I love the look on Greta's face here. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Tragic timing. Massively underrated songwriter. RIP Chris. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/d...

Fabulous obituary of Humphrey Burton by Barry Millington in the @theguardian.com. A remarkable life. I had no idea he was involved in so much. His influence shaped so much of the cultural life of the second half of the 20th century. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

New Substack post from me: If we can’t raise the money we need for the NHS via taxation or by borrowing, then perhaps it’s time to consider Helicopter Money. markbraund.substack.com/p/why-not-us...

My latest post: when geopolitical reality dredges up childhood memories. markbraund.substack.com/p/we-dont-wa...

Oh my goodness, here's a photograph of @joannechocolat.bsky.social holding her copy of my all time favourite album. Confirms my theory that the best writers have the finest taste in music. And in case he hasn't seen it, cc: @sofasound.bsky.social. www.loudersound.com/bands-artist...

Oh Joy. The ‘City’ minister in the UK’s Labour government has plans to make Britain the world leader in the biggest Ponzi scheme ever created. These people are too stupid for words, and appear not to have a shred of moral integrity between them. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Chapter 7 of my historical novel, The Roaring Twenties, the second book in The Bloomsbury Trilogy, is now available to read - for free! It’s June 1920, and members of the Bloomsbury Group gather for the wedding of James Strachey and Alix Sargent-Florence. bloomsbury.substack.com/p/the-roarin...

Now there's a coincidence. In the very week she appears in the latest chapter of my historical novel, The Roaring Twenties, El Pais publishes a story about the remarkable Belle da Costa Greene. english.elpais.com/culture/2025... bloomsbury.substack.com/p/the-roarin...

That feeling when you think you've done something really funny and clever and absolutely nobody gets it. markbraund.substack.com/p/rory-stewa...

Sending my latest substack post to @therestpolitics.bsky.social in case @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social or @rory-stewart.bsky.social are interested. markbraund.substack.com/p/rory-stewa...

Ed West wouldn't have coped had he been at Brixton Academy for The Last Dinner Party tonight. It was a fabulous celebration of London, and Britain, in all its thrilling, anarchic diversity. Still the best city in the world. And the band were bloody brilliant, too.

the price of populism

Lily Fontaine. Wow! The rest of English Teacher were pretty damn good at The Roundhouse tonight too.

The BBC is running scared and this is exactly what Trump wants. I wonder if anyone from 'the highest levels within the BBC' watched 'The Rise of the Nazis', the excellent series they commissioned a few years ago. If so, they were clearly not paying attention. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...

My latest post is something I wrote 20 years ago - the synopsis of my 2005 book The Possibility of Progress. It's depressing how little has changed in two decades, which makes the book, and the synopsis, as relevant as ever. markbraund.substack.com/p/the-possib...

@stephenkb.bsky.social at his very best this morning on Labour's failure to condemn racism. on.ft.com/4i2b5x0

Great obituary of human rights and race lawyer, Sir Geoffrey Bindman. A remarkable man and a brilliant career. www.theguardian.com/law/2025/nov...

This is a great piece by Antara Haldar @projectsyndicate.bsky.social. Our wilful misreading of Adam Smith has left the discipline of economics unable to adapt to the challenges the world now faces. www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/a...

Another excellent communicator for the Greens. Brava, @rachelmillward.bsky.social

Paint it Black, bloody autocorrect. And they played the whole set dressed as Fontaines DC. Not sure if I've ever heard so much noise at the end of a gig.

So, after playing essentially the same set all tour, at the last show tonight at Brixton Academy, Black Country, New Road open with Highway to Hell and also drop in a cover of Painted Black. Both done superbly. What a supremely talented group of musicians. #bcnr

Obviously I haven't watched Question Time for years, as it's about as useful to political discourse in Britain, as an episode of Strictly. But Matthew Goodwin, for god's sake. In 1940, decent people were asking why people like him weren't interned in 1933.

John Maynard Keynes will be spinning in his grave at what this government, and the previous one, have allowed to happen with the Arts Council. slippedisc.com/2025/10/arts...

As of this evening I've seen Black Country, New Road play live more times than any band other than Peter Hammill/Van der Graff Generator. Which I guess makes them my second favourite band of all time. Their set tonight at Brighton Dome was sensational. Brixton Academy tomorrow night! #bcnr #vdgg

It was also shocking driving on the Oxford ring road and seeing the flags festooned on lampposts, which the council hasn’t dared remove The other day my cat wee’d on the sofa a friend was sitting on (he’s got bad habits!) The flag and my cat, both sending the same message: My territory! F**k off!

Mounting a resolute defence against the far right on immigration is necessary but not sufficient. We need aggressively pro-immigration voices - like this - in UK politics. Actively welcoming migrants is morally right and better for everyone. Make that case and put the bigots on the defensive.

Your daily reminder that the government continues to commercially support an individual who wants to destroy it through fascist violence.

The @nytimes.com still does the best obituaries. This one, of the great Jack DeJohnette, is especially good. #jazz www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/a...

There is so much wrong with the Church of England owning so much land, but the very least they could do is manage it properly and invest in nature. Which is why I signed this: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/pr...

If it was a choice between the likes of Trump, Farage and Le Pen or putting the military in charge I'd go for the military. People who understand how the world works and can see what's likely to happen going forward. Just the kind of visionary politics we need. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

If Labour cannot denounce mass deportation of permanent residents, Idi Amin style, what is the point of them?

The US is over.

Political culture and media culture.

What a stupid question. Of course they have. It always happens when public money is used to improve infrastructure. It's why we need a land value tax. #lvt www.bbc.com/news/article...

Fascinating article and a great photo. Look at Botham's hand. www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/o...

Anyone else stunned by this news? Thought not. www.bbc.com/news/article...

This is cool. I was at the ICA gig in 1983 that Jakko mentions. By the time they came on, after midnight, it was my 19th birthday. www.loudersound.com/bands-artist... #peterhammill #vdgg

Too sad for words. His Guardian columns were never less than illuminating. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

What will the historians of tomorrow make of this? Beyond tragic. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

New post from me on the struggle to prevent what’s currently happening in the United States being repeated here in Europe. markbraund.substack.com/p/changing-t...

THIS. HAS. TO. STOP. Starmer and Cooper are just digging their own graves, wasting police resources and taxpayers' money - for what? Repeat: 24 thugs arrested during the mess the other week, 415 at a peaceful protest the week before. Insanity.

Perhaps one for long-standing committed fans, but this is a fabulous review of Peter Hammill's show at the Royal Festival Hall on Thursday. I've seen him 50+ times over the last 42 years, and Thursday may well have been the best show ever, though Wednesday night in Manchester runs it close.

Kemi Badenoch announces plan to return Britain to the dark ages. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

So depressing, but it felt inevitable. Anti-semitism and its manifestation in violence and murder is the barometer of a society's moral health. Britain is currently a very sick patient.

He was even better tonight than he was last night in Manchester. It was a privilege to be there, both nights.

Oh, I shall miss Monfils. Can't think of a player I enjoyed watching more. #tennis www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis...

Thank you @sofasound.bsky.social, for a fabulous evening. See you tomorrow.

I can't believe that Jane Goodall had died. She's just always been there, doing and saying the right thing.

Peter Hammill is now 76. Tonight at @rncmlive.bsky.social he sang and played like he was 26. And he finished with Afterwards, a song, as he said, that he first sang in Manchester back in '68. Remarkable.