Hit reality TV show The Traitors reveals how great some people are at lying – and how bad others are at detecting it. What lessons can we take from Claudia Winkleman’s backstabbing parlour game about the world of politics? Today in The Bunker, Ahir Shah speaks with The Guardian’s Zoe Williams to find out which of our politicians would flourish or flounder under the pressure. Stay tuned until after the credits for Ahir’s slightly spoilery final thoughts leading into the final two episodes. • “The...
Jan 26, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 1209
The US election is being fought on many fronts, but what does the American public really care about most? Is it the economy, is it immigration, or is it simply the name of the person who sits in the Oval Office? Susan Davis is a political correspondent for NPR and host of the NPR Political Podcast. She joins Alex Andreou in The Bunker to discuss how the likely candidates will campaign on the most important issues. • “There’s a sense of nostalgia for Trump… people think ‘my life was better under ...
Jan 25, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 1208
What do people care most about at the moment – and how will this affect their votes in the upcoming general election? From immigration to the NHS, the economy to defence, there’s plenty for voters to think about. Ros Taylor speaks to Ben Walker, senior data journalist at the New Statesman and co-founder of Britain Elects. •“The priority amongst all Britons is not immigration, not the NHS, but still for solutions on the cost of living.” – Ben Walker •“The reality of politics is that feelings matt...
Jan 24, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1207
Few TV dramas have had such an instant seismic effect as ITV’s miniseries on the Horizon scandal, Mr Bates vs The Post Office. How do searing stories of miscarriages of justice make it to screen in a ruthless television environment? And what makes them so effective at concentrating public outrage and forcing change? Simon Heath, CEO and Creative Director of World Productions, was Executive Producer of Line of Duty and the acclaimed Hillsborough drama Anne. He tells Andrew Harrison what makes tru...
Jan 23, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 1206
“Ron DeSanctimonious” is out of the Presidential running meaning a two-way race between Trump and Nikki Haley in this week’s New Hampshire Primary. Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea start to filter through to the economy. The Lords get ready to savage the Rwanda Plan. And NASA opens up a can of asteroid dust – what could possibly go wrong? Gavin Esler sets out the week ahead for Andrew Harrison. Presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Art by James Parrett. Lead pro...
Jan 22, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1205
Donald Trump once said he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and his supporters wouldn’t care. Not only does polling suggest that could be true – but since he was criminally indicted (not for shooting anyone) his loyalists have stuck by him. Thomas Gift is the founding director of UCL’s centre on US politics and he joins Jacob Jarvis in The Bunker to discuss what he believes are the five types of Trump voters. • “Trump supporters have been likened to a cult … and I don’t think that’s far off.” – ...
Jan 19, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 1204
Migration is one of the most divisive issues in the UK – socially, politically, and economically. But a lot of the information we consume is propaganda, and many of the assumptions made are wrong. Hein de Haas, author of How Migration Really Works, offers Ros Taylor insights which could lead to effective migration policy. • “The overall contribution of recent migration has been positive rather than negative.” – Hein de Haas • “There is actually no difference between Left and Right wing governmen...
Jan 18, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1203
The 2024 US Presidential election will likely see Biden and Trump back on the ballot. And, if previous elections are anything to go by, Russia will play a key role in manipulating things in Trump’s favour. Joseph Webster, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and editor of the China-Russia report, joins Gavin Esler in The Bunker, to discuss what Russia seeks to gain out of a Trump presidency, and how they might just get it. • “Gasoline prices are a major determinant in U.S. elections. Anything t...
Jan 17, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 1201
Young people, particularly young men, are increasingly becoming radicalised toward the far-right. Often chronically online and extremely vulnerable to manipulation, just how big of a risk do they pose? And what can be done about it? Alex Andreou joins Cynthia Miller-Idriss, founding director of the Polarisation and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at the American University in Washington, DC, in The Bunker. • “The far-right is really a spectrum for supremacist ideologies; which incl...
Jan 16, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 1200
PM Rishi Sunak faces the commons today to explain military action against Houthi Rebels. Plus – the Rwanda bill is back. Will the Conservatives be satisfied with the latest draft? Across the pond – The Republican Party caucuses in Iowa. Is a Trump victory inevitable? And finally President Biden has congratulated Lai Ching-te following his victory in the Taiwan election, how will Beijing respond? • "You simply cannot notify your enemies that you’re about to take military action." – Alex Andreou •...
Jan 15, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 1199
A special crossover episode with This Is Not A Drill, our geopolitics podcast. Why are UK and US navies defending Western shipping against missile attacks and hijacks from rebels in the poorest country in the Middle East? The battle between the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia threatens to spill over into a wider regional conflict – and Iran is fanning the flames. What happens next? Gavin Esler talks to Helen Lackner, author of Yemen In Crisis, to find out who the Houthi are, what they w...
Jan 12, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 1198
Brainwashing has been utilised as a political tool for centuries. How exactly is it weaponised today? Daniel Pick, author of Brainwashed: A New History of Thought Control, discusses the history and contemporary manifestations of thought control with Alex Andreou, in The Bunker. • “Brainwashing seeks both to decimate and damage the mind – and to infiltrate ideas and to organise ideologies in a systematic way.” – Daniel Pick • “Behavioural units exist within governments, including Downing Street, ...
Jan 11, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 1197
Internet culture has changed a lot since the last general election – so the way politicians use it will have to evolve too. Facebook may no longer be the king of social media, but have Sunak and Starmer mastered Tiktok, Instagram or YouTube? Today in The Bunker, Ros Taylor speaks with professor of digital politics at Sheffield University, Kate Dommett, about the tricks politicians will be using to win your votes. • "Political parties are trying to reach out to younger voters and they aren’t usin...
Jan 10, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 1196
Once known as the Brexit Party, Reform UK wants to mortally wound the Tories in the General Election. Do its recent poll spikes show real support for Richard Tice’s vociferously anti-migration, anti-woke party? Should the Tories really worry – and should Labour? And could those fanciful stories about Nigel Farage joining the Tories and taking over as leader really come true? Legendary journalist and broadcaster Michael Crick explains it all to Andrew Harrison. Buy One Party After Another: The Di...
Jan 09, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 1195
Rishi Sunak faces more backbench backlash as Parliament returns. Plus – will an emergency summit give closure to the 700 victims of the Post Office scandal? Finally in a year of vital elections, how will the Taiwan election shape global politics? • “Sunak should not be pandering to the party faithful. That’s not governing.” – Ros Taylor • “We’re looking at three byelections in just eight days. It doesn’t look good for the Conservatives.” – Alex Andreou • “Why has it taken an ITV drama to get the...
Jan 08, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 1194
There’s pretty much only one certainty in US politics in 2024: chaos. Trump faces a reckoning with the law, but is still very much in the running for the presidency. Meanwhile scrutiny against Biden ramps up. How will these controversies play out? Joining Gavin Esler in The Bunker to discuss all of this is senior editor at The Dispatch and host of the Advisory Opinions podcast, Sarah Isgur. • “Asteroids hit every day, but yes, it’s going to be Biden vs Trump.” – Sarah Isgur • “I have no idea whe...
Jan 05, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 1193
Britain’s damaged economy will dominate this election year but it’s a sprawling topic. We’ve broken it down into five key issues to keep an eye on in 2024 – from the endless battle over tax cuts to the still-dire cost of living crisis, from the mortgage timebomb to the unforeseen consequences of AI. Former advisor to Vince Cable and now senior fellow at the Institute for Government Giles Wilkes lays out the issues for Andrew Harrison. • “Tax cuts don’t win elections.” — Giles Wilkes • “Debt is n...
Jan 04, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 1192
AI took the world by storm in 2023 – and has the potential to fundamentally change it in 2024. But will it be for better or worse? That all depends on who utilises it. Dr. Kate Devlin is joined in The Bunker by Kyle Taylor, author of the The Little Black Book of Artificial Intelligence: How Big Tech is Making Humanity Redundant to discuss. • “Everything in the AI space is being designed in a for-profit lens.” – Kyle Taylor • “Now it’s the white collar jobs that can be replaced easily.” – Dr. Kat...
Jan 03, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1191
New year, same old Sunak. Alex Andreou joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss the latest misjudgements from the PM and the immediate political news to look out for, before diving into a forecast for 2024. From elections across the globe, to conflicts worldwide and AI – we discuss the key themes you need to look out for over the next 12 months. • “Sunak has no time to do or promise anything meaningful.” • “The economy is stagnant and I see nothing in Sunak’s plans that will stimulate it.” Support us on Pa...
Jan 02, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 1190
From pandemics to natural disasters, terror attacks to global warming, it seems the world is becoming more disastrous by the minute – and government responses consistently fall short. Why aren’t we ever prepared? Ros Taylor speaks to Jeff Schlegelmilch, director of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness Director and co-author of Catastrophic Incentives: Why Our Approaches to Disasters Keep Falling Short. • “The disasters we think about are the photogenic ones… but the on...
Dec 28, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 1189
We’ve come a long way as society but has progress hindered our ability to have a laugh? Seth Thévoz is joined by David Stubbs, the author of Different Times to discuss the evolution of British comedy from silent movies to the raunchy sitcoms of today. "Monty Python looks a bit dodgy these days.” – David Stubbs "The real revolution in comedy was the Young Ones. It was punk.” – David Stubbs "Tommy Cooper is the king of woke Comedy. He’s hilarious and without sin.” – David Stubbs “Thatcher was cruc...
Dec 27, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 1188
On today’s Bunker Gold, a Christmas throwback from 2022… What do veganism, Donald Trump and Brussels sprouts have in common? They’re all points of contention at Christmas time. But how do you deal with the terrible opinions of family and friends? Marie Le Conte is joined by Christmas elves Tom Peck and Seth Thévoz to discuss navigating conversations with Brexit-y uncles and Corbynista cousins. • “Everyone talks to me about politics, and it's so boring.” –Tom Peck • “My dad is France’s last remai...
Dec 24, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1187
Our political debate stops at Christmas — but this hasn’t always been the case. It was only in the Victorian era that Christmas was reinvented as a time for family and domesticity, with no room for politics. Should politics return to Christmas? Has it been there all along? University of St Andrews Senior Lecturer in Theology Rev Dr Stephen Holmes speaks to Alex Andreou about the politics of Christmas. • “Christmas is heavily focused around the narrative of the birth of Jesus, a narrative which i...
Dec 22, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1185
On our latest panel edition: It’s been a weird year in the world of politics. From accusations of bunny murder, to saucy broadway interruptions and hemp bar shenanigans. Do you remember the crazy political stories that defined the last 12 months? Jacob Jarvis and an all-star lineup of Podmasters regulars, Marie Le Conte, Jonn Elledge and Andrew Harrison go through the 20 weirdest stories from the year in the last edition of The Bunker Panel for 2023. “The one thing you cannot be cruel to in this...
Dec 21, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 1184
Terrorist activity is surging across Europe since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, and UK police are warning MPs that London is currently facing the “biggest convergence of threats we have seen for a very long time”. Could we be facing a new phase in intensified political terror? Peter Neumann, Professor of Security Studies at King's College London and author of The New World Disorder: How the West is Destroying Itself, explains the current state of play to Alex Andreou. • “Te...
Dec 20, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 1183
The Covid Inquiry continues to throw out news lines with Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove appearing since our last round-up. If you’ve found it too hard to keep track, we’re here to catch you up. Alex Andreou is joined once again by Prof. Christina Pagel to explain some key moments. • “The attitude of ‘I know better’ is quite damaging to Sunak.” – Christina Pagel • “It’s not just that we’ve been led by donkeys. We’ve been led by donkeys who don’t give a shit.” – Christina Pagel Support u...
Dec 19, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 1182
Michelle Mone has admitted to lying to the media over her links to a PPE firm. What fallout will happen next? Plus – Rishi Sunak continues to pander to backbenchers over immigration, what does the PM have to gain by embracing the right? Plus, calls mount for a prolonged pause in the Israel/Hamas conflict, will Netenyahu be strong-armed into another ceasefire? And finally we have the latest on reports of financial difficulties for Ukraine. “Michelle Mone didn’t just lie to the media, she tried to...
Dec 18, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 1181
Donald Trump’s hold over rural voters is priceless to the Republican party. But how did this real life caricature of a wealthy businessman win them over? And has the divide between rural and urban voters ever been so big in America? Nicholas Jacobs is the co-author of The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America and joins Dorian Lynskey in The Bunker. “No republican candidate has done as well in rural America than Trump.” “The most distinctive feature of the rural voter i...
Dec 15, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 1180
The internet has become a theatre of war, with lies and disinformation being radically weaponised. The UN has responded with a framework on how to fight such threats – But does it hold any real potential to win the battle for truth? Carl Miller co-founded the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos and joins Marie Le Conte in The Bunker. “There’s no single stakeholder that can possibly make decisions unilaterally about what the internet should be like.” – Carl Miller. “one of the most h...
Dec 14, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1179
We know the human cost of Russia’s war in Ukraine – with estimated fatalities reaching half a million. But what is the financial cost? Can Russia afford to continue this conflict – and for how long? Oxford Analytica senior Russia analyst and Eastern Advisory Group director Dr Richard Connelly speaks to Chris Jones in The Bunker. • “Before the war, the Russian economy had been through a decade of stagnation… it was not in great shape.” – Dr Richard Connelly • “A lot of Western sanctions have been...
Dec 13, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 1178
