David Cameron entered 10 Downing Street 13 years ago. Since he and his right hand man George Osborne got their hands on power it's safe to say things haven’t been going well. Political journalist Steve Richards, of BBC and Rock & Roll Politics fame, joins Andrew Harrison in The Bunker to discuss this gruesome twosome and the pain caused by austerity and Brexit that they are both intrinsically linked to. “Cameron’s left this horrible horrible mess that was wholly avoidable and we are still li...
May 11, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 950
Antisocial behaviour is constantly put under the spotlight by politicians. But what really causes it? Nick Pettigrew , author of Anti-Social , talks to Ros Taylor about what pushes it, how politicians try to shift responsibility for them onto individuals – and why shaming punishments don’t work. “Young people are as likely to be victims of antisocial behaviour as they are the causes of it.” “The safety net is more important than enforcement, someone with an investment in where you live is less l...
May 10, 2023•20 min•Season 1Ep. 949
Police came out in force for the Coronation. Can the Met ride out accusations of heavy handedness? And the Tories are still reeling from their local elections trouncing, how worried should they be? Plus, there's news from the US, Ukraine and the Home Office’s handling of refugees from Sudan. Hannah Fearn joins Jacob Jarvis to map out the news for the week ahead. “Labour most feared Penny Mordaunt, and the coronation proves she is one to watch.” – Hannah Fearn “Labour can’t rest on their laurels,...
May 09, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 948
King Charles III has just been crowned. What kind of king has he become? How has he handled the rift with Harry, and the Andrew problem? And has he managed to control his quick temper? Former Guardian royal correspondent Stephen Bates tells Ros Taylor that predictions Charles would ‘meddle’ in politics have been wide of the mark. They talk about whether the royal family will shrink further in the coming years, and if its remaining working members are now content to be dutiful but unexciting. QUO...
May 08, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 947
Many anticipated a subdued Victory Day – and that was before the Kremlin claimed Ukraine attempted to assassinate Vladimir Putin. With this leading to even more cities scaling back their festivities, Arthur Snell asks Professor Stefan Wolff what exactly does Russia have to celebrate in 2023? “Putin is trying to link Ukraine to a larger narrative that Russia is always being on the right side of history.” “The drone incident may be a way to downscale the victory day events.” “This is a narrative y...
May 07, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 946
Marjorie Taylor Greene is one of the most controversial and extreme figures in US politics. Why is she the way she is? She’s a GOP member of Congress for Georgia’s 14th District, a role steeped in responsibility. And someone really should tell MTG that. She often spouts unproven conspiracy theories; has called President Biden the real enemy of the state and most recently backed Tucker Carlson after he was given the boot by FOX. Jay Bookman is a columnist for the Georgia Recorder – and he thinks ...
May 06, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 945
Alastair Campbell has a plan to fix the crisis in our politics. Andrew Harrison talks to one of politics’ most controversial figures about where our democracies are going wrong, the poison of populism, the long shadow of Iraq, why Boris Johnson was so dangerous, and his new book But What Can I Do? Why Politics Has Gone So Wrong And How Can You Help Fix It . “In my lifetime, most politicians have genuinely been trying to wrestle with problems. Populists try to exploit those problems.” “You can’t ...
May 05, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 944
Everyone predicted it would fall apart immediately, but it didn’t. Six months later, Twitter seems to be chugging along but how long can it last? Kasia Tomasiewicz speaks with head of digital at iNews, Luke Bailey, to discuss Elon’s grand plan for the bird app. “Musk is asking people to pay to see poor quality tweets and have people yell at them.” “He’s pulled everything apart to find out just why Twitter made the decision in the first place.” “The twitter files exposed that there was a left win...
May 04, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 943
GB News positions itself as a noble endeavour to widen the voices in Britain’s national debate. Which is fantastic in theory, but over the last two years the output of the channel has proved ungovernable. Alex Andreou sits down with broadcaster, and future national treasure, Dr. Matthew Sweet to ask the question, how do you control a news channel that’s like no other? “If you are part of the conspiracist culture - then you understand the coded language they use on GB News” “If you go on GB news ...
May 03, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 942
Local elections (for local people) are coming up this week. What would mark a good night for Starmer? And what will a bad one mean for Sunak, amid the cost of living crisis and strikes? Plus, as the coronation brings the role of the royals into the spotlight, we get ready to pledge allegiance… And war in Sudan and Ukraine rumbles on – what is the latest from these conflicts? Gavin Esler joins Alex Andreou to explore the news to look out for. “We have got the talent in this country to do things –...
May 02, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 941
The Ukraine War is reshaping the world. Arthur Snell writes the first draft of its history. In this excerpt from Ep.1 of our new series: How Russia’s febrile history, Putin’s paranoid resentment and Western complacency led to an historic crime against a peaceful nation, the largest European land action since the Second World War… and a conflict of unprecedented brutality. Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War is out now. Hear it wherever you listen to podcasts. Get every edition a week early and ad-fr...
May 02, 2023•6 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside. Don’t we? Places like Blackpool, Jaywick and Skegness are among the poorest areas of the UK. Yet other resorts are so desirable that property-owners can afford to keep them empty for most of the year and rake in the profit from renting them out in summer. Madeleine Bunting, author of The Seaside: England’s Love Affair , tells Ros Taylor about her odyssey around the English coast, the threat posed by sewage discharges, and the special affection she holds f...
May 01, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 940
Labour’s attack ads against Sunak put targeted political advertising back in the spotlight. But the Tories have done more than their fair share of online attack ads too – not least to win over the public to *cough* Brexit. Have they gone too far? And how do we moderate what goes online? Alex Andreou talks to Kyle Taylor , founder of Fair Vote UK and author of The Little Black Book of Data and Democracy . “When social media emerged we thought it would be this public town square. The reason it’s b...
Apr 30, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 939
It’s been a bit of a week over in the US. First, after Fox News paid out almost $1 billion to Dominion, Tucker Carlson left the network. After that Biden announced he’d be running for president again, albeit slowly. And then if that wasn’t enough, Carlson released a pretty profound statement about his departure on Twitter. Hoping to unpack it all is Julie Norman, co-director of UCL’s Centre on US Politics. She joined Jacob Jarvis in the Bunker. “Tucker Carlson has been controversial for a while ...
Apr 28, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 938
China’s relationship with Europe is…difficult. But some leaders, like Emmanuel Macron, see China as a conduit for peace in Ukraine. But can Europe really trust China to negotiate with Russia? Philippe Le Corre , a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, sat down with Alex Andreou to discuss just that. “The current situation, which is close to a cold war you might say, will not bring China closer to the West.” “Whenever you talk to Chinese officials they wi...
Apr 28, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 937
Public trust in the Met Police is at a nadir – with a raft of scandals and crimes involving serving officers having shook faith in the force. What’s gone wrong and can it ever win back the confidence of those it is meant to serve? Ros Taylor spoke to Kathryn Farrow , a doctoral student at Oxford University, who has studied the way British police forces work, to find out. “Officers do need to have a certain amount of discretion but the flip side of that is there’s often a lack of accountability.”...
Apr 27, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 936
The NHS reels from crisis to crisis, with a waiting list of seven million and chronic workforce shortages. Why is it so hard to change a service that clearly isn’t working? David Haslam , a former GP who has chaired NICE and the BMA and is the author of Side Effects , tells Ros Taylor that a focus on hospital treatment means that public health and end-of-life care are shamefully neglected. “It’s almost as if we’ve designed the health service based on the interests of specialists.’ “If you stay w...
Apr 26, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 935
The Kremlin has convinced many of Russia’s young people that its invasion of Ukraine is just. In fact, about 62 percent of Russians between the ages of 18 and 24 have shown approval, according to the Levada Center. But how has Putin curated this young generation of fascists? Dr Ian Garner, author of Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia's Fascist Youth , speaks to Arthur Snell to dig into exactly that. “What you’re going to find is that you have a generation of children that believe violence is...
Apr 25, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 934
Dominic Raab finally resigned (definitely all his own choice) – what does it mean next for Sunak’s clown car Government? In Labour, Diane Abbott has had the whip removed – will she stand as an independent? Plus we bring international news from Sudan and Ukraine. Jacob Jarvis is joined by Arthur Snell to give you the stories to look out for this week. “Johnson didn’t believe in any standards, whereas you could argue Sunak has a miniscule level.” “The Tories are quickly resembling a clown car.” Su...
Apr 24, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 933
Memories of the Second World War are often oversimplified through the lens of politicians. A common thread missed is that of love and sexuality – particularly the experiences of queer men. Kasia Tomasiewicz is joined by Luke Turner , author of the book Men at War: Loving, Lusting, Fighting, Remembering 1939-1945 , to discuss the sexual revolution that happened during that period. “It’s true the British can’t stop going on about the war. But there is so much left to discover.” “Outsiders often ha...
Apr 23, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 932
Lobbying is a key way in which politicians and pieces of legislation are influenced in the United States. But who exactly are these mysterious figures trying to manipulate people in power? How do they work – and what do they want? Jacob Jarvis joined by Amy McKay, associate professor of political science at the University of Exeter, whose work focuses on the influence of outside interests on public policy. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented and produced by Jacob Jarvis. Music by Jade Bailey. A...
Apr 22, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 931
BONUS EPISODE KLAXON: Fox News paid out almost $1 billion dollars to Dominion – but despite that, did Murdoch dodge a bullet? Or is the financial blow, sparked by the networks voting machine misinformation, a catastrophe? Jacob Jarvis was joined by Dan Cassino, political scientist and author of Fox News and American Politics How One Channel Shapes American Politics and Society, to unpack what this payout means for Fox News. “This really is an admission that they knew what they were doing was fal...
Apr 21, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 930
Saudi Arabia is experiencing a once in a lifetime moment of transformation, funded by their control over the world's oil supply. The nation is taking risks on a global scale like never before – and the ‘maverick’ prince Mohammed bin Salman, stands at the forefront of this change of strategy. Arthur Snell sits down with Bradley Hope , co-author of Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power to try and understand the ruler of Saudi Arabia. “He went from completely unknown ...
Apr 21, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 929
The Net Zero Scrutiny Group shares ties with the likes of the late Nigel Lawson and his network of “climate deniers”. They like fracking and have tried to link the cost-of-living crisis to the government’s net zero goals. But exactly who are they? What do they stand for? And who funds them? Andrew Harrison is joined by Sam Alvis , head of economy at The Green Alliance, to unpack exactly that. “They are no longer denying that climate change is a thing, but what they are saying is that actually th...
Apr 20, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 928
Investment zones have been hailed by some politicians as the solution to our economic woes. But what are the risks of economic gated communities? By existing outside of the usual rules of the state, do they undermine democracy? Alex Andreou is joined by historian Quinn Slobodian, author of Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World Without Democracy , to unpack why these zones are increasingly appearing across the globe and why politicians like Kwasi Kwarteng are so keen to ba...
Apr 19, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 927
Andy Burnham has thrived after switching Westminster for Manchester as a mayor. And he has high hopes for the North harnessing its voice more in the future. The Labour mayor of Greater Manchester spoke with Andrew Harrison about boosting regions outside of London, and dealing with names and not numbers in his role. “You look at things through different eyes. You can deal with names not numbers.” “Before these mayors in regions, where did people complain? People at least have one person to compla...
Apr 18, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 926
Strikes are going to go on and on as the Government continues not to strike deals with unions. Will this situation ever be resolved? And further afield, fatal clashes continue to break out in Sudan – what’s unfolding? Hannah Fearn joins Ros Taylor to lay out the news for the week ahead. “The way people feel about the strikes is not following the usual pattern at this point.” – Hannah Fearn “For anyone who hoped the strikes were going away, we are moving to a summer and autumn of discontent.” – R...
Apr 17, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 925
Space – the final frontier, and the next political battleground? As nations compete for dominance and resources, Andrew Harrison is joined by Tim Marshall, author of The Future of Geography : How Power and Politics in Space Will Change Our World , to discuss how this might go beyond the confines of earth. “I was going to say the world is our oyster, but the universe is.” “If one country controls low earth orbit… they would be the gatekeeper of who could go out into space and beyond.” “The space ...
Apr 16, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 924
The Federal Reserve has a huge sway over the US economy – and therefore the world’s. But as well as financial clout, it also has a massive political impact. How does it run – and how do its actions impact us all? Alex Andreou is joined by Larry Jacobs, co-author of Fed Power: How Finance Wins and professor at the University of Minnesota, to discuss for The Bunker USA. “It’s serving the interests of finance and working separate from democratic accountability.” “The key thing to remember is it is ...
Apr 15, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 923
When did we all start wanting to invest in stock and shares? And who were the winners and losers of the investment boom? Dr Amy Edwards, senior lecturer in Modern British History at the University of Bristol and author of Are We Rich Yet?: The Rise of Mass Investment Culture in Contemporary Britain , tells Ahir Shah about how our lives changed forever in the 1980s as investment became a way of life rather than something you do. “Investment culture didn’t begin with Thatcher, but it really took o...
Apr 14, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 922
