The Bunker – News without the nonsense

What will Trump’s entry to the White House mean for the war between Russia and Ukraine? The incoming US insists he can get a ceasefire and end the conflict – but how feasible is this? Gavin Esler, of our sibling podcast This is Not a Drill, speaks to Russia expert Mark Galeotti, host of the In Moscow’s Shadows podcast. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production https://www.podmasters.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Reform UK are on a roll. The Tories are dancing to their tune, some polls are putting them on par with Labour and the wilder hard-right papers are hyping Farage as a potential PM. But how real is Reform’s “surge”? Are their voters really up for far-right populism, or are they more likely angry, disaffected, sometimes even left-leaning people who’ve lost faith in politics? Campaigning veteran Paul Mason of The New European and The Guardian’s Rafael Behr ask the big question of 2025: how do we stop Reform dragging Britain to the far-right? • “Reform know how to play populist politics. They are a very well-funded autocratic party and they know what they’re doing.” – Paul Mason • “Every time you say ‘open borders’ you convert a Reform voter to a fascist.” – Paul Mason • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Written and presented by Rafael Behr. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel Reeves faces questions over Britain’s economic state this week – the right-wing press is howling, but just how bad is the situation really? And, Musk continues to meddle – we look at his moves here at home and further afield. Plus, it’s the final week where Trump isn’t president! We discuss who’ll be wanting to cosy up to him in the coming days. Ros Taylor talks Jacob Jarvis through all that and more. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Ros Taylor. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, questions have been raised as to how long Putin can financially sustain the assault. How much longer can Russia’s economy sustain the staggering costs of war? Today in The Bunker, Dr. Richard Connolly, author of The Russian Economy: A Very Short Introduction, joins Chris Jones to find out if Putin’s war machine is running out of cash? • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Tom Taylor. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, the political battles of his first term and a few fresh ones are returning to the fore in US politics. But what will he prioritise once in office? In this episode of The Bunker, Jacob Jarvis is joined by his American Friction co-host, Nikki McCann Ramirez of Rolling Stone, to look at the key figures and forces shaping US politics in 2025. With the growing influence of Elon Musk, a political mandate and experience in the office, what does this next phase of Trumpism mean for American politics? • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The new year brings fresh challenges for Starmer’s government and continued pressure to deliver on Labour’s campaign promises. After years of political turbulence, can Labour deliver meaningful change? Join Alex von Tunzelmann and Steve Richards, host of Rock & Roll Politics, as they take stock of the government’s priorities for the new year and ask what resolutions Starmer should make for 2025. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will Musk’s latest meltdown see politicians and institutions finally abandon Twitter? And if so, where will they go? Or will the right-wing stay, as the left and centrists shift to BlueSky? Zoë Crowther, reporter at PoliticsHome, joins Ros Taylor to discuss how MPs will engage with social media in 2025. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elon Musk’s latest rant-a-thon has dominated the headlines – what should we make of it and what impact will it have? Plus, there’s NHS reforms to be announced in news Keir Starmer wants people to focus on – and Gavin Esler gives Jacob Jarvis the latest updates from further afield, addressing conflicts and flashpoints across the globe. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Gavin Esler. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is the Great Man* theory of history back? As our world seems increasingly shaped by individual oligarchs, populists and single-issue celebrities, we complete our list of the most influential people of the century so far. Who will make the cut? Our Bunker regulars – BBC veteran Gavin Esler, historian and author Alex Von Tunzelmann and Guardian columnist Rafael Behr – name the Final Five of our Century Shapers. Part One already available. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Gavin Esler. Audio production by Simon Williams and Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Incredibly, we’re already nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st Century. Who are the big figures who’ve shaped and transformed, or more often, terrorised and devastated, our political and physical worlds? And how did 20th century dreams of a stable consensus tomorrow fall apart? A panel of Bunker regulars – BBC veteran Gavin Esler, historian and author Alex Von Tunzelmann and Guardian columnist Rafael Behr – assemble to choose the first five of our Century Shapers. Part Two out tomorrow or available now on Patreon. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Gavin Esler. Audio production by Simon Williams and Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jimmy Carter, who has died aged 100, suffered derision in his one-term presidency, becoming a scapegoat for recession, the Iran hostage crisis and America’s diminution in the world. But his reputation as a humanitarian only grew after he left office. What is the true meaning of Jimmy Carter’s life? Andrew Harrison talks to writer and filmmaker Jonathan Alter – author of His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life – about the 39th President and his legacy. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Researched by Eliza Davis Beard. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fighting the holiday podcast drought, we bring you another taster of a Podmasters show you might have missed – our US politics weekly American Friction. And this time it’s their review of 2024. No Jarv on this edition, but Chris and Nikki unpack the key moments and lessons from a year when Trump’s election as President may well have changed American democracy forever. Get the sharpest take on American politics every Friday when you follow American Friction on your favourite app. Written and presented by Chris Jones and Nikki McCann Ramírez. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. AMERICAN FRICTION is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Continuing our intra-festive selection of Podmasters shows you might have missed… have you tried Paper Cuts, the podcast that reads the papers so you don’t have to? Cos you really should. As a taster, join Miranda Sawyer plus host of Queerphoria Jack Guinness and comedy writer and actual Grinch Jason Hazeley for Part One of the Paper Cuts Review of 2024. Remember when everyone had a meltdown over Princess Kate? Jack reminisces about the whole saga that engulfed the nation. Miranda tries to recall all the weird stunts the Tories pulled before the election. Plus – Here’s a reminder that Baby Reindeer isn’t a Christmas classic for the whole family, as Jason examines the reaction to Netflix’s mega-hit. • Paper Cuts is out every Monday and Friday. Hear the rest of their review of 2024 and follow on your favourite podcast app. Illustrations by Modern Toss https://moderntoss.com Written and presented by Miranda Sawyer. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Production. Liam Tait. Design: James Parrett. Music: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Exec Producer: Martin Bojtos. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. PAPER CUTS is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Climbing the walls in the holiday podcast drought? We’re tiding you over with some episodes you might have missed from the giant Podmasters universe. Today, a fascinating edition of our science and psychology podcast, Why? with Emma Kennedy. On this episode… The allure of evil. Lots of us are obsessed with true crime documentaries and podcasts and can’t get enough gruesome details of horrific murder, torture and kidnapping. It’s all pretty horrible – so why are we drawn to it? Does ‘evil’ really exist? And if so, what does it look like? Writer, journalist and broadcaster Emma Kennedy talks to forensic psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das and the UK’s top expert on serial killers, criminologist Professor David Wilson to uncover why we are so obsessed with evil. • Blow your mind with the current season of Why? on your favourite podcast app. • Buy Dr Das’ book In Two Minds: Shocking true stories of murder, justice and recovery from a forensic psychiatrist and Professor Wilson’s My Life with Murderers: Behind Bars with the World’s Most Violent Men through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund our pods by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. WHY? is presented by Emma Kennedy. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production and theme music by Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by James Parrett. Additional music is from Artlist.io. WHY? is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Desperate for a fresh pod over the holidays? We’re tiding you over the Christmas-New Year gap with some shows you might have missed from the wider Podmasters universe. Today, enjoy this edition of our geopolitics weekly This Is Not A Drill. On this edition… Corruption, bribery and cronyism aren’t just criminal matters. International alliances of corrupt states and their enablers are undermining democracies and international law, creating a world without rules where everything and anyone can be bought. From Putin’s gangster state to COVID corruption and favouritism in the UK, the West’s response has been feeble. How big is Kleptocracy's threat to global stability? Regular TINAD presenter Emma Beals explores an existential danger with anti-corruption writer Sarah Chayes – author of Everybody Knows: Corruption in America – and Guardian investigations correspondent and author of Cuckooland: Where the Rich Own the Truth Tom Burgis. <I>NB This edition recorded before Trump’s victory in the US election.</I> • Subscribe to This Is Not A Drill on your favourite app. • When you buy books through our affiliate bookshop you’re helping fund our podcasts by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. Written and presented by Emma Beals. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Completing our countdown of the events of 2024 that we can barely believe happened. From Rishi Sunak dooming his own election campaign by launching it in a downpour to Robert F Kennedy Jr’s shenanigans with a dead bear (blame the brainworms) to America deciding that its new folk hero is an actual murderer, we examine the moments that made 2024 incomprehensible. Miranda Sawyer and Jonn Elledge of Paper Cuts join Andrew Harrison to complete an ignominious countdown. (Part One available now) • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s that time of year when we look back over the last twelve months and ask… did that really happen? From Oasis giving the nation a brutal lesson in demand economics to the near-assassination of Donald Trump to the baffling rise of “Huak Tuah Girl”, 2024 has been a year of signs, wonders and bewilderment. In the first of a two-part Bunker special Miranda Sawyer and Jonn Elledge of Paper Cuts join Andrew Harrison to choose the first ten of the twenty most bizarre moments of the year – and work out what they mean. Part Two is out on Monday 23 December, or sign up to Patreon to hear it right now – and support independent podcasting too. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Get 20% off annual Patreon support for The Bunker in our Black Friday sale. The perfect gift to ask for! From enormous Tudor banquets to Fortnum & Mason’s luxury hampers, Christmas food has always been about showing off. But how did we leap from turducken and spiced pies to our roast potatoes and a turkey that barely fits in the oven? Join Alex von Tunzelmann and Thomas Ntinas, host of The Delicious Legacy podcast, as they unravel how centuries of festive indulgence, and a brief detour through Cromwell’s joyless Puritanism, shaped the Christmas dinner we know today. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Our Cyber Monday sale is just about still on! Get 20% off annual Patreon support for The Bunker. Yes, Die Hard IS a Christmas movie… but what about its politics? Is the Bruce Willis blockbuster a howl of anger from Reagan’s rustbelt, an attack on ’80s yuppie finance bros, an America First broadside against Japanese corporate raiders, or a diatribe against capitalism that Bernie Sanders would be proud of? And who’s the real villain? Conservative economist John Phelan joins wet liberal centrist Andrew Harrison to debate the politics that play out in Nakatomi Tower. Welcome to the podcast, pal! Read John’s excellent analysis Die Hard here. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Get 20% off annual Patreon support for The Bunker in our Black Friday sale. The perfect gift to ask for! Last week, a high-profile murder in broad daylight shocked the world, but it’s the reaction that has everyone talking. Why is the victim, United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, met with scorn while the accused, Luigi Mangione, is hailed as a cult hero across the internet? Join Alex von Tunzelmann and Jessica Glenza, health reporter for The Guardian US, as they delve into the complexities of US healthcare, uncovering the confusion and fury behind the headlines and memes. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Tom Taylor. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Get 20% off annual Patreon support for The Bunker in our Black Friday sale. The perfect gift to ask for! The Chinese spy scandal lifts the lid on Prince Andrew’s murky world. What do the Chinese think the Prince can give him? Has the affair sealed Andrew’s fate as a Royal? And will we find out the identity of the mysterious “H6”? Plus: Why is Starmer cosying up to Italy’s far-right leader Giorgia Meloni? The US healthcare debate grows bitterer still after the arrest of Luigi Mangione. And are YOU ready for the Christmas Guinness Drought? Ros Taylor and Gavin Esler set out the major stories of the week ahead. • This episode is sponsored by Proton Pass, to find out more visit https://proton.me/pass/thebunker • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Art: Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Our Black Friday sale is still on! Get 20% off annual Patreon support for The Bunker. Beige against the machine – Mocked by left and right in the 2010s, Centrist Dad had the last laugh. Now he bestrides our politics like gilet-clad colossus – he’s even Prime Minister. But what makes him tick? How is he adjusting to power? What is Centrist Mum like? Authors of The Centrist Dad Handbook, friend of the pod Jason Hazeley and pal Nico Tatarowicz, talk to Andrew Harrison about the man at the centre of it all. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more - www.patreon.com/bunkercast • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Simon Williams and Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Get 20% off annual Patreon support for The Bunker in our Black Friday sale. The perfect gift to ask for! It’s been a busy time in the USA – so you’d be forgiven for having missed the latest UFO hearings. To help you catch up, Jacob Jarvis spoke to Tom Phillips, co-author of Conspiracy: A History of B*llocks Theories, and How Not to Fall For Them, to discuss what was said and if any of it actually hinted at Alien life… www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production https://www.podmasters.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• A special crossover with The Bunker’s geopolitics partner podcast This Is Not A Drill. Assad’s stunning fall ends a tyrannical 53-year rule in Syria, leaving monstrous crimes against human rights exposed, rocking both Iran and Russia on their heels, and handing the country’s future back to its people. Where next for Syria? Will the rebel fighters coalesce into a working government and avoid the factionalism which would jeopardise the Syrian people’s hopes? And what does it mean for an international community which had turned its back on the Syrian war? This Is Not A Drill regular Emma Beals explores an awe-inspiring week in the Middle East with Syria expert and open-source investigator Suhail al-Ghazi. • No longer on Twitter? Follow TINAD and Emma Beals on BlueSky. • Support This Is Not Drill on Patreon to continue by backing us on Patreon. You’ll get early, ad-free editions, merchandise and more. Written and presented by Emma Beals. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• Get 20% off annual Patreon support for The Bunker in our Black Friday sale. The perfect gift to ask for! French politics is in turmoil at the moment with President Macron facing pressure over who he names as the nation’s next Prime Minister. Can the different factions in France be brought together? And can Macron fend off his enemies – or might someone else be better suited? Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief of The Economist, joins Ros Taylor to discuss the chaos and what might come of it. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices