in...
Any anglo-futurism that doesn't address a political apparatus that is pre-Napoleonic, a parliament that has a dead revising chamber that you can buy seats in...
we have a 54 seat cinema in the New Town and an arvhive of 600 films going back to 1936
November 4, 2025 at 6:29 PM
we have a 54 seat cinema in the New Town and an arvhive of 600 films going back to 1936
...and our state structures are poorly defended against the utterly astonishing Musk coup which trashed the US constitution so decisively - a brilliant sichelschnitt
It was a crushing defeat for the forces of good and a tremendous victory for the forces of evil
It was a crushing defeat for the forces of good and a tremendous victory for the forces of evil
November 3, 2025 at 9:01 PM
...and our state structures are poorly defended against the utterly astonishing Musk coup which trashed the US constitution so decisively - a brilliant sichelschnitt
It was a crushing defeat for the forces of good and a tremendous victory for the forces of evil
It was a crushing defeat for the forces of good and a tremendous victory for the forces of evil
Siloed government is a problem of structure and not will
November 3, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Siloed government is a problem of structure and not will
...and the genuine tensions between efficiency and privacy need proper political and constitutional expression - the US has sleepwalked into a world where paramilitary state forces are grabbing people and using facial recognition - making speed cameras pervasive surveillance networks and so on
November 3, 2025 at 3:35 PM
...and the genuine tensions between efficiency and privacy need proper political and constitutional expression - the US has sleepwalked into a world where paramilitary state forces are grabbing people and using facial recognition - making speed cameras pervasive surveillance networks and so on
Its important to understand that our current state structures are only aligned to the WHAT digital systems do, and not the HOW they do them - because in the analogue state the WHAT and the HOW are decoupled, in the digital they are not...
November 3, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Its important to understand that our current state structures are only aligned to the WHAT digital systems do, and not the HOW they do them - because in the analogue state the WHAT and the HOW are decoupled, in the digital they are not...
Woolies, Princess St * Edinburgh
Yes I know Google Maps says Princes, they and youse are all wrong I don't need no stinkin map to tell what the streets are called in my own hame
Yes I know Google Maps says Princes, they and youse are all wrong I don't need no stinkin map to tell what the streets are called in my own hame
November 3, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Woolies, Princess St * Edinburgh
Yes I know Google Maps says Princes, they and youse are all wrong I don't need no stinkin map to tell what the streets are called in my own hame
Yes I know Google Maps says Princes, they and youse are all wrong I don't need no stinkin map to tell what the streets are called in my own hame
What's astonishing about this article is what it doesn't mention about what might happen after an AI crash
The world might no longer send America capital
Under the boom the foundations of trust in the US have been washed away
The world might no longer send America capital
Under the boom the foundations of trust in the US have been washed away
November 2, 2025 at 7:31 PM
What's astonishing about this article is what it doesn't mention about what might happen after an AI crash
The world might no longer send America capital
Under the boom the foundations of trust in the US have been washed away
The world might no longer send America capital
Under the boom the foundations of trust in the US have been washed away
alright Renée Falconetti...
November 1, 2025 at 6:14 PM
alright Renée Falconetti...
The FT kicks to kill
October 31, 2025 at 7:54 AM
The FT kicks to kill
