The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Money talks – and that’s particularly true in politics. Will we ever know where the cash that influences our politicians comes from? Seth Thévoz speaks to Peter Geoghegan, writer of the popular substack Democracy for Sale, about the shadowy organisations and flows of cash that influence our political institutions in The Bunker. “The Tufton Street crowd is very influenced by what’s happening in the states.” – Peter Geoghegan “Labour promises to crack down on dark money have been watered down time and again.” – Peter Geoghegan Check out Peter's Substack here: https://democracyforsale.substack.com Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. 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

How important is your identity to your political beliefs? Yascha Mounk, the author of The Identity Trap argues that over the past decades, a healthy appreciation for the culture has transformed into an obsession. He joins Ros Taylor in the Bunker to explain why he thinks we need to move beyond individuality for the collective good. “I don’t think woke is a useful term.” - Yascha Mounk “There's a set of new ideas that are largely untested, but have taken on tremendous power very quickly,” - Yascha Mounk “There have been some very prominent stories of people paying high and unfair prices for speaking their mind.” - Yascha Mounk BOOK LINK https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/456408/the-identity-trap-by-mounk-yascha/9780241638293 Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Liam Tait. Assistant Producer: Adam Wright Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Cameron pushed his “big society” plan during his time as prime minister – but it didn’t work very well. Was it always doomed to fail? Seth Thevoz speaks to Peter John, head of the School of Politics and Economics at King’s College London, about the history and legacy of this policy position – as well as the lessons we can learn from it. “The big society didn’t seem to stack up with wider policy changes.” “The critics were out really from the start.” “It proved to be embarrassing, and became a target of satire. It was easily targeted and ridiculed.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Audio editor: Alex Rees. 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

An Israeli ground invasion of Gaza appears imminent – what will this look like? Half a million Palestinians have already evacuated southern Gaza but their routes of escape remain unclear. How has the British government responded to the escalating conflict? Plus, what do the results of Poland’s election mean for the war in Ukraine? And finally, the Conservatives face a fight over Narine Dorries’s old seat in this week’s byelection. Can they hold on to it? Ros Taylor is joined in The Bunker by Gavin Esler to get you prepped for the week ahead. “There’s hardly a cigarette paper between David Lammy and James Cleverley’s response to Israel.” – Ros Taylor “The attacks on the BBC are nothing more than the politics of distraction.” – Gavin Esler “Britain has cut its military back to levels not seen since 1715. We’re basically the mouse that roared.“ – Gavin Esler Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor and Gavin Esler. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. 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

In this week’s Bunker Gold, let us take you back to December 2022… Is the cost of having children making parenthood feel impossible? With childcare through the roof, insecure housing and the cost of living crisis starting to bite, it’s an anxious time for parents. Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, joins Ros Taylor to highlight how the poor provision for parents harms us all. “Ironically I was sacked from a children's charity for wanting a baby.” “Every ten minutes a woman is pushed out of their job.” “We have created a system where dads aren’t allowed to be more active in the family.” “Children aren’t a lifestyle choice, we are literally reproducing the labour market.” Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Ros Taylor. Producers: Jet Gerbertson and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How has drinking shaped the history of the UK? From temperance to licensing Britain’s relationship with hooch has defined our public debates. Senior lecturer in public health from the University of Stirling, Dr. James Nicholls joins Seth Thévoz in The Bunker to discuss our complex history with the hard stuff. “Social climbing happens in places where people drink.” – Dr. James Nicholls "Throughout our history women's drinking has always been condemned." – Dr. James Nicholls “The mortal panic over Gin in the 18th century was entirely justified.” – Dr. James Nicholls Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producers: Alex Rees and Liam Tait. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the very far-right of the GOP is a small but very disruptive group called the House Freedom Caucus. What does it stand for and how much power does it actually wield?Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan are all high profile members – what do they want? Thomas Gift is founding director of the Centre on US Politics at University College London. He joins Andrew Harrison in The Bunker. “They don’t have a real coherent set of ideas.” “Many of these individuals just like being on camera.” “There are elements of the far-right that have gone far beyond Trumpism.” Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson.. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Germany’s far-right is on the rise. Alternative for Germany outperformed all expectations in this week's state elections, increasing their share of the vote across the country. To understand the AfD’s spike in popularity, Ros Taylor speaks to FT's chief Germany correspondent Guy Chazan. “AfD was considered a regional party. This election changed that perception.” – Guy Chazan “It might already be too late to create a party that is a real rival to the AfD” – Guy Chazan “They oppose almost everything that the current government is doing.” – Guy Chazan Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have central banks ever recovered from the global financial crisis? Alex Andreou sits down with Uuriintuya Batsaikhan, economist for Positive Money Europe, to find out if banks really are to blame for all of our financial woes. “Financial forecasting has become a wish for central banks rather than a goal.” – Uuriintuya Batsaikhan “High interest rates are a threat to green transition.” – Uuriintuya Batsaikhan “An independant bank that sets monetary policy for 20 countries is an unprecedented experiment.” – Uuriintuya Batsaikhan Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: 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

Straight after Keir Starmer’s keynote speech, Stella Creasy MP joined Jacob Jarvis to give her take on the Labour conference and what the leader of the opposition had to say. She gave her thoughts on policies, outlined her discussions at conference – with a key focus on Europe – and explained how she thinks voters can be persuaded to back Labour. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Produced by Chris Jones. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. 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

Politics happens all around us, not just in London. Britain’s political map is far more varied than the city of Westminster. Rafael Behr joins Matt Chorley, author of Planes, Trains and Toilet Doors, on a whistle stop tour of the car parks, village halls and seaside towns that shaped our political landscape. "Nothing in politics is new. Everything has been done before and probably better.” – Matt Chorley “I like to take the piss out of politicians. It's a good way of hooking people into what's going on.”– Matt Chorley https://mattchorley.com/50-places-1 www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Rafael Behr. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: 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

Barry Gardiner MP sits down with Jacob Jarvis to talk through Labour’s priorities, the shift in vibe at this year’s conference and the Tory shambles… Recorded in the Heathrow Lounge at Liverpool’s ACC on Monday morning, we put our fingers on the pulse of what is happening at the annual party gathering. Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Produced by Chris Jones. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The United Nations was founded to help maintain international peace and security. The Security Council in particular is supposed to uphold those pledges. But its power and influence is dwindling. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a looming war over Taiwan and unrest in Africa is some proof of that. So what can it do to regain the power it has lost, and is there still a place in the world for the UN? Richard Gowan is the UN Director of Crisis Group in New York. He sits down in The Bunker with Ros Taylor. “I don’t think it's fair to say the UN as a whole has failed Ukrainians, but the Security Council certainly has.” – Richard Gowan “Taiwan is the potential crisis that could blow up the Security Council that no one ever talks of.” – Richard Gowan “The general assembly is a great big circus.” – Richard Gowan Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. 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

Following a weekend of brutal attacks on Israel, the prospect of a ground invasion of Gaza looms. We take a look at Hamas’s actions, how Netanyahu will respond, and the international reaction to the violence. Plus, we preview the Labour Conference as Starmer and his team present their views for the future of the country. How will Starmer’s speech stand up to Sunak’s? Jacob Jarvis is joined in The Bunker by Alex Andreou to get you prepped for the week ahead. “It will be tricky for Netenyahu to balance the calls for revenge with international pressure to be measured.” – Alex Andreou “It’s impossible to predict how this situation will play out.” – Jacob Jarvis “Starmers speech will not be a barrage of promises, it will be about his values.” – Alex Andreou “Bring back boring politics.” – Jacob Jarvis Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis and Alex Andreou. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. 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

In this week’s Bunker Gold we revisit an out of this world episode from May 2022… As scientists seek extraterrestrial life, what would we do if we actually found it? How would we manage first contact, and could we even communicate with aliens? Franck Marchis, a senior planetary astronomer from the SETI Institute, unpacks the prospect with Andrew Harrison – and the idea aliens might already know we’re here, but we’re too boring for them to care. “The most important question is intelligent life.” “This discovery will not be a big surprise for a lot of humans on this planet.” “If we find a civilisation slightly more advanced to us, maybe 100 years, they may be much more intelligent in terms of technology.” “We may not see them because perhaps their technology is invisible to us.” Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Assistant Producer: Elina Ganatra. Audio production by Jade Bailey. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From PM’s holidaying at Chequers to the salacious escapades of Downton Abbey, country houses hold a special place in the public imagination. While these very big houses in the country are often considered to be relics of the past, their influence looms over modern politics. Dr. Kasia Tomasiewicz speaks to Professor Kate Retford, head of school of historic studies at Birbeck University, to find out how these country homes guide our political climate. “The relationship between the country house and politics goes back for centuries.” “I'm not sure how many people would really like to live in one of these places.” "We can use these properties to tell some of the stories from history that they may not know." Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Kasia Tomasiewicz . Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. 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

Country music and political statements often go hand in hand. And many artists find success by charging their songs with political messages – Jason Aldean’s controversial single ‘Try That in a Small Town’ being a recent example. Jonathan Bernstein is a senior research editor at Rolling Stone and joins Dorian Lynskey in The Bunker to discuss the complicated relationship between country music and politics. “It’s never a good sign when an artist is accused of releasing a pro-lynching song.” – Jon Bernstein “I think Oliver Anthony was thrown into a whirlwind of craziness.” – Jon Bernstein “The history of it is very complex … but certainly country music is tied to Southern Whiteness in this country.” – Jon Bernstein Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. 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

In this week’s Bunker Global, Seth Thévoz is joined by Bradley Hope, the author of The Rebel and The Kingdom, to discuss the totalitarian state of North Korea and the unlikely rebels leading the charge against Kim Jong Un. “North Korea can publicly strike and kill people in the most bone chilling way.” “We should be grateful that people take risks to show us the truth. Some just go too far.” "Pyongyang feels like an alien world compared to London or New York." BOOK LINK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690147/the-rebel-and-the-kingdom-by-bradley-hope/ Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. 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

Funding for Ukraine has become a point of contention among the GOP. The Freedom Caucus, led by Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, has pushed against money to help the nation’s war effort – and this was excluded in a recent budget bill, in order to facilitate a deal. How did the Republican caucus get here, and how far are they willing to go? Andrew Harrison is joined by associate professor of politics and international relations at UCL, Dr. Julie Norman, to explain the complicated situation unfolding in the US. “This won’t make or break things for Ukraine in the coming weeks” – Julie Norman “It’s hard to read into what Trump would do with foreign aid if he gets back into power." – Julie Norman “There are many Republicans who are not only supporting Ukraine, but think Biden should be doing more” – Julie Norman Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast This week's sponsor is the Disorder Podcast - listen here: https://linktr.ee/disorderpod Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producers: Liam Tait and Jade Bailey. Production assistant: Adam Wright. 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 UK is no stranger to getting political decisions wrong – especially in foreign policy. Broadcaster and author Steve Richards, of Rock & Roll Politics, writes in his new book Turning Points that the decisions made by post-war leaders are often bewildering but also intensely complicated. He joins Gavin Esler in The Bunker for a very honest discussion on why that is. “It seems to me with Britain – it reaches turning points and fails to turn.” – Steve Richards “Eden went mad almost over Suez… the attacks he got were far more intense than Blair over Iraq.” – Steve Richards “The UK is in as much of a mess now as it was post-Suez… it’s deeply depressing.” – Steve Richards Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. 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

The infected blood scandal of the 1970s and 80s saw almost 5,000 people in the UK contract HIV or hepatitis C due to contaminated NHS blood products. Over 2,800 have died and tens of thousands of lives have been affected, yet no organisation or individual has ever been held to account. Ros Taylor is joined by Caroline Wheeler, the political editor of the Sunday Times and author of the new book Death in the Blood: The inside story of the NHS infected blood scandal. Death in the Blood: https://www.hachette.com.au/caroline-wheeler/death-in-the-blood-the-most-shocking-scandal-in-nhs-history-from-the-journalist-who-has-followed-the-story-for-over-two-decades “This all happened at a time when HIV was poorly understood, there was no effective treatment. It was extremely taboo.” – Ros Taylor “At the very moment this family needed all the support and all the care they deserved, they only received ridicule and mockery.” – Caroline Wheeler “It wasn’t until the late 80s until the general public were educated about how AIDS was spread.” – Caroline Wheeler “People are still dying, at the rate of one every four days. Two of the ten characters in this book died as it was being written.” – Caroline Wheeler Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Liam Tait. Assistant Producer: Adam Wright. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rishi Sunak is having a grim time up north as the Tories gather in Manchester for their annual conference. As the PM attempts to put crowd pleasing policies forward (and not mention HS2), the race to replace him has already started. In world news, we look at the U.S. after it narrowly avoided a government shutdown, the latest on Ukraine — and finally, a slow burning financial crisis in China. Jacob Jarvis is joined in The Bunker by Alex Andreou to get you prepped for the week ahead. “Sunak was chancellor for two years before he was PM, he only looked at HS2 now?” – Alex Andreou “Labour basically have to look a bit less shi*t than the Tories to win conference season.” – Jacob Jarvis Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis and Alex Andreou. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. 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

This week on the Bunker Gold: Let us take you back to the crazy days of 2022, when Liz Truss was Prime Minister and Boris Johnson was still an MP… How would an alien fix Britain? We hear from Count Binface, who resisted the urge to vapourise Alex Andreou despite some tough questions. The Count discusses standing against Tories like Theresa May (as Lord Buckethead) and Boris Johnson, why he’d junk First Past the Post for PR, plus his book, WHAT ON EARTH?. “I was passing Earth and it seemed to be the most deranged planet of the lot.” – Count Binface “The Brits play the game, and occasionally write down things.” – Count Binface “You don't have to be a human being to stand for election.” – Count Binface “As a Recyclon, I hope to reuse the best policies from across the galaxy.” – Count Binface Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork: James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Book link: https://geni.us/whatonearth Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On our latest panel edition: What does centrism in politics even mean? And why is the government still so worried about newspapers? Then finally, why do politicians have such weird taste in music? We’ve assembled a supergroup of Podmasters all stars, Rock & Roll Politics hall of famer Steve Richards, the chanteuse of Paper Cuts, Miranda Sawyer and Podmasters virtuoso Jacob Jarvis join frontman Andrew Harrison in the latest edition of The Bunker Panel. “Centrism is deeply subjective, that’s the danger of it.“ – Steve Richards “The most common response when they ask for people’s political ideology is: I don’t know.” – Jacob Jarvis “When politicians try to control the media they get it wrong. They need journalists to get the message out for them.” – Miranda Sawyer www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Produced by Alex Rees and Liam Tait. Production Assistant: Adam Wright. 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

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is leading calls to impeach President Joe Biden. Irrespective of whether that’s realistic or not (spoiler alert: it isn’t) what does it really mean to impeach a president? Professor of history and classical studies at McGill University, Jason Opal, takes us back to the origins of impeachment to understand how it’s become a common tactic of American political warfare. He joins Seth Thévoz in The Bunker. “Since the 80s impeachment has gone from nearly unthinkable to a fairly conventional form of political warfare.” – Prof. Jason Opal “When it became obvious Nixon was abusing his power in office, a lot of Republican support dissolved overnight.” – Prof. Jason Opal “If you look at impeachments overall, I don’t think you would see a real pattern.” – Prof. Jason Opal www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producer: Chris Jones. 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