An Important Choice for the UK: Service Over Power
The Bank of England and HM Treasury are designing a "digital pound." This is a major change to our money. At Tally Sticks, we believe the public must give informed consent for any such change. We offer a different path—one built to provide accountability as a service, not to create a new system of monetary control.
Our guiding principle is "Service Over Power." We believe technology should serve the public, not create new ways to exercise power.
Constitutional Principle #13: Service Over Power
"Public systems should serve the people, not create additional mechanisms of control. Technology must empower transparency and accountability rather than enable surveillance or restriction."
Side-by-Side Analysis
This comparison is based on the Bank of England's official consultation and technology papers (2023-2025) and the operational Tally Sticks UK framework.
| Feature / Principle | The Digital Pound Proposal ("Power" Framework) |
The Tally Sticks Model ("Service" Framework) |
|---|---|---|
| Core Architecture | A centralized core ledger provided by the Bank of England, with a "public-private platform model" for services. | A decentralized public audit trail using the BSV blockchain. Our constitutional validation engine works with any existing payment system. |
| Governance | Centrally governed by the Bank of England and government, with rules set by authorities. | Governed by a fixed, public Tally Sticks Constitution, overseen by an independent Custodial Council. |
| Privacy & Data | Aims for privacy via legislation and privacy-enhancing technologies, but a centralized ledger always presents a single point for potential surveillance or data access requests. | Privacy by design. It does not see or track private transactions. It only validates and records the outcomes of public spending, preserving individual privacy. |
| Control of Funds | Authorities commit against programming money, but the centralized technical capability could exist. User-initiated programmability is enabled. | Cannot control funds. The engine has no capability to program, restrict, or access users' money. It is a validation and recording layer only. |
| Innovation Model | Aims to foster innovation by providing APIs for private firms to build "walled garden" services on the BoE platform, with the Digital Pound Lab. | Fosters innovation through an open "Ethical Cartridge" ecosystem. Any developer or regulator can build validation rule sets for any industry, using any ledger. |
| Public Role | The public are consumers of a new form of central bank money. | The public are empowered auditors of government action, using our existing money. |
| Technology | A private, permissioned core ledger controlled and operated by the Bank of England. | Uses the public, permissionless BSV blockchain to provide a permanent, auditable record of government actions. |
| Key Risk | Potential for financial disintermediation from commercial banks and concerns over centralized control and surveillance. | Focuses on data integrity risk (ensuring data fed to the engine is accurate), which is mitigated by evidence-based validation rules. |
The Tally Sticks Advantage: Achieving Goals Without Risks
The Tally Sticks model demonstrates that it is possible to achieve the UK's strategic objectives for digital finance in a more transparent, less intrusive, and more versatile way.
We Enhance Stability, Not Disrupt It
By validating transactions on existing payment rails, Tally Sticks avoids the systemic risk of financial disintermediation from commercial banks—a key concern noted in the official proposals. We strengthen the current system rather than attempting to replace a core part of it.
We Deliver Superior Transparency
The digital pound proposes privacy-by-policy. Tally Sticks delivers transparency-by-design. By using a public, permissionless blockchain (BSV), every validation of public spending creates a permanent, immutable, and independently verifiable audit trail.
We Foster Broader Innovation
The "Ethical Cartridge" model is a truly open platform for innovation, far beyond just payments. It allows for validation systems for legal compliance (FCA), healthcare ethics (CQC), corporate governance (ESG), and more.
Constitutional Accountability
Every transaction validated against our 17 Constitutional Principles, ensuring government actions align with transparency, good faith, and service over power at all times.
Proven Operational System
Unlike theoretical proposals, Tally Sticks is operational today with measurable results:
Our Proposal to Government
We propose that our constitutional validation engine be considered as a primary technology for the UK's digital finance future. Our platform can act as the constitutional validation layer for any transaction, whether it occurs via the existing banking system or a future digital pound.
Benefits for the UK Government:
- Constitutional Compliance: Guarantee that any future monetary system operates with the highest degree of transparency and adheres to a publicly auditable ethical framework
- Public Trust: Secure public confidence from the outset through proven operational transparency
- Reduced Risk: Avoid the systemic risks of financial disintermediation while achieving digital efficiency goals
- Innovation Platform: Enable a broader ecosystem of ethical validation beyond just payments
- Historical Precedent: Build upon the proven UK tradition of tally sticks for transparent financial record-keeping
Why This Choice Matters for Every UK Citizen
Tally Sticks delivers the government's stated goals of digital efficiency and traceability for public funds without introducing the significant risks to privacy and economic freedom associated with a state-controlled retail payment system. We enhance accountability where it's needed—in government—while protecting the rights of citizens.
With a Digital Pound
- Government has technical capability to track all transactions
- Centralized control over digital money supply
- Potential for programmable money restrictions
- Risk of financial disintermediation
- Privacy dependent on policy, not design
With Tally Sticks
- Your private transactions remain private
- Government spending becomes transparent
- No new monetary control mechanisms
- Existing banking system strengthened
- Constitutional protection by design
Join the Constitutional Transparency Movement
The choice between these two models will shape the future of UK finance and freedom. We invite you to explore our operational system and join the movement for constitutional transparency.