Christmas Day walk to a mountain temple in Lampang. Not quite on brand for the day maybe but very beautiful.

Eugh, I know HMRC digital services are much improved, and this has taken endless toil. But after being stuck in a loop trying to sort a trivial task let’s just say there is still work to do. Also: please employ more service designers.

A Friday share of this 👇 Perfect hopeful reading for the Christmas wind down:)

One of my favourite insights from this Working Paper on Big Local: the power of taking a more organic approach to governance. Rather than designing governance in Whitehall - a chart that looks neat on paper - cultivate it as a local capability. 🧵

🔔 New report out today 🔔 🪴 Rewilding Civic Life 🪴 Today at @kinship.works, we’re publishing a Working Paper that pulls together the evidence from Big Local, one of the world’s biggest-ever experiments in revitalising civic life and restoring social capital. 1/n www.kinship.works/publications...

🔔 New report out today 🔔 🪴 Rewilding Civic Life 🪴 Today at @kinship.works, we’re publishing a Working Paper that pulls together the evidence from Big Local, one of the world’s biggest-ever experiments in revitalising civic life and restoring social capital. 1/n www.kinship.works/publications...

One for people working in government evaluation and analysis teams. Also research councils. 👇 How can we broaden our field of view to see and spread more promising alternatives?

One for a Friday coffee! 👇

One for people working in government evaluation and analysis teams. Also research councils. 👇 How can we broaden our field of view to see and spread more promising alternatives?

If you read @jamestplunkett.bsky.social 's piece earlier this week (and linked again in the thread) considering "What if government is stuck in a local maximum?" then this response from @mssophiaparker.bsky.social is well worth your time. sophiaparker-241.medium.com/a-larger-rea...

New post this week 👇 People are worried that the scientific discovery process has got stuck, and this has led to a new discipline of metascience. But what if the same has happened to policy-making and Government more generally? And. if so, what do we do about it?

What if government is stuck in a local maximum? Today I'm publishing a new post exploring whether the evidence standards and control mechanisms we use in government are limiting us to a dangerously narrow field of view. If so, what could we do about that? medium.com/@jamestplunk... 1/n

What if government is stuck in a local maximum? Today I'm publishing a new post exploring whether the evidence standards and control mechanisms we use in government are limiting us to a dangerously narrow field of view. If so, what could we do about that? medium.com/@jamestplunk... 1/n

Honestly, the extent to which you now need to work around the machinery of government (in stealth, against the rules, etc.) in order to save it from itself is truly extraordinary.

A Friday share of this 👇 Should we make a hit list of the top 500 buildings in deliquent ownership? Could we help to setup a safe harbour scheme - holding buldings of civic value while communities raise funds to buy them? All of this and more....!

Oop, internet broken again?

🔔 Is it time for a new push on delinquent ownership? 🔔 We're hosting a conversation @kinship.works to share ideas... cado.kinship.works. 1/n

🔔 Is it time for a new push on delinquent ownership? 🔔 We're hosting a conversation @kinship.works to share ideas... cado.kinship.works. 1/n

Went to a brilliant presentation tonight about urban rewilding by @citizenzoo.bsky.social Heard the background to the Ealing beaver reintroduction and lots more about white storks, glow worms and grasshoppers More on their work and volunteering opportunities here: www.citizenzoo.org

Over on the place where Links are In, I reflected on this thoughtful piece by @jamestplunkett.bsky.social and @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social, that beyond *new applications* of public interest tech, we should need to build the scaffolding that allows compelling innovations to scale and interoperate.

Do any political/election data/GIS nerds fancy helping out with some number crunching? If anyone has experience of things like lookups to link LSOAs to wards, and analysis of election data drop me a line. I can pay a small amount but it would have to be done partly for interest/nerdery!

Could 2026 be the year of public interest technology? We've been doing some thinking at Kinship Works with @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social and co at Careful Industries - what it would take for 2026 to see public interest/civic tech to reach its full potential? Some ideas: medium.com/@jamestplunk...

Could 2026 be the year of public interest technology? @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social and @jamestplunkett.bsky.social have co-authored a blog on what it would take for 2026 to see public interest / civic tech realise its full potential. We'd love to know what people think. medium.com/@jamestplunk...

Public interest tech - that does good for people, communities and the planet - is a no-brainer, so why does no one want to fund it? @jamestplunkett.bsky.social and I have 4 recs for how the UK civic and community tech landscape could be better supported www.careful.industries/blog/2025-12...

Could 2026 be the year of public interest technology? We've been doing some thinking at Kinship Works with @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social and co at Careful Industries - what it would take for 2026 to see public interest/civic tech to reach its full potential? Some ideas: medium.com/@jamestplunk...

Of course the Guangzhou public library makes Chengdu’s look like Hackney Central. 98,000 square meters.

London is becoming a cycling city. As we continue to expand London’s cycle network, the number of daily bike trips is soaring. Cycling has risen by more than 40% since 2019 to 1,500,000 trips every day.

Don't make me agree with Michael Gove. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522257...

Really interesting post - captures a lot about the dysfunctionalities of modern government.

Writing about civic life in public libraries is always a joy, but doing it in one of the biggest libraries in the world was extra special. I was feeling glum and now realise library time is what I was missing!

Sichuan public library. Or a corner of it! 52,000 square meters and has space for 6,000 people to work

For people who leave their nerdy public sector reform long-reads to the weeekend… 👇👀 Are legacy mentalities from comms, political strategy and trad policy dragging government down?

For people who leave their nerdy public sector reform long-reads to the weeekend… 👇👀 Are legacy mentalities from comms, political strategy and trad policy dragging government down?

Still waiting for these to reach Britain. What is global capitalism for if not diffusing this kind of joy?

A Friday share of this 👇Seems to have struck a chord!

The opening to Rorty’s Achieving Our Country. Feels relevant?

Are a small number of legacy disciplines dragging the whole of government down? A provocation: medium.com/@jamestplunk... Government seems increasingly unable to cope with the pace and complexity of today's world. Why? 1/n

Last night we launched our essay collection at @britishacademy.bsky.social with a bumper panel reflecting ideas from @jamestplunkett.bsky.social describing rewilding as a metaphor for civic renewal to @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social imagining how future data centres could be owned by communities.

Are a small number of legacy disciplines dragging the whole of government down? A provocation: medium.com/@jamestplunk... Government seems increasingly unable to cope with the pace and complexity of today's world. Why? 1/n

Has anyone here worked on the evaluations for the New Deal for Communities? Maybe one of the team at Sheffield Hallam? I'm looking for a quick bit of advice on mapping NDC areas to wards.

Love this, particularly the pen portraits

🔔 New post 🔔 Ok, this was a bit of a 'take a deep breath' moment! - I'm intrigued about how much pushback I'll get. The disiciplines theory of government Are a small number of legacy disciplines dragging the whole operation down? medium.com/@jamestplunk...

🔔 New post 🔔 Ok, this was a bit of a 'take a deep breath' moment! - I'm intrigued about how much pushback I'll get. The disiciplines theory of government Are a small number of legacy disciplines dragging the whole operation down? medium.com/@jamestplunk...

I kept meaning to buy a phone mount for my bike. Took me months to get round to it. Finally bought one, it took two weeks to arrive. Fixed it this morning. Just got back to my bike and someone has nicked it!

⏰ Join our essay collection launch in Westminster to hear leading voices on a decade of community business & what’s next. Chair: @anooshc.bsky.social Panel: @jamestplunkett.bsky.social, @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social, @hetanshah.bsky.social, @patrickhurley.bsky.social & Emily Bolton.✍️👉 buff.ly/pcSxdmp

A story of grief, community, and hope... 🧵

Had the induction today to be a ranger with London National Park City. Unreasonably excited. What a brilliant movement. You can read more here: nationalparkcity.london

Theory: one of the big things holding back modernisation of the public sector/civil society is that almost all innovation funding flows via institutions that are themselves antiquated. i.e. organisations with very low digital capability (universities, Combined and Local Authorities, etc). (1/n)

Well worth a read - this is the kind of thing so many of our communities need.

We'll be there! @jamestplunkett.bsky.social is on the panel alongside @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social of Carefull Industries; @hetanshah.bsky.social of @britishacademy.bsky.social; and Emily Bolton from Our Future.