The Bunker

Trump has been indicted and his arrest looms – what the hell is going on? Will this be his downfall or a boost to the former president? Brian Klaas, Washington Post columnist and associate professor at UCL, joins Alex Andreou to discuss what we know now, the fallout and how this all might play out. 

Denmark is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Gert Tinggard Svendsen of Aarhus University explains how Danes routinely hold each other to account for their actions so that political corruption is not tolerated. Wrongdoers find themselves outcast from Danish society, which acts as a powerful incentive to do the right thing. With Ros Taylor.

Did Henry Dimbleby really quit his role as the Government’s food policy advisor “in disgust”? Why have its attempts to create a healthier nation through our diet proved such a failure? And what should they be doing instead? Ros Taylor talks to the founder of LEON and the author of Ravenous: How To Get Ourselves And Our Planet Into Shape about the salad shortage, changing Britain’s food culture, the dark side of Bake Off… and why we still depend on celebrity intervention to get kids eating decent school dinners. 

GB News launched with much fanfare two years ago and was swiftly mocked for the seeming ineptitude of its entire team. But, it’s still going – and getting more popular. And the questionable output is cranking up to be more extreme too… Should we be taking it more seriously? Jacob Jarvis asks William Turvill, associate editor of Press Gazette and media correspondent for New Statesman. 

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Presented by Jacob Jarvis. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Jade Bai...

Brexit is done — insofar as it ever will be. But the Brexit we got was not the one most Britons wanted. Years of bad-tempered Parliamentary battling only came to an end when Boris Johnson purged his MPs and stopped the Commons from sitting, then called a general election. Ros Taylor is joined by Meg Russell and Lisa James, authors of The Parliamentary Battle over Brexit, to talk about the damage done, the legacy of those years — and whether we should ever have a referendum again. 

Mass protests in Israel as secular members of society fear a theocratic takeover from the religious right. Will Netanyahu be forced to halt his controversial judicial reforms? Plus, the focus of violent protests in France moves from Macron’s pensions reform to the President himself. Plus, what will be on the new SNP leader’s to-fix list? And Kwasi Kwarteng and Matt Hancock get caught out touting their Westminster influence at £10,000 a day. Hannah Fearn gives Andrew Harrison the stories to look out for this week.

How do we support soldiers traumatised by war? And is the public too sheltered from the reality of life during and after conflict? As the 20th anniversary of Iraq reignites questions over the experience of war and care for service personnel, Arthur Snell is joined by Louise Jones, an ex-Army Officer who served in Afghanistan and an active Labour Party member, to discuss how war changes a person.

The Republican Party was once hawkish in its stance towards Russia – but now some within its ranks seem sympathetic towards Putin and his regime. What’s changed? And why is there a split? Jacob Jarvis is joined by Jackie Calmes, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, to discuss. 

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Presented by Jacob Jarvis. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Alex Rees. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Suella Braverman’s plan to send refugees to Rwanda has been described as inhuman. But what is the country actually like? And what does the nation’s Government get out of the deal? Award winning journalist Anjan Sundaram joins Arthur Snell on a deep-dive into a country few of us know, but is rarely out of headlines. Anjan describes life after the genocide, the Western blind-spot to present human rights abuses and the political coercion at the heart of the present regime. 

Anjan wrote about the persecution of journalists in Rwanda in his book ‘Bad News: Last Journal...

The UK is “muddling towards extinction”, says the Irish thinker and journalist Fintan O’Toole. Neglected by a Westminster political class that’s preoccupied by Brexit, the things that once held it together are disappearing. He tells Ros Taylor how England is embracing a nationalism it can’t articulate, why the SNP has failed to get what it wants, and why the UK is not the natural union that its supporters believe it to be.

NATO’s power has been thrown into sharp focus amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. How does it operate – and what has it got right and wrong of late? Alex Andreou is joined by Mark Webber, a professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham who is co-authoring the book What’s Wrong with NATO and How to Fix It, to discuss the military alliance.

The Iraq War began 20 years ago – what lessons have been, and what must still be, learned from this invasion? Arthur Snell, the host of Doomsday Watch who served as a diplomat in Iraq, joins Alex Andreou to discuss the mistakes that were made, the human and cultural costs of the conflict, and the arguments surrounding a conflict which fundamentally reshaped global politics.

Both Boris Johnson and Donald Trump are in hot water – how will each try to wriggle their way out of trouble? The former PM faces the privileges committee for a grilling, while the ex-President has said he could be arrested this week. It’s also the twenty year anniversary of the second Iraq war, while bank Credit Suisse has been bought by UBS, and the ICC has issued an arrest warrant against Putin. Alex Andreou is joined by Gavin Esler to give you the stories to look out for this week.

Most people consider themselves reasonable. But are they? And what rules is that notion defined by? Siân Pattenden is joined by Kirsty Sedgman, author of On Being Unreasonable, to discuss what the response to breastfeeding in public, noisy theatre audiences, neighbourhood watch indiscretions and Edward Coulston show about society today – and whether our collective rules might be wrong. 

As Republicans play chicken with the debt ceiling, could America suffer a Liz Truss-esque financial meltdown? Alex Andreou speaks to Neil Malhotra, a professor of political economy at Stanford Graduate School of Business, to discuss this financial showdown being played out by Congress. 

Tax breaks for the 1%, business giveaways that won’t make a difference, free child care that turns out to be a fraction of what’s needed, and nothing for public services. Does Jeremy Hunt’s Budget make sense? Is he loading the pain onto the next government because he knows it won’t be Conservative one? And can he put the post-Truss tax-cutting headbangers back in their box? New Economics Foundation chief exec and Bunker regular Miatta Fahnbulleh takes the Budget apart for Andrew Harrison. 

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The unexpected “accidental” deaths of prominent Russians have become a dark joke in the West. But the truth about ‘Sudden Russian Death’ syndrome is even darker.

Bill Browder campaigned for the Magnitsky Acts against Russian corruption and wrote Freezing Order: A True Story of Russian Money Laundering, Murder, and Surviving Vladimir Putin’s Wrath. He tells Andrew Harrison about the chaos within wartime Russia; what turned Putin from a reformer into a despot; and why Ukraine must win this war. 

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The war in Syria began twelve years ago today. But who are the key players in this complex conflict? And how have changes of leadership in neighbouring countries and the recent earthquake changed how the war is being fought? Alex Andreou is joined by Christopher Phillips, professor of international politics at the Queen Mary University of London and author of The Battle for Syria: International Rivalry in the New Middle East, to discuss the current status of the conflict.

We are going through a polycrisis – with multiple catastrophes playing out at once. But despite fuel costs, war and climate change – many remain optimistic. Is this a sign of delusion or pragmatism? Hannah Fearn is joined by Ben Page, CEO of market research leaders Ipsos, to unpack the psychological impact of our current crises, and why some look on the brighter side.

With the illegal migration bill set for its second reading – how will Braverman and Sunak feel now it faces some serious scrutiny? And with the BBC in crisis over the Gary Lineker debacle, will anyone take the fall? Plus it’s budget week – we discuss why Hunt might be happy for this to be a dull announcement… Arthur Snell joins Jacob Jarvis to outline the stories to look out for this week.

Good samaritans or narcissistic egotists: what is behind the rise in YouTube philanthropy? Ros Taylor is joined by Rhodri Davies, the founder and director of ‘Why Philanthropy Matters’, to discover why influencers like MrBeast are turning to charitable causes – and how their realm of influence could expand.

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Donald Trump twisted the GOP beyond recognition during his time as president. What did it stand for before this aberration – and could it ever revert to a sane, sensible and serious party again? Jacob Jarvis discusses with Julie Norman, co-director of UCL’s Centre on US Politics.

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Presented by Jacob Jarvis. Assi...

In the 17th Century the English slaughtered one another, beheaded their king, fought bitterly over religion and politics, and acquired a taste for coffee and newspapers. Jonathan Healey, Associate Professor of Social History at the University of Oxford, tells Andrew Harrison how their world turned upside down shapes our own in his new book THE BLAZING WORLD: A New History of Revolutionary England.

Includes Cromwell, cross-dressing, regicide, seditious libel, the New Model Army (not that one), the Levellers (not those), the ‘Blazing World’ itself (perhaps the first science fiction novel) and the Roundhead-Cavalier rivalry explained in terms of H...

Mhairi Black joins The Bunker to discuss the future of Scottish independence, her party’s ne leader and the quirks of Westminster. Following Sturgeon standing down as SNP leader and Scotland’s first leader, she joins Marie Le Conte to speak about what will come next – and what might happen under her successor, whoever that may be. 

From the ERG to the CGG, the different factions within the Conservatives build up a picture of the divisions within the party. But what do all of the different groups stand for, and why don’t we seem to see the same splintering within Labour? Professor Tim Bale, author of The Conservative Party After Brexit, joins Marie le Conte to find out. 

Labour’s shock General Election loss in 1992 still haunts the party – and nobody wants to tempt fate by mentioning 1997’s landslide victory either. Will the next Election be a ’92, a ’97 or something else entirely? Steve Richards of the Rock & Roll Politics podcast explains what lay behind Neil Kinnock’s defeat and the trauma it inflicted on Labour; how it created the control freakery of the New Labour era; and what it all means for Keir Starmer. 

Listen to Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards on all platforms: https://kite.link/RNRP 

Sunak tries to dish out some hard right catnip on small boats – but then here’s Johnson offering his rancid father a knighthood. Can’t Rishi catch a break? Also, is the Hancock/Oakeshott WhatsApp epic really persuading Britain that lockdown was a disaster? Or just reminding them of how awful the Cabinet are? Plus Sue Gray, strikes latest, Raab in firing line and more. Hannah Fearn sets out the week ahead with Andrew Harrison. 

Lambasted by the Tory press for calling Boris Johnson a “known liar” at the Edinburgh TV festival when she was head of news at Channel 4, Dorothy Byrne is now President of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge. She talks to Ros Taylor about the pressures facing young female students, the future of C4, why we’re not treating violent porn seriously enough, and how ITV and Sky breached key broadcasting standards during the search for Nicola Bulley. 

Florida could well be America’s future. Governor Ron Desantis presides over an increasingly right-wing and combative “loudocracy” and he thinks he can become President by out-Trumping Trump. So why is the Sunshine State so notoriously bizarre? FLORIDA MAN Craig Pittman, author of The State You’re In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife, tells Andrew Harrison about Matt Gaetz, socialised mermaids, and why Florida produces more madness than it can consume. 

Germany seems to have had a blind spot over Russia – why is that? And how has their relationship changed following the war in Ukraine? Alex Andreou is joined by John Lough, author of Germany’s Russia Problem, to unpack when their relationship changed, what it means for Europe, and why the Berlin Wall still casts a long shadow over German politics.

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Stella Creasy, who feels like a Labour grandee these days, talks to Ros Taylor about Brexit, Tory negligence and removing barriers to get more mothers into politics. Creasy discusses the work she’s done from opposition, and talks tentatively about a future where Labour might be in Government…

There is a generational divide between who votes Conservative and who votes Labour – and it’s a problem for both parties. It used to be thought that as people got older, they naturally became more conservative – but that pattern has broken. Professor Bobby Duffy, director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London joins Marie Le Conte to delve into why.

Hollywood has shaped how we see spies – but who are these people who secretly walk among us? How hard is it to become one? Siân Pattenden unpacks the world of espionage, and discusses why the next James Bond will be a woman with Ava Glass, author of the new spy novel The Chase, who previously worked alongside spies in the civil service. 

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Rishi Sunak is meeting Ursula von der Leyen to seal a new deal to get Brexit done again, again. Will the agreement get sealed? And what fallout will any such settlement spark? Plus, we return to the strikes and discuss the SNP leadership latest. Ros Taylor joins Alex Andreou to discuss the week ahead.

As NHS waiting lists get longer, more people are turning to private healthcare. Is this skipping the queue accelerating a decline to a two-tier system, or will the demand for more encourage policymakers to fund the NHS properly to raise the standards? Efua Poku-Amanfo from the Institute for Public Policy Research joins Hannah Fearn in the Bunker to find out. 

The USA is built on ‘the American dream’. But what exactly is it? Does it actually exist? Jacob Jarvis is joined by Jim Cullen, author of The American Dream: A short history of an idea that shaped a nation, to ask where the idea came from and why it still has such a strong hold over American life.

Zelensky’s story of a comedian turned President of Ukraine and now war leader is stranger than fiction. So who is the man we have cheered on as he stands up to the Russian invasion? Siân Pattenden is joined by journalist Steven Derix, co-author of the new biography Zelensky, to take a peek behind the curtain of a life lived in the media spotlight, before being thrown into violent conflict. 

It’s been one year since the full scale invasion of Ukraine began. From fanning the spirit of freedom, to how internally displaced people are coping, through to what Ukraine needs now from its friends and allies across the West – Olga Tokariuk, freelance journalist and fellow at the Reuters Institute for Journalism, joins Alex Andreou to reflect on the last 12 months. 

Britain is all but in recession. We’re far less productive than other European countries, and take the industries that do well for granted. Trussonomics was one idea to boost growth — and we all know how that turned out. But if cutting taxes isn’t the solution to our problems, what is? Greg Thwaites from the Resolution Foundation joins Ros Taylor in the Bunker to find out. 

After the Financial Crisis, many expected a new approach to the economy to be taken. Instead, lessons were forgotten quickly and countries continued to rack up debt whilst subscribing to the old order of things. Martin Wolf, author of The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism joins Alex Andreou to discuss whether we’re destined to repeat the past.