Extra Edition: What can a bloody, violent, horribly funny comic book cop tell us about policing in the real world? 2000AD comic’s Judge Dredd began in 1977 as a brutal satire on law and order for delinquent kids – and then Dredd’s world of militarised police started to come true. Is Dredd a warning of the future or a manual for how to oppress a society? Lifelong Dredd fan Andrew Harrison talks to Michael Molcher , author of I Am The Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future , about Hayek, Voltai...
Feb 12, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 860
The Palace of Westminster is crumbling. There are risks of fires, floods and the walls are stacked with asbestos. Will Parliament ever get fixed? And will it take someone being hurt for movement to happen? Marie Le Conte is joined by Dr. Alexandra Meakin , a lecturer at the University of Leeds whose PhD thesis was titled Understanding the Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster, to discuss the issues. “Fire is a big risk, a huge one you can’t ignore.” “Behind the ornate beauty of th...
Feb 12, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 859
Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union this week and focused on wanting to “finish the job”. Can he achieve his goals despite a split Congress? Julie Norman , co-director of UCL’s Centre on US Politics, joins Alex Andreou to discuss the US president’s standing, hopes and the limits to his power in the second half of his first term – and whether he’ll run for a second… “Biden knows the political reality and he knows what’s going to win over independents as he looks to 2024.” “Joe Biden seemed...
Feb 11, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 858
During China’s Cultural Revolution, pupils murdered their teachers, children betrayed their parents and society was torn apart in the name of progress. Decades on, it inspires both horror and nostalgia — but is rarely mentioned in public. Tania Branigan, author of Red Memory , tells Ros Taylor how China’s citizens deal with the Revolution’s violent legacy – and what it can teach us about China today. “There was a kind of idealism there, the inevitable joy and excitement that young people would f...
Feb 10, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 857
How do we overcome opportunist strongmen leaders, who grab power while nations are in turmoil? As countries battle stagnant growth, high inflation and inept governments, we’ve seen a rise in autocracies. Charles Dunst, author of Defeating the Dictators : How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strongman joins Andrew Harrison to ask what the allure of these dictators is and why they are thriving in uncertain times. “The majority of autocracies don’t work, but in the richest ones there is no y...
Feb 09, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 856
Is a deal over the Northern Ireland protocol really imminent? Due to Northern Ireland’s land border with the Republic, there were always going to need to be unique arrangements post-Brexit. A resolution of some kind is being touted, but what might this look like? Amanda Ferguson , a Belfast-based freelance journalist and commentator, joins Ros Taylor to discuss. “I think Boris Johnson knew exactly what he was doing, he just wanted to get Brexit done.” “It should be pointed out that everybody ack...
Feb 08, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 855
Imagine nuclear missiles are flying towards the UK and you’re in charge of our response. What do you do? It’s unlikely you’ll have to make this tough a decision – but we all face pressure and choices. How do our brains behave under tension? Moran Cerf , a neuroscientist at the Kellogg School of Management, talks to Ros Taylor about the psychological pitfalls in human decision-making. “Our brains are still the brains of humans who lived in a savanna with about 200 people around them.” “We just fa...
Feb 07, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 854
Liz Truss has broken her silence, a mere 100 days after leaving office – what Tory drama will this spark in the days ahead? And with Johnson in the headlines, why do our former Prime Ministers continue to haunt us? Plus we look at the NHS strikes and the Chinese balloon mystery. Jacob Jarvis is joined by Hannah Fearn to give you the low-down on the week ahead in politics. “Truss's lack of self-awareness is staggering.” “We haven’t recovered from Covid because of Brexit and Truss.” “The political...
Feb 06, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 853
The mafia conjures up images of the Sopranos rather than hardened criminals for many of us. So what is it really – and how has it changed? With the arrest of mobster Matteo Messina Denaro putting mafia violence back in the spotlight, Felia Allum, author of Camorristi, Politicians, and Businessmen: The Transformation of Organized Crime in Post-war Naples , joins Alex Andreou to discuss the changing face of criminal organisations. “In Italy, the mafia is like a virus that wracks the body.” “The ma...
Feb 05, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 852
White House Chief of Staff sounds like a pretty big job, right? But what do they actually do? With Ron Klain departing from the role, Jeff Zients has been chosen as his successor. What does Biden need from him? Jacob Jarvis is joined by David B. Cohen , a professor of political science at the University of Akron who is co-authoring The President's Chief of Staff: Evolution of a White House Institution . “You can see the footprints of the White House Chief of Staff all the way back to George Wash...
Feb 04, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 851
HS2 has been beset with calamity – what promises have the Government broken on this flagship project? Christian Wolmar , journalist and train expert, joins Ros Taylor to discuss what has gone wrong and why it’s so hard to build a high-speed railway in Britain. “HS2 is costing £100 million a week – imagine the end cost.” “We never holistically planned the project, and we’ve muddled through to huge costs.” “Building a high-speed rail from a poor to rich area impoverishes the poor area.” Support us...
Feb 03, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 850
Germany’s delay sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine frustrated European allies – will it do lasting damage to relations on the continent? Was this a missed opportunity for Scholz to have led the way internationally in the fight against Russia? Alex Andreou speaks to Jeremy Cliffe , New Statesman ’s writer-at-large based in Berlin, to discuss Germany’s position and what it tells us about the nation. “Germany’s perspective on the world has required adjusting… it has edged towards making more respon...
Feb 02, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 849
Why are so many over-50s leaving the workforce – and can we get them back? With people changing how they live post-pandemic, large numbers have left the labour market. What made them make this shift? And how are the NHS and care crises also playing into this? Ros Taylor is joined by Scott Corfe , director of Public First, to discuss. “The overwhelming majority of these people who have dropped out of the labour market don’t want to return to work.” “For people who left in the pandemic it seems li...
Feb 01, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 848
From making works of art to writing essays and driving cars – is there anything AI can’t do? Dr. Stephanie Hare, author of Technology Is Not Neutral: A Short Guide to Technology Ethics , joins Andrew Harrison to ask how worried we should be about new technologies, how we can make them better, and if we should let robots vote. “Fashions change, and we might get tired of AI in the same way we got tired of flares.” “After years the government has completely failed to regulate technologies like biom...
Jan 31, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 847
Nadhim Zahawi was unceremoniously but entirely predictably sacked at the weekend – what will be the Tory fallout? We forecast the sleaze as the Government continues to fight fires on all fronts. Plus we look at the widespread strikes and the latest from Ukraine. Ros Taylor is joined by Arthur Snell to outline the days ahead. “Zahawi projected the image of someone who isn’t in touch with normal people who doesn’t feel much shame about his actions.” – Arthur Snell “Sunak is surrounded by a pretty ...
Jan 30, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 846
Millennials and Gen Z are ditching the booze, while older generations are sticking to the same habits. What does this changing approach to drinking by young people mean? Professor John Holmes of the University of Sheffield joins Ros Taylor to find out what our drinking habits tell us about society as a whole. “Young people are drinking less in most high income countries. They’re either not drinking at all, drinking smaller amounts, and binge drinking less often.” “Across the Covid period, about ...
Jan 29, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 845
Billions of dollars are spent on political campaigns in the US, even by the losers. Where is the money going?Jacob Jarvis speaks to Kyle Tharp , managing editor of FWIW News , to ask about the trends in political strategy, where cash is being wasted and how fundraising is the “wild west of American politics”. “Republican campaigns are very old school and rely a lot on right wing media to carry water for them.” “It’s insane the amount of money and the amount of groups in our political ecosystem.”...
Jan 28, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 844
As sea levels rise, flooding will become more likely across the globe. But is Britain prepared for the inevitable rising waters? Ros Taylor is joined by Hannah Cloke , professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, to assess when floods might hit and how to prepare for them. “We are going to see many more floods in the summer.” “Our great pressure for housing is making flooding inevitable.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Jet Gerbertson. Assistant ...
Jan 27, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 843
The abrupt end of China's Zero Covid policy shocked the world. What do we know about the consequences of this change in tack? Accurate figures from Xi Jinping’s Government are hard to come by and the Chinese people are torn in two directions: with excitement about opening up and fear as Covid rips through the population. Cindy Yu , assistant editor at The Spectator , joins Alex Andreou to find out what the mood is like, and what opening up means for the rest of the world. “Twenty years ago we we...
Jan 26, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 842
Austerity is a staple fixture of our political system. How did it become such a dominant economic policy? And is it really a ‘prudent’ and ‘realistic’ way of organising our economics? Philosopher and historian Clara Mattei , author of The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism joins Ahir Shah to explore how austerity came to become the water we swim in and why we can’t imagine a world without it. “Austerity has become the water we swim in.” “We use very spe...
Jan 25, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 841
Airbnb has enabled people to earn more by letting second houses as holiday lets than to families. What does this mean for locals in tourist areas? With housing provision at an all time low, the Welsh Government is looking at a system of carrots and sticks to incentivise landlords to prioritise locals. Can this problem be fixed? Dr Steffan Evans from the Bevan Foundation talks to Hannah Fearn about the communities facing an Airbnb boom. “In every single Welsh local authority bar one a property ow...
Jan 24, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 840
Fasten your seatbelts, because it’s going to be a rocky week in UK politics as sleaze comes back with a vengeance. How will Sunak handle backlash to his car misdemeanour, Johnson’s loan scandal and Zahawi’s ongoing tax quagmire. Plus, we look at the latest news on strikes. Alex Andreou talks to Jacob Jarvis to outline the week ahead. “Part of the government is so incestuous, it doesn’t even realise it has a problem.” “Sunak’s made an idiot of himself by getting a fine and messing up gaining grou...
Jan 23, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 839
Emmanuel Macron feels firmly like an elder statesman of Europe – but while his global prowess grows, how is he doing at home? With his power held together by coalition, can he be the reformer he wants to be? Sophie Pedder , Paris bureau chief for The Economist , speaks to Ros Taylor to discuss the French president’s changes in tack and the future of his nation’s politics. “It has been forced on him to govern differently and that's no bad thing.” “Macron has reassessed and changed his judgement o...
Jan 22, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 838
As Donald Trump bleeds out politically, a new generation of paranoid and conspiracy-minded MAGA Republicans has captured the party. A nightmare hardcore Freedom Caucus holds House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hostage, and nationally, the GOP just gets crazier. Do we have to steel ourselves for MAGA 2.0 – a deTrumpified extreme right in America? UCL politics professor Brian Klaas tells Andrew Harrison what they stand for and why they’ll be so hard to beat. “ This wasn ’ t about principles. It was a per...
Jan 21, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 837
As the right to roam is eroded, Caroline Lucas , MP and former leader of the Green Party, joins Ros Taylor to discuss what we can do about it. In the wake of the high court decision to support landowners over wild campers, are we being excluded from our green and pleasant land? “Landowners are creating an atmosphere of intimidation.” “In the South Downs a quarter of the land is owned privately” “It was found that access to green space could save the NHS £2 billion” “People want to step away from...
Jan 20, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 836
It’s hard to plan for the future when the present seems so grim. But is a nihilistic attitude to pensions creating a ticking time bomb for millennials? And have scandals and corporate embezzlement meant we have all lost faith in the safety net of our twilight years? Disillusioned Bunker host Marie Le Conte is joined by Dr. Hayley James , senior research fellow in the Centre for Personal Financial Wellbeing at Aston University, to ask what (if anything) can restore trust in the pensions system. “...
Jan 19, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 835
A special taster of our new series. Search for Jam Tomorrow in your favourite podcast app or visit https://kite.link/JTS1 How did Britain’s dreams of a new postwar world go unfulfilled? And what does that mean for us today? In the first of a new documentary series from the makers of Oh God, What Now?, Ros Taylor looks at the legacy of the War itself. Ιdeals of the Blitz Spirit and dreams of wartime heroism still shape everything from pop culture and entertainment to the Brexit debate. But the tr...
Jan 18, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 834
Clean, safe power from nuclear fusion is the Holy Grail of energy research – but how close is it to reality? A breakthrough in December, when a fusion reaction produced more energy than went into the experiment, suggests it could be. Dr. Sharon Ann Holgate , author of Nuclear Fusion: The Race to Build a Mini-Sun on Earth , joins Andrew Harrison to unpack the science and ask whether this science fiction staple could become fact. “ A Tokamak reactor? Imagine you ’ ve gone to the bakers, bought you...
Jan 18, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 833
Anyone who uses Britain’s railways can see things aren’t running smoothly. How do we solve this mess? From cancelled trains and driver shortages, to the rolling series of strikes, a nation that once prided itself on its railway appears to have let services go off the rails, as it were. Christian Wolmar, author of British Rail: A New History, joins Ros Taylor in The Bunker to find out what needs fixing. “It’s absolutely ideological…it wouldn’t cost anything to take these franchises back”. “The de...
Jan 17, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 832
As the Government's handling of strikes gets worse, it tries another tack: make strikes and protests impossible in certain industries. Can the Tories pull it off? Plus, Westminster vs Holyrood on gender recognition, the Brexit beast rears its head again, and has Joe Biden’s cache of documents in his garage offered the Republicans an open goal? Alex Andreou sets out the week ahead with Jacob Jarvis . “The Government’s problem is that they went into the strikes with no exit strategy.” “The Governm...
Jan 16, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 831
