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Stu Mackinnon

@stumackinnon.bsky.social
783 followers 1.6K following 242 posts

Head of comms and advocacy at Carnegie UK - a foundation that works on wellbeing policy. Scotch pie, science fiction and rugby enthusiast.

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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Morgan McSweeney's reported frustration with the lack of strategic thinking in No. 10 reminded me of this piece I wrote before May's elections. If parties lack the capacity to do serious planning before an election, when exactly are they supposed to do it? www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...
civilserviceworld.com
Breaking the Ming vase: A case for state resources for manifesto development
Seriousness about delivery should become part of the culture of democratic competition
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
More bikes than cars recorded on Edinburgh rush hour route for first time www.scotsman.com/news/transpo...
scotsman.com
More bikes than cars recorded on Edinburgh rush hour route for first time
Highest figures also notched up on major Glasgow cycle routes too
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Reposted by Stu Mackinnon
Carnegie UK @carnegieuk.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
In a new article for The @scotsman.com, our chief executive @sarahdavidson.bsky.social explains why improving people's lives should be the goal of public service reform: www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...
scotsman.com
Why Scotland must learn from Andy Burnham's 'Live Well' philosophy
The current system of government in Scotland is unsustainable, writes the chief executive of Carnegie UK
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Welsh Government creates new Minister for preventative health www.gov.wales/wales-must-t...
gov.wales
Wales must tackle the causes of ill health, not just the consequences | GOV.WALES
Wales’ first ever minister with dedicated responsibility for preventative health set out her priorities to the Senedd today
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
What a week to be holding a webinar looking at how we might rebuild trust in politics and government! You've got just over an hour to register for the event below:
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
I was scanning the UN's Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty this morning, only to find a reference to @carnegieuk.bsky.social's work on wellbeing budgets by Dr Cressida Gaukroger www.neep-poverty.org/wp-content/u...
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Committee for the Future could rebuild trust in politics, Holyrood leaders told news.stv.tv/politics/com...
news.stv.tv
Committee for the Future could rebuild trust in politics, Holyrood leaders told
Carnegie UK suggested setting up such a committee could 'help embed long-term thinking into everyday decision-making'
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Great to see interest in a wellbeing framework, even if the picture the data paints isn't that pretty.
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Procurement! Digital public services! ID cards! This new report from the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is fascinating: committees.parliament.uk/publications...
committees.parliament.uk
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Reposted by Stu Mackinnon
Carnegie UK @carnegieuk.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
📣 Webinar: Rebuilding trust in politics and government in 2026 Join us on Tuesday 23 June for a conversation on how to rebuild trust and involve more people in decision making with @adambalfourlang.bsky.social, Prof Oliver Escobar & Miriam Levin: carnegieuk-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
"Politicians should follow the Milburn mantra and be straight with voters. Change is hard." Very good from @rjpartington.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Disaster of Brexit is a warning against simple solutions to hard problems | Richard Partington
Alan Milburn says youth unemployment has no quick fixes – an idea with an important lesson for those thinking about how to rejoin the EU
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
How do we fix our politics? New expert report from the gang at Carnegie UK looking at new ways to involve the public in key decisions..
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
What now for long-termism after the elections? www.linkedin.com/pulse/electi... < Warning: mentions Sir John Major and aphrodisiacs
linkedin.com
Elections and the aphrodisiac of hope
“The best aphrodisiac in politics is hope. If people can see a change, there's a change in atmosphere.
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
"...existing economic frameworks are no longer delivering rising living standards or broad-based prosperity." Great essay by @louisehaighmp.bsky.social about renewing the UK's fiscal framework: renewal.org.uk/articles/a-n... Chimes with some of the work by @carnegieuk.bsky.social
renewal.org.uk
A new fiscal framework to renew Britain
03 Renewal_Special Edition_Haigh (1)03 Renewal_Special Edition_Haigh (1).pdf83 KBdownload-circle For too long, people in our country have felt powerless. Since the Global Financial Crisis, living s...
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Reposted by Stu Mackinnon
Carnegie UK @carnegieuk.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Our new research with Savanta finds most UK politicians are open to working with citizens’ juries & panels, but many remain unsure about how these approaches fit with their roles. Find out more in our new report based on polling 200+ elected politicians across the UK: carnegieuk.org/publication/...
carnegieuk.org
Parliamentarians' perspectives on deliberative democracy - Carnegie UK
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Brand new Carnegie UK research looking at politicians' attitudes to initiatives like citizens' panels: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
independent.co.uk
More than a third of MPs polled would not take part in ‘deliberative democracy’
The first of its kind research questioned MPs as well as Members of the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd, and the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Read Carnegie UK chief exec Sarah Davidson make the case for long-termism in Scotland's politics: www.heraldscotland.com/politics/hol...
heraldscotland.com
Call for Scotland’s next leaders to prioritise prevention, not firefighting
As Holyrood prepares for elections, Sarah Davidson urges MSPs to prioritise prevention, resilience and long‑term vision over short‑term fixes.
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
What should the future look like? How will we get there? Thrilled to have commissioned these essays about tomorrow with our great pals @iwa-wales.bsky.social. Take a look!
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Very pleasing to see Carnegie UK's work on wellbeing budgets referenced in this excellent SPICe briefing about preventative spending: bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/20...
bprcdn.parliament.scot
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Labour party insider in The Scotsman says that we're going to have a vibes-based Holyrood election: www.scotsman.com/news/politic... I mean this is no time for serious long-term public policy...
scotsman.com
SNP accuses Labour of lacking policy ideas and identity as Anas Sarwar poised to set out divergences
A row has erupted as the SNP and Scottish Labour are poised to kickstart their bids for Bute House ahead of May’s election.
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Reposted by Stu Mackinnon
Carnegie UK @carnegieuk.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Ahead of this year’s election, we asked senior representatives from Scotland’s biggest political parties what kind of country they want Scotland to be 20 years from now. We have pulled their responses together into one collection of essays: carnegieuk.org/publication/...
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
What should Scotland look like in 20 years' time? Ahead of the Holyrood elections, @carnegieuk.bsky.social commissioned essays from Scotland's political leaders asking for their long-term vision. Read them here: carnegieuk.org/publication/... Thrilled to pull together this important project!
carnegieuk.org
Essays about the future: Scotland - Carnegie UK
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Reposted by Stu Mackinnon
Carnegie UK @carnegieuk.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Our new report looks at how wellbeing policy is developing in Wales & what could help it progress further. It draws on recent conversations in Cardiff, wider evidence & international examples to understand how the Well-being of Future Generations Act is working: carnegieuk.org/publication/...
carnegieuk.org
Future wellbeing policy: Lessons from Wales and beyond - Carnegie UK
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
New Senedd committee paper about The Well-Being of Future Generations Act ten years on: laiddocuments.senedd.wales/cr-ld17973-e...
laiddocuments.senedd.wales
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Liked the tone of this by Scott Wright in The Herald: www.heraldscotland.com/news/2594169... There's maybe a loose parallell with Manchester following the devastating and tragic IRA bombing in the 90s. However if crises are opportunities in disguise, how many more opportunities does Glasgow need?
heraldscotland.com
The 'enormous' opportunity Glasgow can seize after Union Street fire
Observers from the architectural and property world say Glasgow can build something ambitious at the stricken site near Central Station
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Reposted by Stu Mackinnon
Carnegie UK @carnegieuk.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Read our response to the government’s plans for a citizens’ assembly on digital IDs in The Guardian today: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Digital ID won’t work if you live in rural areas | Letters
Letters: Universal phone coverage is yet to arrive in Britain, making a mockery of the government’s planned scheme, writes Teresa Rodrigues. Plus a letter from Sarah Davidson
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Carnegie UK chief exec Sarah Davidson has a letter in The Guardian today about a citizens' assembly to inform plans for a digital ID: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Digital ID won’t work if you live in rural areas | Letters
Letters: Universal phone coverage is yet to arrive in Britain, making a mockery of the government’s planned scheme, writes Teresa Rodrigues. Plus a letter from Sarah Davidson
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Reposted by Stu Mackinnon
Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
How do we break the pattern of bold political promises and mediocre results? How do we close the gap between the campaigning in poetry and governing in prose? As elections get underway in Scotland and Wales, some thinking from me: www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...
civilserviceworld.com
Breaking the Ming vase: A case for state resources for manifesto development
Seriousness about delivery should become part of the culture of democratic competition
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Is Robert Kitson on this? www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/f...
theguardian.com
Six Nations on road to perdition unless chastening Celtic wake-up call is heeded | Robert Kitson
Championship risks becoming a two-tier affair as Ireland, Wales and Scotland all lose on the opening weekend for first time in 26 years
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
How do we break the pattern of bold political promises and mediocre results? How do we close the gap between the campaigning in poetry and governing in prose? As elections get underway in Scotland and Wales, some thinking from me: www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...
civilserviceworld.com
Breaking the Ming vase: A case for state resources for manifesto development
Seriousness about delivery should become part of the culture of democratic competition
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Ahead of elections in Scotland and Wales, I've got a piece in @civilserviceworld.bsky.social making the case for some state resources for manifesto development: www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...
civilserviceworld.com
Breaking the Ming vase: A case for state resources for manifesto development
Seriousness about delivery should become part of the culture of democratic competition
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
What a chart from the ONS
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
This terrific reporting about an empty property rates relief scam by the Glasgow Bell www.glasgowbell.co.uk/humanitarian... Get it sorted OSCR, GCC, and the assessor - there's a specific anti avoidance clause in the latest legislation.
glasgowbell.co.uk
Empty offices and child ‘directors’: How to augment reality and avoid tax in the process
We’ve got to the bottom of that giant banner on the M8 office block
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
42 out of 55 fiscal councils make policy recommendations, according to Sir Robert Chote in this evidence to the Treasury committee about the OBR: committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence...
committees.parliament.uk
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
“It will be a very, very boring Spring Statement showing the plan is working,” said one minister in the FT today. I wrote a blog (back in the Jeremy Hunt days) arguing that fewer red box moments might be no bad thing: carnegieuk.org/blog/would-f...
carnegieuk.org
Would fewer Red Box moments lead to better policy? - Carnegie UK
The Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt outside 11 Downing Street with the Red Box. Picture by Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street Pictures of Chancellor Hunt covered last week’s front pages. But ...
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
I'm away to Cardiff this weekend. My mate is driving and I'm going to sing Road Rage by Catatonia for the entire 6hr journey #AsOne
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
A useful update from the ONS on their priorities, if you're into that sort of thing.... blog.ons.gov.uk/2026/02/19/r...
blog.ons.gov.uk
Refocusing the ONS on its core statistics
Permanent Secretary Darren Tierney sets out the next steps the ONS is taking to prioritise quality and strengthen core statistical outputs.
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
.@carnegieuk.bsky.social chief executive @sarahdavidson.bsky.social giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament Finance and Public Admin committee on 'legacy' issues for the next term: www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/fina...
scottishparliament.tv
Finance and Public Administration Committee | Scottish Parliament TV
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
"All too often, the European debate becomes mired in outdated indicators that are completely unsuited to considering the future and social well-being in an era of climate change." - Thomas Piketty www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/a...
lemonde.fr
Thomas Piketty: 'European countries have achieved unprecedented levels of prosperity and social well-being'
COLUMN. To win the cultural and intellectual battle, Europe must staunchly defend its model, writes the economist in his column, dismantling the narrative of a 'declining' continent.
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
I talked to BBC Cornwall today about intergenerational fairness and our wellbeing research: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... (about 1:41)
bbc.co.uk
Julie Skentelbery - 03/02/2026 - BBC Sounds
Daytimes with Julie Skentelbery, where Cornwall comes to talk. Call: 0808 100 1039.
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Enjoyed this a lot by @sarahoconnorft.ft.com www.ft.com/content/320c... At @carnegieuk.bsky.social we'd likely argue that this is about finding out what matters to people, and measuring that.
ft.com
No, the public is not irredeemably ignorant
But there is a disconnect between economists’ metrics and people’s perceptions
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Toot toot! I'm completely on the Scotland six nations hype train, and that's a good thing given as I'm going to 4/5 of our matches. Crossing the Rubicon in Rome next weekend - bad time to be a glass of red wine. What are your top recommendations in Dublin, Cardiff and the Italian capital?
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Hey this is cool. At @carnegieuk.bsky.social we've put all of #LifeInTheUK Index data in a neato dashboard. This means you can examine how people are living in lots of different ways. Learn more about why we did this and how it works in this webinar:
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Great to be in Belfast today
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
At @carnegieuk.bsky.social we've been mapping our wellbeing data. Check out this new blog looking at wellbeing across Scotland: carnegieuk.org/blog/living-...
carnegieuk.org
Living Well in Scotland – Wellbeing Mapped - Carnegie UK
Our new interactive wellbeing map, drawn from our  Life in the UK Index, offers a deeper insight into what matters to people across Scotland’s regions. Rooted in what over 1,000 people in Scotland tel...
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Reposted by Stu Mackinnon
Carnegie UK @carnegieuk.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
📊 Our new #LifeInTheUK data dashboard is live! We’re hosting a launch webinar on Mon 26 Jan, 10-11am. Book your place & explore the data with us: carnegieuk.org/event/tracki...
Promotional graphic for Carnegie UK's Tracking our collective wellbeing: launch of the Life in the UK dashboard webinar. The webinar takes place on Monday 26th January from 10-11am.
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
At @uofgpolicy.bsky.social Stop Start conference today. Only getting slight flashbacks from doing exams in Bute Hall.
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
@pjtheeconomist.bsky.social good on rates: www.thetimes.com/business/eco... Rates are devolved as well and you have to wonder why we've not seen fundamental reform in Wales or Scotland either. "Arcane workings" of NDR system is a feature not a bug
thetimes.com
Labour should honour pledge on business rates and build from scratch
The party was right to identify problems with the system, but in government has lacked the courage to introduce fundamental reforms
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Stu Mackinnon @stumackinnon.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Neat to see the NY Times reflect on the Social Progress Index: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Unhappiness
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