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/https://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3mk6zo5kymk2gI rate myself 1 / 5 [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Apr 2026 22:09 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk6zo5kymk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3mk6aoexark25I have written three articles about high streets and one about the rule of law, and am now going on Newsnight to talk about them. Hoping to address some of the substantive issues rather than just a debate about whether Turkish barbers are innately dodgy. What chance do you give me?23 Apr 2026 14:42 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk6aoexark25https://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3mjh3b2dc2s2tOne building's story and what it tells us about how to bring back our civic spaces. https://howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/another-town-another-building14 Apr 2026 09:34 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjh3b2dc2s2thttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3micebxqx322gMy beloved step mother Maureen has died. This is what she taught me about politics. https://open.substack.com/pub/howtorunacountry/p/the-art-of-politics?r=4m2gri&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay30 Mar 2026 19:07 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3micebxqx322ghttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3micebxqx322gMy beloved step mother Maureen has died. This is what she taught me about politics. https://open.substack.com/pub/howtorunacountry/p/the-art-of-politics?r=4m2gri&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay30 Mar 2026 19:07 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3micebxqx322ghttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3mi5boaaqhk2bChatbots clearly a significant downgrade from #AITA [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 Mar 2026 18:37 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi5boaaqhk2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3mi26dhdbsk2vFascinating indication of the rise in political frustration. Use of the phrase "for too long" in Hansard in my lifetime.27 Mar 2026 12:59 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi26dhdbsk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3mhuvag2tgc2m"Preventive strategies could mean people can be joyful for never needing treatment, rather than grateful to have survived" This is an amazing article by a brilliant mind but... That's not how politics works. And that's one of the greatest puzzles in public policy https://www.thetimes.com/article/f10c1b95-6618-4e73-885f-1430787a0fe6?shareToken=9aa5157d0f05d03e095b37b7414642a325 Mar 2026 10:33 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhuvag2tgc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3mhuoi3vpgk2mVenture science is the missing link in the UK's innovation policy. What if: - Tech Transfer Offices acted more like founders - Regional procurement was used to leverage innovation - We convened 'national sprints' to accelerate R&D on critical problems. New paper. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w8tYDJx8dAyeaSYaVL1tIjqLCvCiwonK/view?usp=drive_link25 Mar 2026 08:32 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhuoi3vpgk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3mhsmu64fds2ctiny 🥳 [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Mar 2026 12:58 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhsmu64fds2chttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3mhq63i6h3c2jHow long will we carry on designing reforms that don't work before we ask ourselves why? I've written about the 'dark matter' of human society: the invisible work that levers don't reach. And what to do about it. https://howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/invisible-people23 Mar 2026 13:28 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhq63i6h3c2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3mhq63i6h3c2jHow long will we carry on designing reforms that don't work before we ask ourselves why? I've written about the 'dark matter' of human society: the invisible work that levers don't reach. And what to do about it. https://howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/invisible-people23 Mar 2026 13:28 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhq63i6h3c2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/pollymackenzie.bsky.social/post/3mhasq3moxk2nRemember soft power? It went out of fashion. Too “soft” for the right. Too “power“ for the left. But just as critical as ever. A despatch from Serbia, where I’m part of a project to build cooperation on science and tech. https://open.substack.com/pub/howtorunacountry/p/the-enduring-case-for-soft-power?r=4m2gri&utm_medium=ios17 Mar 2026 10:55 +0000at://did:plc:37sqbhbudxvfyp4tchewpka3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhasq3moxk2n