We have some of the worst river health standards in Europe – in large part due to raw sewage being pumped into our vital waterways. Is it too easy for water companies to get away with this? And does the Government have a plan to fix the issue? Jamie Woodward is a professor of physical geography at the University of Manchester. He joins Laura Makin-Isherwood in the Bunker to discuss. “The water companies have ruthlessly exploited an under regulated system.” – Prof. Jamie Woodward “The dumping of ...
Sep 05, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 1070
School’s out indefinitely across the country as many deal with a concrete crisis. But how much did the government know about this looming fiasco? Meanwhile, parliament is back in session — inflation, small boats and green energy are on the agenda for the Conservatives. Meanwhile, Starmer looks towards the general election with a shadow cabinet reshuffle. Plus a preview of the G20 conference, the latest on Ukraine — and it’s been one year since the Queen died. How does this new era of Britain sta...
Sep 04, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 1069
You are what you buy, but how does shopping shape our politics? Can brands be agents of social change? Bobby Friction is joined by Marcus Collins, author of For the Culture: The Power Behind the World's Most Successful Brands, from Apple to Beyoncé, to explore how companies tailor their brands to different personal politics. “How we make our identity is unbelievably powerful.” “Nike is far more than just a sneaker company, it is an agent of social change.” “It all goes wrong when brands don’t fu...
Sep 03, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 1068
Over half a million people in America are homeless – and this figure keeps increasing. How can this crisis – which is resulting in deaths across the nation – be solved? President Joe Biden wants to eradicate homelessness by 2025. Can he? Ann Marie Staudenmaier is senior legal counsel for the Washington Legal Clinic for The Homeless. She sits down in The Bunker with Chris Jones to discuss why the US is failing. “This is a problem across the country because of government policies evicting people a...
Sep 02, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 1067
This week on Bunker Global: We’re a year and a half into the Ukraine war, and the estimated death toll remains unclear. James Cleverly is in China to “reestablish lines of communication” despite raising humanitarian concerns. Plus, we found out what happened at the BRICS summit and finally we looked at the latest horror story from Australia. Chris Jones is joined by broadcast journalist Laura Makin-Isherwood to get you up to speed on the biggest stories from around the world. "The Russian govern...
Sep 01, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 1066
There’s a revolution in the way doctors are treating mental health, but the UK could be at risk of falling behind. Dr. Kate Devlin speaks to Dr. Matt Wall, a cognitive neuroscientist at Imperial College London and Invicro, to discuss microdosing, legal red tape and what happens when you give an octopus MDMA. "Drug policy isn’t on the agenda for any of the main UK parties. They just don’t care.” "After the trip wears off, the antidepressant effect can last for days or even months.” “Current legis...
Aug 31, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 1065
Rubik's cubes, leg warmers and Walkmen. How does the pop culture of a decade define it? Looking beyond clichés and caricatures, how was culture an agent of social change in the 1980s? Dr. Kasia Tomasiewicz speaks to Dr. Lucy Robinson , author of Now That's What I Call a History of the 1980s , to discuss photograph of Diana’s legs, Roland Rat and political power of popstars. “Nostalgia assumes you had something positive to look back on.” “Historians in the 80s start thinking, what is the role of ...
Aug 30, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 1064
Nadine Dorries has resigned. Who did she slate in her resignation letter? Plus Sadiq Khan has introduced the Ultra Low Emissions Zone for the Greater London area, how has that gone down? We also have an update on the Home Office’s treatment of refugees, the latest on the new Covid strain and an update on Donald Trump running for office. Andrew Harrison is joined by Hannah Fearn to give you the stories to look out for in the week ahead. “We saw Nadine pretending to care about lots of issues she’s...
Aug 29, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 1063
Money tells us a lot about a country – so what can the ruble tell us about Russia? Exploring a nation with a long history of autocracy, Ekaterina Pravilova, author of new book The Ruble: A Political History , joins Seth Thévoz in The Bunker. “When political scientists try to explain why Russia is so weird they often overlook the ruble.” “Many historians have a feeling of deja vu about Russia right now.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Book Link: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-ruble-97801...
Aug 28, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 1062
Are any of our institutions sacred? The latest drama from the British Museum has us questioning the role museums play in our society. This week on the Bunker Panel we ask the question: are we more shocked by corruption in our museums than in political office? And what is it about scandals that really grabs our attention? We’ve assembled some of the Bunker’s most scandalous contributors to get to the bottom of this. Senior editor of global news at Vice, Dipo Faloyin, and historian Seth Thévoz, jo...
Aug 27, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 1061
Wagner Group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, appears to have been killed in a fatal plane crash. Just two months ago, Prigozhin was seen as a contender to Putin’s empire. What next for his forces, his legacy and the future of Russia? Chris Jones is joined in the Bunker by Dr Ian Garner, analyst of Russian culture and war propaganda to cut through the smoke and mirrors to try and work out just what has happened. “We only know one thing for sure — a plane went down.“ "Prigozhin was trying to overturn t...
Aug 26, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 1060
The race to become the leading GOP candidate has officially kicked off….or has it? Inmate P01135809, better known as Donald Trump, is already way ahead in the polls and he wasn’t even there. Instead, he opted for a half-arsed interview with Tucker Carlson hosted on Twitter. So does anything that was said during the debate matter? What were the main takeaways? And why does finishing second matter so much? Alex Andreou joins Sarah Isgur , senior editor for The Dispatch and host of the Advisory Opi...
Aug 26, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1059
This week on Bunker Global: Qur’an burnings have pushed Sweden’s terror threat to ‘high’, and we bring you the latest of Prigozhin’s plane crash. Plus, Justin Trudeau is taking on Meta and Britain owes £18 trillion in reparations for their role in the slave trade. Laura Makin-Isherwood is joined in The Bunker by Dipo Faloyin , senior editor of Global news at Vice and author of Africa is not a Country to get you up to speed on the biggest stories from around the world. “Everyone is surprised that...
Aug 25, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 1058
China has big global plans – from large infrastructure projects to new economic zones across the globe. How are they funding these projects? Dipo Faloyin is joined by Zongyuan Zoe Liu, author of Sovereign Funds: How the Communist Party of China Finances Its Global Ambitions to follow the money behind China’s infrastructure plans and to find out what the West gets wrong. “China’s economic success has been presented as an alternative to the Washington consensus.” “I would caution against the idea ...
Aug 24, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 1057
If you look at the data, this government has been dreadful. But take a closer look and there’s still a chance they might turn the polls on its head. Thankfully, that chance is tiny, but it’s still a chance nonetheless. Ben Walker is a journalist for the New Statesman and has analysed the numbers to work out the reality of a Tory turnaround. He joins Marie Le Conte in The Bunker. “There’s been elections worse than this and parties have recovered.” – Ben Walker. “The data doesn’t take into account...
Aug 23, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 1056
Over 1.5k Russian people and entities have been sanctioned by the UK over its illegal invasion of Ukraine. A year on, are they actually working? And could there be more to come? Mark Harrison is Em eritus Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick . He joins Alex Andreou in The Bunker. “Historically the difficulty of sanctions has been that the prediction of the impact of them are always overestimated.” – Mark Harrison. “Sanctions can do very little on their own, except push Russia towa...
Aug 22, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 1055
The Lionesses didn’t manage to win the women’s world cup. Were our heads of state right not to attend? Lucy Letby has been charged with murder, how will she be sentenced? Plus, with Hurricane Hilary in the Los Angeles and wild fires in Canada, who are the tourists photographing this extreme weather? We also have an update on Donald Trump’s candidacy, the latest from the violent election in Ecuador, and the news stories you may have missed. Ros Taylor is joined by Yasmeen Serhan to give you the s...
Aug 21, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 1054
Creaky pub signs, animal skulls, and empty church yards. The British countryside can be a scary place, but what does the popularity of ‘folk horror’ tell us about our politics? Writer Jude Rogers is joined by John Doran, co-founder of music website The Quietus and presenter of BBC Radio 4 New Weird Britain series, to explore the effects of films like The Wicker Man on our national psyche and what the continued appetite for eerie renderings of the countryside says about us. “Folk horror creates a...
Aug 20, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 1053
In August 2017, deadly violence broke out between white supremacists and counter protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia. The White supremacists claimed they were there to protest the removal of a confederate monument. But was there more to it? Was this actually a carefully orchestrated media event created by the alt right to gain more attention from the press? Aniko Bodroghkozy is professor of media studies at the university of Virginia and author of Making #Charlottesville. She was also there ...
Aug 19, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 1052
This week on Bunker Global: A roundup of the latest on Trump’s impeachment, as the catastrophic wildfires swept across Maui. Plus, we look into the death of two Ecuadorian politicians, and finally – who is the leather jacket wearing maverick storming Argentina’s presidential elections? Laura Makin-Isherwood , formerly London bureau chief of Feature Story News , and Dillon Ancheta , a Maui-based journalist for Hawaii News Now, join Chris Jones this week. Listen in for your need-to-know on news an...
Aug 18, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1051
China’s home ownership bubble is less bursting and more deflating. As property company Evergrande announces $81bn of debt, why is this crisis slipping under the radar? Giving you the latest on this emerging economic disaster, Alex Andreou is joined by Cindy Yu , host of acclaimed podcast Chinese Whispers and assistant editor at the Spectator to explore how the economic crisis in China will impact the world. “Home ownership from China came about incredibly quickly.” “Property developers buy land ...
Aug 17, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 1050
Ozempic is all over social media. You’ve probably seen dramatic before and after pictures of influencers showing off their weight loss. Even Elon Musk claims to be using it. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Bobby Friction is joined by Dr. Robert Kushner, one of the scientists who led research into the safety of the so-called ‘miracle’ drug. to find out if this drug is the answer to the obesity crisis or just another money spinner for Big Pharma. “Obesity shouldn’t be demonised, it is a disea...
Aug 16, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 1049
There have been yet more controversial appointments to the House of Lords. Is it fit for purpose? How can we fix it? Ros Taylor is joined by Darren Hughe s, chief executive of Electoral Reform Society , to explore how the House of Lords has gone wrong and what we can do about it. “There haven’t been a willing set of retirements from the House of Lords.” “Who regulates the regulators?” “Don’t forget we still have the Liz Truss list to come!” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros...
Aug 15, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 1048
The Bibby Stockholm plan has been beset by legionella. Who could have seen this coming? The Tories want us to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, why are they obsessed with chaos? Plus, this week is ‘health week’. Given that doctors are on strike, what could possibly go wrong? We also have an update on wildfires in Maui, the latest from Niger’s military coup, and the stories you may have missed. Ros Taylor is joined by Alex Andreou to give you the news to look out for in the week ahea...
Aug 14, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1047
The rise of vapes and ever-increasing cigarette regulations are a big threat to Big Tobacco. What new methods have they dreamed up to keep us smoking? Dr. Kasia Tomasiewicz is joined by tobacco industry expert Robert Branston, associate professor in business economics at the University of Bath, to explore how Big Tobacco is still raking in huge profits. “Tobacco is a product like no other legal product in terms of its lethality.” “The profits are as addictive for these tobacco companies as tobac...
Aug 13, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 1046
The US Supreme Court has a huge power grip over America. And, thanks to Trump, it’s now more politicised than ever. So how has that impacted real life? Brian Klaas is associate professor in global politics at UCL and argues the court is “...a politicised institution masquerading as an impartial one”. He joins Andrew Harrison in The Bunker to discuss if it can be fixed. Brian’s piece: https://www.forkingpaths.co/p/how-to-fix-the-us-supreme-court “There was a deference given to the courts… as if t...
Aug 12, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 1047
This week on Bunker Global: The coup in Niger rolls on , as US envoys hold talks with the junta. And, a plot to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy was foiled earlier this week. What happened? Plus the confusion about the Thai elections rage on . Could a coalition be formed? Andrew Harrison talks to Vice News senior Editor Dipo Faloyin and Vox journalist Ellen Ionas to answer all those questions. “People are hoping that a democratic solution will come about, but in the meantime, the Cou...
Aug 11, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 1044
QAnon began as a niche conspiracy theory. How did it become a movement for self-radicalisation? How have its dangerous ideas infiltrated society? Rafael Behr is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James Ball, author of The Other Pandemic How QAnon Contaminated the World , to explore how the dark corners of the internet have serious implications for mainstream politics. “Lots of QAnon conspiracies emerged from online trolling.” “4Chan created things the rest of the internet couldn’t say.”...
Aug 10, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1043
Criminal gangs have gone global. How do they use international networks to increase their power and influence? Far from being underground, criminals now run state-backed organisations and even private armies. Seth Thévoz is joined in The Bunker by investigative reporter for the FT Miles Johnson, author of Chasing Shadows: A true story of drugs, war and the secret world of international crime , to find out if established law enforcement can ever outpace the next generation of crime. “Sanctions le...
Aug 09, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 1042
Politics has never been so rife with bad behaviour. Labour’s Chris Bryant MP wants to change that. He sets out a plan for a better type of politics in his new book Code of Conduct Why We Need to Fix Parliament – and How to Do It . As Chair of the Committees on Standards and Privileges, he’s had a unique insight into why MPs think they can get away with misbehaviour and what is at stake if we don’t fix parliament quickly. He joins Gavin Esler to discuss making democracy better and calling out rot...
Aug 08, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1041
