Mark Braund

Maynard's War Chapter 34 Negotiating the Peace

Chapter 34 of my historical novel, Maynard’s War, about the lives and loves of The Bloomsbury Group during World War One is now available.

It’s January 1919 and J. M. Keynes heads for Paris as the peace conference begins in earnest.

bloomsbury.substack.com/p/maynards-w...

A career in a thousand words Where did the last forty years go?

Something lighter and a little more personal from me today, featuring the great Julie Christie.

markbraund.substack.com/p/a-career-i...

WSET pioneer Gareth Lawrence dies Gareth Lawrence, the longest-serving member of staff at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), has passed away following a long illness. The former WSET CEO, Ian Harris, pays tribute to a colleague...

Sorry to hear of the death of Gareth Lawrence, who taught me so much when I was studying for the #WSET Diploma.

He was immensely knowledgable, a brilliant teacher and very funny, though many of his jokes were lost on my much younger fellow students.

www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/07/wset...

Thanks. Don't suppose you could re-stack it on Substack could you, if you think your subscribers would like it?

The Evil that Men do Remembering historical atrocities is important, but it's clearly not sufficient to prevent new crimes against humanity

New piece from me, inspired by the compelling new TV drama The Narrow Road to the Deep North, and a recent post by the estimable @carneross.bsky.social.

markbraund.substack.com/p/the-evil-t...

Riverside House development to begin as SET Woolwich given notice - Murky Depths Around 600 artists will leave the former Riverside House in Woolwich after notice given with redevelopment of the site to start

Not sure this is necessarily the right decision, but something needed to be done with this grotty corner of Woolwich.

I spent a lot of time in Riverside House in the early 1980s when it was home to the business school at Thames Poly.

Happy memories.

www.fromthemurkydepths.co.uk/2025/07/26/r...

Oh my goodness. I saw the whole of Gooch's remarkable innings from my seat in the old grandstand, and by a weird coincidence I was telling a friend about it only last night.

I saw my first wind turbines in the California desert on a drive from Palm Springs to LA back in 1990. I thought they were beautiful then, and I think they're beautiful now.

Exactly.

Thank God for Geldof (again).

Maynard's War Chapter 33 A Child is Born

Chapter 33 of my historical novel Maynard's War is now available.

It's Christmas Eve 1918, and while Vanessa Bell is in labour upstairs, J.M.Keynes, Duncan Grant and Bunny Garnett discuss the prospects for the Paris peace conference, downstairs.

bloomsbury.substack.com/p/maynards-w...

British politics on the slippery slope towards the situation in the United States where money dictates policy.

Everyone who cares about democracy should sign this petition.

How fucking brilliant.

It's true, I am a bit drunk, but I stand by every word. Utter though?

Cat Stevens on BBC4 now, in concert from 1971.

He was 23, for God's sake.

Utter genius.

Suspect this is true. What's worrying is the number of apparently rational well-educated people who have no moral foundation to anchor them.

Hope he's still wearing the Villa shirt.

Cleo Laine, Britain's most successful jazz singer, dies aged 97 Versatile singer straddled jazz, classical, pop and musical theatre with four-octave range, and collaborated for decades with husband, John Dankworth

My parents weren't much into music, so I was largely left to develop my own taste. But one singer they did listen to was the great Cleo Laine.

What a voice.

www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...

Hulk Hogan, wrestling star and actor, dies aged 71 The WWE star and vocal supporter of Donald Trump died after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Florida

'The Guardian has reached out to Hogan’s reps for comment.'

My how things have changed.

www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

UK police hold pro-Palestine protester, 80, for almost 27 hours and search house Marianne Sorrell, a retired teacher from Somerset, says she is ‘very traumatised’ after arrest at Cardiff rally

The right to protest seems no longer to hold as Britain becomes a fully-fledged police state. Shaming.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Dave Cousins obituary Founder and frontman of the Strawbs, the folk-rock group best known for their 1973 hit Part of the Union

Another one bites the dust. The Strawbs were a very good band, criminally underrated imho.

RIP Dave Cousins.

www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...

And a very good bit it is too!

What happens when you buy one of the UK's most iconic venues for £1 "When gangsters hustled me, I showed no fear because I was unaware of what was going on"

This sounds great. I met Simon Parkes once, in 1987 I think. We were hiring the Brixton Academy for a benefit gig for Nicaragua.

He could not have been nicer, gave us the full tour of his amazing building, and a really good deal, if I remember correctly.

www.loudersound.com/bands-artist...

I’m witnessing the deliberate starvation of Gaza’s children – why is the world letting it happen? | Nick Maynard A permanent ceasefire, the free and safe flow of aid, and the lifting of the blockade are needed now – all could be achieved with political will, says UK surgeon Nick Maynard

If you still doubt that what's happening in Gaza is genocide, you should read this harrowing account by a British medic working there.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Maynard's War Chapter 32 Post war Planning

Chapter 32 of my historical novel, Maynard's War, about the lives of members of the Bloomsbury Group during WWI, is available now.

It's Christmas Eve 1918, and Vanessa Bell is about to give birth. But will Duncan Grant make it back in time?

bloomsbury.substack.com/p/maynards-w...

Storm brews over Nationwide chief executive’s pay package worth up to £7m Critics say building society has strayed too far from it roots with the compensation package likely to be rubber-stamped

The point about this is that nobody's labour effort, however brilliant and innovative they are, is worth £7m million a year.

Until we rocognise this, there's no chance of creating a more equal society.

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Billionaire to list £250m Chelsea manor as ‘UK’s gone to hell’ Norwegian shipping magnate John Fredriksen is off to the UAE, vacating one of London’s most valuable homes

Actually, Mr Billionaire, the UK started going to hell when people like you began moving here. Enjoy the UAE, I'm sure you'll find it a better fit for your values.

www.thetimes.com/article/6e70...

David Boyle obituary Political economist and author who promoted ideas such as time banks and community sharing

Very sad to read of the passing of David Boyle, a great thinker and writer on how we might reconfigure the economy and society.

Fine obituary by @andrewsimms.bsky.social and Lindsay Mackie.

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...

This is a very good piece by @iandunt.bsky.social and cause for some hope, at least if liberals / progressives can get their messaging right.

Yep. Even Joe Biden knew there's no such thing as trickle-down.

We're governed by a bunch of deluded amateurs.