Episode 32 is out today, feat: - ARIA - Nasa - Britain's first new castle in a century (alas: it's hideous) - Matt Clifford's speech - Birth demographics - The stats suggesting Brits are more culturally right-wing than Trump voters - Bato-futurism - Zack Polanski - A dramatic reading of our New Statesman hit piece - And a Shipping Forecast remix inc some @aeronlaffere wizardry Link: anglofuturism.co/p/pvc-castl…

As Anglofuturism is getting some media coverage, I’d like people to read some of my work on the link between visions of the future and understanding the past. They are inseparable. I’ve also, by the way, been on the Anglofuturism podcast twice. I’m the one who got @CalumDrysdale to talk about O’Neill cylinders on the Times Radio Podcast! planetocracy.org/p/futurism-…

Harold Wilson was an Anglofuturist in his own way, with his shiny vision of science and socialism designed to create a national revival. The 1964 Labour Manifesto begins with a passage you could easily imagine an Anglofuturist writing were it not for the dated references.

Bring down energy costs. Build sovereign AI. Accelerate the space industry. This is what we believe.

Wonderful piece The real question is, if you're British, why wouldn't you be an Anglofuturist?

Happy birthday to the very best hope for feminist writing, the tirelessly optimistic, inimitable and gorgeous @ellen_atlanta.

New Anglofuturism episode: Space Solar — and why Britain must colonise the economic high ground Calum, Aeron and I visited Space Solar, at Harwell, to meet the company's co-founder and co-CEO, Sam Adlen. The company is attempting to solve Britain’s energy crisis by putting massive solar arrays in geostationary orbit and beaming the power down as microwaves. No new physics required — just the unglamorous work of becoming the Toyota of space infrastructure. In the episode: ☛ Why space-based solar delivers 13 times more energy than ground panels and provides baseload power 24/7, making it economically competitive with terrestrial solar even at today’s launch costs. ☛ The technical solution: kilometer-scale satellites made of hundreds of thousands of coffee table-sized modules that beam power down using phase conjugation, with no moving parts and power density a quarter of midday sun (safe enough that birds won’t cook). ☛ How Space Solar’s system works like a “giant interconnector in space” — instantly switching beams between countries to balance grids, support renewables when wind dies, and redirect power where it’s needed, potentially saving over a billion pounds annually in UK energy system costs. ☛ Why they’re not trying to invent new physics but, rather, optimise industrial process. The challenge is manufacturing a million modules, perfecting logistics, and automating assembly in space using robotics that construct truss structures in orbit. ☛ Britain’s fatal flaw: brilliant at innovation, terrible at scaling, with orders of magnitude less investment going into space than AI or fusion despite space being “bigger than AI” and strategically critical as the new waterways for global power. ☛ The regulatory reality: UK space regulators have been “superb” and energised, even on grid connections that normally take 15 years—the real bottleneck is financing early-stage infrastructure rather than venture capital’s preference for low-capex software, ☛ Sam’s vision for 2075: Britain as a leader in space infrastructure, power no longer a constraint, and a generation with genuine abundance ahead — but only if we move now, because “there’s no second-mover role”. ☛ Why Starship’s success is the step-change moment for space: 24 launches in 24 hours transforms everything from orbital data centers to asteroid mining. Britain needs to commit two orders of magnitude more investment immediately or watch others colonise the economic high ground.

Well put

Terrific. There’s nothing partisan about imagining a Britain that’s richer, more pioneering and more spacefaring. It was Bevin who saw the most futuristic technology of the time - the atomic bomb - and said “I want it here, I want it now, and I want a bloody Union Jack on it.” 🇬🇧

In the final analysis, today's report on the UK Space Economy is an honest document. It recognises that Britain has all the ingredients for a successful space industry: research, manufacturing, even venture appetite. But we lack something more prosaic: a functioning state.

I'm in the New Statesman today talking about what Anglofuturism means for progressives, the left, and those allergic to nostalgia—and why we can't afford to disagree that Britain needs a brilliant future.

Space Solar is trying to put kilometre-wide satellites in orbit that harvest solar energy 24/7 and beam it back to Earth as microwaves. Co-founder and CEO Sam Adlen used to work on fusion but now thinks this is more achievable—because there's no new physics involved, just the unglamorous work of becoming "the Toyota of space infrastructure." The pitch: panels in geostationary orbit get 13 times more energy than ground solar, the whole thing acts like a "giant interconnector in space" that can instantly redirect beams between countries to balance grids, and Imperial College reckons 2 gigawatts saves Britain over a billion pounds a year because you don't need to overbuild renewables or transmission lines. Sam's frustration: Britain is brilliant at inventing things and terrible at scaling them. We need two orders of magnitude more investment in space right now because Starship changes everything and there's no second mover advantage. Space is bigger than AI"—whoever controls orbital infrastructure controls 21st century logistics, energy, and power projection. The bottleneck isn't regulation (UK space regulators have been "superb," shockingly). It's financing. VCs want low-capex software with revenue in three years. Space Solar needs patient capital for infrastructure that takes a decade to mature but then prints gigawatts indefinitely. His vision for 2075: Britain leads the space sector, energy is abundant, kids have a genuinely bright future instead of managed decline in a "tepid bath." But only if we move now. The alternative is watching America and China colonise the high ground while we're still arguing about planning permission for terrestrial solar farms. Starship launching 24 times in 24 hours isn't science fiction anymore. The question is whether Britain treats this like a rounding error in the budget or the strategic priority it actually is.

Anglofuturism was in GQ this month. Probably nothing.

Nostalgia isn't all bad. Very much enjoyed this from Anglofuturism regular @RianCFFWhitton.

The Anglofuturism podcast features in this month’s issue of GQ

The algae-black mascara in this is from a British company working at the forefront of materials science to create sustainable and innovative beauty products, really interesting and something there needs to be more of.

Okay we’ve announced it. We’re building a city. The first major city in the UK for fifty years. And we want the Labour government to back it. We’ve already got amazing prominent supporters. But we need everyone to sign the pledge first to prove real demand. Sign it and read more in the link below!