Summer is coming to a close, kids are returning to school, Parliament is back and there’s no shortage of problems facing Keir Starmer . What will the Commons be focused on? And how quickly can Starmer clean up the Tories’ mess? In Germany, the far-right AfD triumphed in state elections on Sunday. How worried should we be? And in the Middle-East, why are we no closer to seeing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas? The week ahead with Ros Taylor and Gavin Esler. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to I...
Sep 02, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 1371
We used to think that machines would only take over manual work. Now A.I. looks capable of anything. Will work become a luxury for a select few? Are there some jobs that can never be automated? Alex Andreou talks to Allison Pugh – author of The Last Human Job – about tech’s growing power and why our humanity depends on the connections that work fosters. Buy The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning...
Sep 01, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 1370
With its paranoid fantasies of Donald Trump at war with a secret, Satanic US government, the QAnon conspiracy wrought terrible damage on American politics. But spreading the word of Q exacts damage on believers too. Journalist Jesselyn Cook explored the broken lives and shattered relationships of Q believers for her new book The Quiet Damage: QAnon and the Destruction of the American Family. She tells Andrew Harrison what makes someone fall into the mirror world of QAnon – and whether they can b...
Aug 30, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 1369
How did the Conservatives turn 14 years of unprecedented political power into near-extinction at the ballot box? Where did it all go so wrong? How will their era go down in history? And what made Rishi Sunak take his catastrophic electoral gamble in 2024? Steve Richards of the Rock & Roll Politics podcast talks to Ben Riley-Smith, whose new book Blue Murder: The Rise and Fall of the Conservative Government 2010-2024 charts the dramatic rise and fall of the Tories. We are sponsored by Indeed....
Aug 29, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 1368
The UK and Russia have long had a strained relationship – and ties have only been worsened since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Is there any future possibility for a return to a 1990s state of civility between the two nations – or has Putin’s reign marked a permanent end to such a connection? In the third episode of our ‘Foreign Affairs’ mini-series on Britain’s foreign relationships, Rafael Behr speaks to RUSI Senior Associate Fellow Andrew Monaghan to better understand tensions between the UK an...
Aug 28, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 1367
Keir Starmer is due to snap us back to reality after the Bank Holiday with a stark speech on the decade needed to clean up the Tories’ mess. What’s he going to say – and why now? In US news, Trump has basically dumped JD Vance for RFK Jr. – but will this improve his chances against Harris and Walz? Plus, clashes between Hezbollah and Israel signal an escalation in the Middle East . How concerned should we be? And, looking to Ukraine, how is the Ukrainian incursion on Russia progressing? Jacob Ja...
Aug 27, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 1366
Kamala Harris is closer than ever to being the president of the United States. Focus has been on America this week at the DNC, but what would a Harris presidency mean for the rest of the world? What foreign policy issues does she care about -- and how would she handle wars springing up around the globe? To find out, Ros Taylor is joined by Chatham House director Bronwen Maddox in The Bunker . We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercas...
Aug 23, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 1365
Oil, and the industry around it, has a huge influence on our world. From our social existence and food systems to urban spaces, military power and financial architecture. But how did oil and capitalism become so intertwined? And in what ways does oil control our entire social structure, beyond providing a source of energy or transport fuel? Alex Andreou is joined by University of Exeter professor and author of Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power, and the Making of the World Market Adam Hanieh...
Aug 22, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1364
Russian state media is notoriously corrupt and rife with propaganda. So how are Russian citizens being fed information about the Russia-Ukraine war? Does any truth exist within Russian television – or is it all one big narrative crafted by Putin? To find out, Chris Jones talks to BBC Monitoring journalist Francis Scarr. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Chris Jones. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. Aud...
Aug 21, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 1363
There’s nothing like American political conventions here in the UK. When Kamala Harris accepts her party’s nomination at this week’s Democratic National Convention , it’ll be more of a spectacle and a celebration than a mere political moment. Why do these gaudy, over-the-top events matter? And in this strange and tense Presidential Election, following the Trump assassination attempt and Biden’s withdrawal, will the DNC offer up its own set of surprises? Gavin Esler talks to political historian S...
Aug 20, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 1362
Kamala Harris will accept the Presidential nomination at this week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago – but will Gaza protests draw more attention than this celebrity- and former-president packed ‘political Glastonbury’? Ukraine’s counter-invasion of Russia presses on – is the end of the war drawing closer? At home, the new government tackles hate: from plans for misogyny to be treated as extremism to the continued sentencing of rioters . Plus, more rail strikes announced, and do we nee...
Aug 19, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 1361
A trove of Project 2025 videos have been leaked, giving unique insight into what Trump appointees might want to do if he wins the election. In this teaser for American Friction , Jacob Jarvis discusses leaked Project 2025 training videos, with ProPublica reporter Andy Kroll , one of the journalists who obtained and analysed them. Go here for the full episode . Want to know more about the race for the White House? On American Friction , The Bunker’s very own Jacob Jarvis and Chris Jones are joine...
Aug 17, 2024•11 min•Season 1Ep. 1360
This year marks NATO’s 75th anniversary – having survived the Cold War, 9/11 and most recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Is NATO’s role is changing, can it hold on to its members – and will it be recognisable in ten years? Will it even exist? Peter Apps, author of Deterring Armageddon: a biography of NATO , joins Ros Taylor in The Bunker to discuss its uncertain future. Buy Deterring Armageddon: a biography of NATO through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us...
Aug 16, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 1359
Online politics is drowning in memes – repurposed movie stills, videos and viral catchphrases are everywhere. From the UK General Election to the American Presidential race, memes are increasingly central to political campaigns. But can they actually sway votes? Senior Research Fellow at Complutense University Madrid Paolo Gerbaudo joins Jacob Jarvis in The Bunker to discuss the intrinsic political power of memes. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www...
Aug 15, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 1358
The second in our ‘Foreign Affairs’ mini-series on Britain’s battered foreign relationships. Today: China is growing in industrial and military power while post-Brexit Britain is increasingly adrift. Will StarmQer have to accommodate to whatever Beijing wants – or can Britain assert itself against the new superpower? Gavin Esler speaks to KCL Professor and former Beijing embassy official Kerry Brown – whose new book looks at China-UK relations all the way back to 1600 – to explain the current cl...
Aug 14, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 1357
Far-right riots and racist violence have traumatised Britain – but how powerful are the extremists? Where are they drawing their power from? And how can ordinary people stop them? Paul Mason is a journalist is the author of How To Stop Fascism . He tells Andrew Harrison what makes modern far-right politics different and dangerous – the compromises we’ll need to defeat it – and why we need “militant democracy” to protect our freedoms. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 s...
Aug 13, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1356
The fallout from rioting continues to dominate the news – how will the Government handle this? Gavin Esler joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss challenges for Starmer now and into the future. Plus, they discuss clashes with Elon Musk , relations with China , Trump’s most recent grim behaviour and the latest from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine . There’s all that and more in your primer for the week ahead. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bun ker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreo...
Aug 12, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 1355
In 1914, war engulfed Europe in a conflict that killed millions and change the course of the twentieth century. Now, 110 years later, the geopolitical climate feels uncomfortably familiar to the period preceding the First World War. Are we moving ever closer to another global conflict – and might it be avoided by taking lessons from the origins of the Great War? To find out, Luke Turner talks to David Stevenson , professor of international history at the London School of Economics. We are sponso...
Aug 11, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 1354
For decades class has been a dirty word in British politics. Now Keir Starmer heads the most working class, least privately-educated cabinet in modern history, and is putting class concerns like workers’ rights reform at the centre of its politics. Will Labour’s programme work? How true has the party been to its working class origins? And does it win when it is? Political historian Anthony Broxton of Tides of History takes Andrew Harrison into Labour’s tangled history with the class issue. We ar...
Aug 09, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 1353
Joe Biden won’t have a second term as president after he heeded calls to leave the 2024 race. So as it comes towards an end, how will his time in office be remembered? Leslie Vinjamuri director of the US and the Americas programme at Chatham House , talks to Dorian Lynskey about Biden’s legacy. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production by Tom Ta...
Aug 08, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 1352
The country is facing its worst wave of far-right violence in the modern age –but is it just mindless thuggery or are deeper forces at work? Can the psychology of rioting help us defeat this wave of violence?Professor of social psychology Clifford Stott unpacks the dynamics of the riots, how they’ve spread, and what they really mean to Andrew Harrison. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Support us on Patreon . Written and presented by Podmasters Group ...
Aug 07, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 1351
An occasional series on how Britain is fixing its battered foreign relationships. Today: After the combative Tory years, Keir Starmer is trying to reset the Anglo-French connection . What do we want from France and what does Paris want from us? Britain’s former Ambassador to France Lord Peter Ricketts talks to Ros Taylor about whether Starmer and Macron are natural allies, the damage caused by Brexit, and what France’s “deep unease” with itself means for Britain. • “I would not have relished bei...
Aug 06, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 1350
After the worst civil disorder in a decade, will severe instant sentencing deter rioters like it did in 2011? Is the violence evidence of the far right’s weakness, not its strength? And is this really a test of the Starmer Government’s strength? Plus Kamala Harris’s choices of running mate, the chances of an Israel/Hezbollah war, and more Alex Andreou sets out the week ahead with Andrew Harrison . https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by To...
Aug 05, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 1349
Britain’s new army chief recently said Britain must be ready for war in three years. Where are the biggest threats coming from, what are our current weaknesses, and how can we best prepare? To find out, Gavin Esler speaks to the Economist ’s defence editor Shashank Joshi . We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Managing Editor Jac...
Aug 02, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 1348
Donald Trump recently announced Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate. Who exactly is Vance – and why is he the subject of so much controversy? POLITICO national political correspondent and author of Trump in Exile Meridith McGraw tells Dorian Lynskey of her own recent experience on the campaign trail with the Senator. Buy Trump in Exile through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org ’s fees help support independen...
Aug 01, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 1347
The Olympics are in full-swing – but news of medals and victory are often overshadowed by controversies linked to contestants and politics. We’ve seen this already this year – but has the Olympics always been so political? Emma Kennedy sits down with David Goldblatt, author of The Games: A Global History of the Olympics. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. A...
Jul 31, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 1346
From overcrowding to underfunding, British prisons are in crisis. So how can Labour remedy 14 years of the Tories’ neglect of criminal justice system? Former director of public prosecutions Lord Ken Macdonald sits down with Ros Taylor to discuss how we might solve the prison conundrum. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Managin...
Jul 30, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 1345
Rachel Reeves is set to unveil a £20bn black hole in public finances – what will Labour do about this? In more bleak news, GPs are set to strike over unfair working conditions – what would this mean for patients? And, a public sector pay deal is expected, what will it look like? Plus, who are the top contenders in the Tory leadership race? In world news, we discuss the latest in the U.S. Presidential race, and concerning escalations between Israel and Hezbollah . Jacob Jarvis and Ros Taylor disc...
Jul 29, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 1344
With Kamala Harris set to replace Joe Biden in the 2024 race, focus has turned to who will be her running mate. Jacob Jarvis gets the rundown on the top contenders from Katie Gaddini , visiting scholar at Stanford University , an associate professor of sociology at the Social Research Institute, University College London . Take a listen to America Friction podcast: https://listen.podmasters.uk/American_Friction We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.pa...
Jul 26, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 1343
As our climate continues to heat up, wildfires, flooding and drought are becoming the new normal. But beyond weather events, how is extreme heat affecting our politics, economy, and society at large – and have we already reached a boiling point? Alex Andreou asks Jeff Goodell, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of The Heat Will Kill You First. Buy The Heat Will Kill You First through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund [name of podcast] by earning us a small commission for ...
Jul 25, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 1342
