Act I: THE UK’S 150-YEAR MOMENT
Seven Factual Reasons to Be Cheerful
I wrote some notes to myself ahead of the 26 November 2025 Budget, not because any single Budget changes very much, but because it felt like a moment to stress test my own optimism with data and evidence.
Over the last 20 years we’ve collectively passed through crisis (GFC), divorce (Brexit), pandemic (COVID), war (Ukraine). By last year, even after a new government was elected on the basis of one word (Change) and the promise of a “decade of renewal” the sense of drift and exhaustion had become hard to ignore — inside and outside the innovation bubble alike.
The paper I ended up writing was really a reminder to myself that sentiment and structure are not the same thing. Sentiment may be low - very low; but structure is strong - very strong.
So if you’re interested in reading it and seeing if it brings in some sunshine, here you go “The UK’s 150 Year Moment - Seven Factual Reasons to be Cheerful” and if you’re interested in listening to some of the conversations I’ve started to have around the paper, here are some places to listen - feel free to do at 1.5x :)
Rest is Money -
Two Matts -
Looking for Growth -
Looking forward to a optimistic 2026 and beyond - HNY