Gorton and Denton shows how not to lose, and what it takes to win

Losing part Reform logo pictured in Gorton and Denton

Even when losing a contest you badly want to win, there’s something to be said for dignity in defeat. You can still lose gracefully and earn respect and win friends.

There are memorable examples of this, which stand out against the febrile atmosphere surrounding public discourse today.

When New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern resigned in 2023, she said she “no longer had enough in the tank” to do the job justice. She could have blamed opponents or spun the decision. Instead, the message was simply: it’s time for someone else to lead.

Then there’s the letter I wrote about five years ago from former US President George HW Bush to his White House successor Bill Clinton in 1993, congratulating him on his victory and wishing him well.

“I’m rooting for you,” he wrote.

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Optimistically sceptical and anti-hype: where I’ve landed on AI

AI various apps on a phone

I’m gradually tidying up this blog, tweaking formats, setting up redirects and updating meta descriptions.

Reading old posts about developments I once supported – where colleagues now live – feels a bit like going through photos from yesteryear. My enthusiasm for social media in older posts is especially striking. We did some great things on Twitter back in the day. And didn’t I love it.

Things change. The enshittification of the internet is real and multi-layered.

And as AI advances into so many aspects of our lives, I hold more nuanced views about tech today. On balance, I’d say I’m optimistically sceptical. Or maybe sceptically optimistic.

Either way, I strongly support good tech, while pushing back against the bad bits. There is plenty to think about every day.

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Working from home ‘debate’ should step out of the 1980s

1980s typewriter

Here we go again…

It’s like the last five years never happened.

Nigel Farage’s recent ‘have a go Britain’ speech included a snippet on working from home that will land badly with many because of its failure to recognise the realities of modern life.

Weirdly calling for an ‘attitudinal change’ (whatever that means), his speech to Reform supporters said:

“People aren’t more productive working from home. It’s a LOAD. OF. NONSENSE. They’re more productive being with other fellow human beings and working as part of the team.”

Many of his applauding supporters looked like they hadn’t worked in many years. I’ll come back to that.

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McSweeney’s resignation statement eases the heat, but spin culture holds on 

Number 10 Downing Street

After days of pressure on the government, Morgan McSweeney’s exit as Number 10’s chief of staff felt inevitable.

As resignation statements go, it made a fair attempt to own his part in a scandal that could still engulf his boss.

It admits his role in advising the Prime Minister to appoint Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador, acknowledges the damage caused, and owns the failure.

It stands up well against a political culture that too often denies responsibility at all costs, even when the evidence screams otherwise.

Other parts of the statement – included here and in full below – landed less well though.

Statement on Morgan McSweeney's resignation which is also available online here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c74wd01egvyt
Statement from BBC online https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c74wd01egvyt
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Why late payments hurt agency growth, and what we do about it

Pay me

Celebrating success matters for small teams. We’ve had plenty to celebrate at Distinctive recently, as we take on new clients, win recognition and build a team spanning from Cornwall to Gloucestershire.

We’re part of a wider success story of a growing independent agency sector employing more than 230,000 people and contributing billions to the UK economy. It’s a diverse, resilient, vibrant industry that doesn’t ask for handouts, and innovates in the face of huge challenges. 

There’s plenty to be confident about in 2026. But it’s not plain sailing. And I want to write here about the worst part of agency life that impacts almost every business I know, including ours.

Step forward, late payments. A silent drain on time, energy and momentum. It’s a tricky topic to cover, and I’ve reflected on posting about this for months.

But spending Saturday morning at month end drafting emails to chase for payment pushed me to write something on LinkedIn. This post expands on those thoughts.  

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The collaboration challenge: how places can keep moving through chaos

Chaos images - front cover of Spectator and Economist magazine.

A fast start to the year makes it important to find time to make sense of events and what they mean for us.

Headlines scream chaos at us. Donald Trump’s statements this week alone – on Greenland, threats of increased tariffs, slurs against NATO troops and peace boards with Putin – are enough to make the head spin. And maybe that’s the point.

We can’t know what this means for the global economy, security and the values that many world leaders seemed to share until recently.

Canadian PM Mark Carney’s incredible speech at Davos highlights a ‘rupture’ in these values. His call to other ‘middle countries’ to become beacons in ‘a world that’s at sea’ resonates. Canada’s response to Trump’s aggression – on taxes, investment, defence spending, and closer partnerships with Europe – seem hugely impressive set against the trivia served up here.

Could it be a defining moment? If you have 15 minutes, I’d recommend watching it.

The rupture Carney speaks of has been a long time in coming. Now it’s here, addressing it feels like the biggest collaboration challenge of my lifetime.

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