Ben Lowndes

Me and Lisa at a graduation ceremony in Exeter in 2022

Me and Penny at a school event

My parents on their wedding day, 10 March 1973

Thoughts from a middle aged bloke on celebrating women, providing opportunities to progress, and calling out those who want to move backwards.

Images are of my wife Lisa at Exeter Uni, daughter Penny at her school graduation, and my parents in 1973.

benlowndes.blog/2026/03/09/t...

The British Right’s Permanent War Fantasy How the Telegraph, Mail and GB News turned a dangerous global conflict into another excuse to shout “weakness” and a supplicating audition for Trump’s approval.

Trump bombs.
The Telegraph screams humiliation.
The Mail screams betrayal.
GB News screams weakness.

And all of a sudden a complex global crisis becomes yet another loyalty test to American power.

The UK deserves better than this performative war hysteria.

🐻

Aside from anything else here (and there is a lot to unpack), the idea “Donald sending a few angry posts on truth social” is more humiliating than anything since Suez is remarkably psychologically illuminating. Our only job in the world is apparently to hang on America’s shoulder.

Starmer’s position is entirely consistent with what he wrote about Iraq in 2003, a fact of enormous inconvenience to just about everybody currently criticising it. Happily for them, just like the entire bloody Chilcot Inquiry it is apparently very easy to ignore.

Maybe they don't remember it themselves. They seem incapable of learning the lessons of what's happened before.

Either way, I feel embarassed for them.

Morgan Mortlock's Times cartooon today appears alongside a leader and four op eds calling for UK military action.

Is it saying that if we don't eagerly dash into an illegal war we don't care? That, if we're not supportive, we're indulgent, complacent, or soft?

The media learns nothing.

Reform are in denial about why they lost by 12% in Gorton & Denton (60% white, 80% UK-born) after losing by 11% in Caerphilly (98% white, 98% UK-born) to Plaid Cyrmu

Both seats unusual in seeing more people vote than at last Welsh Senedd/last GE: more voters turned out to stop Reform than supoort

It seems Reform need to tell themselves & their voters a clearly false story about foreigners stealing the election from them, so as not to acknowledge the fact that Reform's "people's army" is unpopular: that a third of people like and that most people want to see defeated at the ballot box

Gorton and Denton shows how not to lose, and what it takes to win Thoughts from the Gorton and Denton by-election on losing with dignity, and why progressives need a positive offer.

Monday post on losing gracefully, and why progressives should focus less on scare tactics and more on what a positive future for the country looks like.

"We are not Reform,' is not a vision.

There's still time to think big, and think local.

benlowndes.blog/2026/03/02/g...

Farage has been flying around the world trying to raise cash from foreign donors - a fact that deserves a front page a million times more than this autocratic racism

Part of it is that Hannah Spencer didn't fit into cookie cutter notions of working class.

She is a trades person. Tick. White van woman if you like (without the van). But then she is a woman, progressive, confident, open.

Labour and others just don't have that mental model of "the" working class

Straight out of the Trumpian playbook.

Professor Matt Goodwin lost by 4,000 votes. He could have lost gracefully and reflected on whether his pitch and some of his weird statements played well to voters.

He chose instead to question the outcome and blame dark forces.

I’m so glad he lost.

Just can’t believe that wanting to financially punish women who miscarry didn’t swing the vote for him.

Stupid woke voters.

The Green Party didn’t just scrape a win in Gorton and Denton this morning. They won by MILES.

And yet, some who have reported for weeks that Reform were near certainty to win uncritically cast doubt on the result.

Where have we seen that before?

Hello darkness my old friend...

Green Party wins Gorton and Denton by-election with Labour pushed into third by Reform Hannah Spencer, a 34-year-old plumber, also becomes the first Green Party candidate to win a Westminster by-election.

Pleased and relieved Matt Goodwin didn't win, despite media reports that he was odd on to do so.

He would have been bad news in parliament, including for the party he respresents.

Still too close for comfort, and lots for Labour to reflect on.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cp...

Optimistically sceptical and anti-hype: where I’ve landed on AI - Ben Lowndes I'm on a journey with AI: optimistically sceptical and tired of the hype. This post explains where we are and what we're doing about it.

I promise this isn't a 'read this or your business won't last until 2027...' posts about AI.

My Monday post explains why I think it's important for us to make proper time for AI and to resist the hype.

Have a good week.

benlowndes.blog/2026/02/23/o...

not to go back to my pet rant but this links very nicely to those of us who've been arguing for some time that actually form often matters just as much as content in politics, no matter what the online left thinks! fair not to like it as a dynamic but it is what it is!

It doesn’t have to be this way. Regulate. Collaborate. Put governance at the heart of AI’s role in our lives.

World is on AI path to disaster, former Google executive warns

www.thetimes.com/article/4625...

Working from home ‘debate’ should step out of the 1980s - Ben Lowndes Nigel Farage’s work from home rant simply ignores the realities of modern life. We've got to get this debate out of the 1980s.

Monday thoughts on the desparately poor thinking around working from home, and how we make it work for us.

benlowndes.blog/2026/02/16/w...

Another reason not to miss being on X.

I do think that the Anas Sarwar press conference was just too nakedly cynical to be effective, frankly.

McSweeney’s resignation statement eases the heat, but spin culture holds on Some thoughts on Morgan McSweeney's resignation statement, how spin got us here and whether we can ever restore trust in politics.

Monday post on Morgan McSweeney's resignation statement, what it doesn't / can't say and whether we can restore trust in politics.

TLDR: we can, but only if we start with honesty about how things work today.

benlowndes.blog/2026/02/09/m...

Make engagement a mindset, not a process Distinctive Dispatch #33: How human comms unlocks progress; catch our free strategy sessions; what Traitors tells us about comms.

Today’s Dispatch focuses on challenges bots just can’t handle and spreadsheets don’t readily accommodate: relationships, connections, understanding, and trust.

If you're interested in the intersection of comms with places and working life, check it out.

open.substack.com/pub/distinct...

Why late payments hurt agency growth, and what we do about it - Ben Lowndes Late payments are a silent drain on time, energy and momentum. This post explains why, and what we do about it at Distinctive.

Personal Monday post that I spent ages mulling over.

Why late payments hurt agency growth, and what we do about it benlowndes.blog/2026/02/02/w...

Has links to resources that I’ve found useful.

a group of south park characters standing next to each other with the words pay up in the corner ALT: a group of south park characters standing next to each other with the words pay up in the corner

Ah, month end. Spending Saturday morning drafting emails chasing for payment of overdue invoices.

It's the shittest part of my job by some distance. It won't kill us, as most clients pay on time. But cumulatively, it wastes time and energy and darkens my mood.

I'll write about it tomorrow.

All 14 of the AI training courses recommended today by our Technology Secretary are provided by US companies. Not one is British.
Read on for the billions we're also spending with these companies: www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

Give me strength. What are they thinking?!

One of my biggest clients is Scottish. I wouldn't DARE suggest Irn Bru was a good idea to take to a meeting.

This image doesn't say 'I get Scotland' at all. Quite the opposite.

What's he going to do on St David's Day? Proper cringeworthy stuff.

The collaboration challenge: how places can keep moving through chaos In a year of turbulence, collaboration keeps places moving. Reflections on why leadership, relationships and trust still matter in 2026.

Monday post with reflections on why - despite global and national uncertainty - great things can happen in cities and regions if stakeholders work together well.

Strong leadership and active business are essential ingredients.

benlowndes.blog/2026/01/26/t...

Good points, love Bagehot column.

Those who use 'the sixth largest economy' line to justify spending need to hop on a train at Cardiff and head west - with their eyes open.

They will see differently.