The Bunker – News without the nonsense

What is an obsession with politics doing to our psychology – and vice versa? Which weird psychology drives the Johnson Government’s mix of belligerence and incompetence? The Guardian’s Rafael Behr talks to Ian Dunt about the deep, unconscious roots of solidarity, polarisation, anger and ideological commitment, and the contents of the government’s subconscious engine room. If Dominic Cummings wants to burn everything down, what exactly does he want to replace it with? “If you can make people afraid, you can activate a fight or flight response that makes it harder to form dispassionate intellectual judgments.” “There’s a lot more bad news on the horizon so Johnson might as well use Gavin Williamson as his trouble-sponge for a bit longer.” “This cabinet has ended up like the USSR, when your elite is selected for two qualities: stupidity and thuggery.” “Some time soon Cummings is going to find that the flames are too hot – and there is no phoenix.” Rafael's new podcast, Politics on the Couch, is available wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On top of COVID, a No Deal Brexit could push Britain’s already dire food poverty situation into crisis. And if we fall onto a Global Tariff for foodstuffs it will mean drastically limited kitchen staples and increased prices all round. The Shadow Food, Farming and Rural Affairs Minister, Labour MP Daniel Zeichner, joins Naomi Smith to explain the danger of a twin crisis in food supply and food poverty. How did Britain get it so wrong on food security? “We all salute the work of food banks but we shouldn’t need them in this country.” “It’s not about a lack of food in this country, it’s lack of income.” “It would be very foolish to assume that because we got through COVID, we could get through a No Deal scenario.” “The number of adults who are food insecure has quadrupled in lockdown” “Our food system is essentially broken” “Is there a risk that food just won’t get into the country? Absolutely.” Presented by Naomi Smith. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We were living in a golden age of craft beer… and then COVID hit. Will the pandemic tally wound Britain’s independent beer makers? Or are government ignorance and Big Brewing more of a threat to this life-enhancing industry? Britain’s leading beer writer PETE BROWN – author of Craft: An Argument: Why The Term 'Craft Beer' Is Completely Undefinable, Hopelessly Misunderstood And Absolutely Essential – tells Andrew Harrison how we got here, and how to Make Craft Beer Great Again. Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Republicans gather (virtually) to anoint the Great Helmsman, how will Trump’s warnings of an American apocalypse play outside his radicalised base? UCL Global Politics professor Brian Klaas and The Atlantic’s Yasmeen Serhan join us to decide who’s the weirdest and most worrying at the Trump Family Telethon. Plus, your package was left in a safe place! Has the pandemic ended consumerism as we know it? “The Democrats’ tactic seems to be, let Trump incinerate himself.” Presented by Andrew Harrison with Yasmeen Serhan and Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The COVID pandemic has given unscrupulous data traffickers the opportunity they needed to hoover up vast quantities of private patient data, with Government connivance – and often with Government funding. Investigative journalist Nafeez Ahmed tells Alex Andreou what is happening to our private information, and what we need to do to stop an information grab that the Government is concealing from us. “We’re faced with a monolith of huge transnational power with access for the first time to private health data.” “You’re seeing tiny front companies with no track record getting contracts with responsibility for life and death.” “This is a danger to our democracy and a danger to the NHS.” “At this point, being paranoid about what Dominic Cummings is doing with data is absolutely important.” “When the Government says data will remain private, how much confidence can we realistically have that it will be?” Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bullying and sexual harassment are a blight on Parliament – and Westminster has been slow to deal with it. Cofounder of Women in Westminster and campaigner on the winning Starmer and Sadiq Khan campaigns Tara Jane O’Reilly talks to Ian Dunt about the measures women have to take to stay safe in Westminster; and whether the new independent complaints procedure will make a positive difference. “When you call out sexual harassment in Westminster, you’re not just complaining about your boss. You’re complaining about the people who run the country.” “You’re expected to be grateful and feel lucky to be in Westminster at all. And that’s used to silence people.” “There are whisper networks where women talk to one another – but seldom does anything get done.” “Every party, including Labour, has been dismal about supporting women in politics.” “Do I think I’m burning down my future career by speaking out? Every single time.” Presented by Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do we believe lies just because there’s a graph attached? How can we develop a sixth sense to detect statistical disinformation? Data scientist and University of Washington professor Jevin D West, co-author of Calling Bullsh*t: The Art Of Scepticism In A Data Driven World, talks to Ros Taylor about the warping of COVID statistics by selection bias… how our brains are built to fall victim to false correlation… Sigmund Freud on cocaine… and why sharing information as soon as you see it is like picking a sweet up of the street and eating it. “It’s almost as if data falls from the skies and lands on our desk, and we can’t question it. But we can.” “If there’s a rule, it’s share less, think more.” “If I wanted to gauge the average height of the population I wouldn’t go to an NBA game. That’s selection bias.” Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What should we watch out for in the impending confrontation between India and China, the world’s largest democracy and the world’s largest autocratic superpower? And how does Pakistan fit in? Prof GUY BURTON of Vesalius College in Brussels joins Arthur Snell to explain the sources of these tensions between the world’s two most populous countries, what leaders Xi and Modi want, why they’re ignoring the Europeans – and what post-colonialism means for the reality of 21st century power politics. Presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A-Levelling down: can the Government just style out a total betrayal of hardworking strivers? And will Gavin Williamson stay unsacked before you finish this paragraph? Former MEP Caroline Voaden joins us to channel the rage of parents and teenagers everywhere. Plus: Will the shine go off the Chancellor as Sunakmania gives way to the Rishicession? And what are we going to eat when Hard Brexit strips the shelves of food? It’s the full-length panel edition of The Bunker. Presented by Andrew Harrison with Naomi Smith, Ahir Shah and Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Government’s new planning ideas hand a huge advantage to developers, with no-question greenlights for permissions in new “growth” and “renewal” areas. Is this a real fix for the housing crisis or just another free market free-for-all? STEVE COLE of Clarion Group – the UK’s largest housing association and also a developer – tells Naomi Smith why our housing crisis is so entrenched, and why the Johnson-Jenrick plans could well mean fewer affordable houses are built. “People love a smoking gun – but this is a massively complex crisis that has been a generation in the making.” “Housing is one of the most unstable government departments. By the time someone gets their head around it, they usually leave office.” Presented by Naomi Smith. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What makes comedy happen? Our most celebrated impressionist RORY BREMNER talks to Alex Andreou about how his ADHD drives his own work – plus tracking and tracing Boris Johnson’s offspring, how hard it is to pin down a take on today’s political mediocrities, Brexit, and of course the loss to COVID of his great friend and colleague Tim Brooke-Taylor. And yes, there WILL be impressions… “Fire, bank crashes, plague… We’re living a box set life now and you wonder, Who is writing this?” “Johnson isn’t a leader, he’s a cheerleader. His skillset is bluster and bombast.” Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Job losses are surging, but the next wave of mass unemployment won’t be like the ones in the 80s, the 90s or the financial crisis of 2008. The Institute for Government’s GILES WILKES – economist and past special advisor to Vince Cable and Theresa May – tells Andrew Harrison why the old remedies for joblessness won’t work, how COVID has robbed the Government of room to manoeuvre, and what sort of industries might emerge from this once-in-a-century crisis. Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Belarus is convulsed by pro-democracy demonstrations, the opposition leader has fled in fear and the EU is threatening to reimpose sanctions. Yet pig-farmer turned strongman Alexander Lukashenko shows no sign of relinquishing his 26-year grip on power. Professor Andrew Wilson of UCL, the author of Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship, talks to Dorian Lynskey about how Lukashenko rigs elections, the prospects for bringing real democracy to Belarus, and who’s keeping “Batka” in power. “There’s YouTube video of someone shouting ‘Just swap the votes!’” “Lukashenko was shocked by Putin’s attack on Crimea. Even dictators want to stay in power.” “Lukashenko hasn’t done anything clever. It’s just the police vs the demonstrators.” Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Since before the Referendum, rivers of untraceable money have flowed through our politics, washing away accountability and benefiting secretive and powerful people. Peter Geoghegan of openDemocracy joins us to discuss the revelations of his new book Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics – and explore what we need to do when technology outpaces the law. Plus: Which zone is your home? Why the Government’s plans for planning won’t solve the housing crisis. And the future of Lebanon. Presented by Andrew Harrison with Nina Schick and Arthur Snell. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s a world going on underground. Ethnographer, archaeologist and author of the eerily prescient Bunker: Building For The End Times BRADLEY GARRETT is fascinated by tunnels, chambers and hidden realms – and what drives people to populate them. He tells Ros Taylor about the allure of the subterranean, the hidden city under Wiltshire – and the Doomsday Preppers who wanted to buy it – and the cocktail of modern dreads that make humans refuge underground. Hold tight for Bunker on bunker action… with a Rees-Mogg connection too. “COVID has revealed how fragile the society we’ve built over the past 30 years is. We created COVID’s pathways around the world.” “The city is archaeology in reverse… the newest has to be the deepest.” “If you’re heavily invested in societal collapse, and you’re in power, you might want to bring that collapse about.” Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Priti Patel might be trying to stoke fears with her ludicrous ‘Clandestine Channel Threat Commander’ but as the Brexit madness recedes, is the environment for immigrants moving in an inexorably more liberal direction? Professor Jonathan Portes of KCL takes Ian Dunt on a deep dive into the economic realities of immigration and finds that not only will we need more immigrants to deal with the post-COVID challenges… but that we may have passed the high point of xenophobia in Britain. Listen up for what Dunt is calling “my first-even optimistic Bunker Daily…” Presented by Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some good stuff DID get done during the chaotic COVID Parliament that’s just ended. Walthamstow MP STELLA CREASY tells Ayesha Hazarika about her fight to get misogyny reclassified as a hate crime as part of the Domestic Abuse Bill, why women have been left out of the Government’s COVID response… and all the gigs that the Right Honourable Member for Indie Rock missed because of the Pandemic. “The Chancellor hasn’t got a Scooby about how COVID affects pregnant women. He started telling me about self-employment instead.” “We’re trying to get people back into pubs, but we’re not getting three-year olds back into childcare.” “One MP told me not to worry about coming back to work after having a baby because there’ll be a nanny. Well there ain’t.” Presented by Ayesha Hazarika. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When JOHN HUME died earlier this week, presidents and political leaders across the spectrum eulogised him as nothing less than the father of peace in Northern Ireland. How did this quiet, determined man find a way to bring about the impossible, and sideline violence within Irish nationalism? South Belfast MP Claire Hanna tells Naomi Smith why John Hume is her political hero, and what we can still learn from him. “People used to joke about John Hume’s ‘single transferable speech’… but he used to say the problem hasn’t changed so the solution hasn’t changed.” Presented by Naomi Smith. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the Grand Reopening leading inevitably to the Great Re-Locking, is No.10’s rule-by-snappy-slogan no longer fit for purpose? Has Boris Johnson’s back-scratching Dissolution Honours finally made Lords Reform inevitable – and should we fear a shake-up if it happens? And our special guest, former minister and rebellious leader of the Gaukward Squad David Gauke, gives perhaps the most entertaining account of losing an election we’ve heard… and speculates if we’ll ever see one-nation Conservatism ever again. “On COVID, the British public seem to be far more sanguine than writers for mid-market tabloids.” – Ian Dunt “If you’re a Muslim, your mum starts cooking for Eid three days ahead… And that late lockdown made Muslims feel really unvalued.” – Ayesha Hazarika “There’s been too many occasions where the Prime Minister has been too keen to deliver good news that turns out not to be correct… and that undermines trust.” – David Gauke “Everybody talks about Lords reform until they become leader.” - Ayesha Hazarika “Even as an ex-MP I was bombarded with angry emails saying Dominic Cummings should go.” – David Gauke Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Ayesha Hazarika and Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin were supposed to overturn the tyranny of the banks and give consumers new power over their money. This financial Wild West is still plagued with fraud, scams, pyramid schemes and doomed start-ups. But as entrepreneur, investor and follower of the crypto/blockchain market PHILLIP NUNN explains, the “Internet of Money” is coming whether governments like it or not. Can it become a force for good in the economic revival? “When people say if Pablo Escobar were around now he’d be using Bitcoin, that’s just not true.” “At first crypto was kids in their bedrooms just trying stuff. Now it’s got billions and billions of market cap.” “To hack one chain of Bitcoin you’d need 30 times the power of Google’s servers.” Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If we’re stuck with a hard right government for the next four years, how should progressives best use this time? Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation MIATTA FAHNBULLEH talks to Alex Andreou about the opportunities amid the chaos, how it’s impossible to triangulate where the Johnson government is going, and what Starmer needs to do right now to build the platform that can win in 2024. “It’s just not clear what the ideology of Johnson is. They’re more opportunistic than anything.” “These moments come up once in a couple of generations, where everything is thrown up in the air.” “We need to come together and say we need change. When people come together, politicians will have to listen.” Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britain can’t wait for the Government’s Public Inquiry into COVID. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus is seizing the initiative and examining every aspect of the crisis. Its chair, Lib Dem MP and leadership candidate LAYLA MORAN, explains to Naomi Smith how MPs are outpacing the government in understanding the virus, why mental health is the neglected aspect of COVID, and how we can prepare for a second wave. “I’d love Boris Johnson to come before us and answer our questions. I very much doubt that he will.” “There are some things more important than the Lib Dem leadership contest, would you believe…” Presented by Naomi Smith. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From unmasking suspects in the Salisbury poisoning to exposing money laundering and Russian involvement in the shooting down of flight MH-17, investigative collective Bellingcat is at the forefront of a new kind of investigative journalism. Founder ELIOT HIGGINS explains to Dorian Lynskey how “open source” investigations work – why conventional media still doesn’t understand the reach of state disinformation – and how to deal with “vicarious trauma” when you have to watch multiple videos of horrific acts in the pursuit of truth. “I’ve seen so much terrible stuff from across the world that I can prepare myself. You learn what not to look at.” Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is the summer tourist season already a write-off for Europe – and will the traditional foreign holiday become history? Are you ready to start paying more tax from the age of 40 to fund your own social care? And as COVID continues to hollow out city centres, is urban living on the way out? Ros Taylor, Ahir Shah and special guest Yasmeen Serhan of The Atlantic join Andrew Harrison for this week’s full-length Bunker. Listen closely for live interventions from Andrew’s cat. “The summer months are the lungs of Europe.” – Yasmeen Serhan “When the people who make decisions about health and social care can opt out with private insurance, they don’t experience the consequences of their own decisions.” – Ros Taylor Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“We’ve been kettled with our own thoughts.” Comedy writer and friend of the podcast JASON HAZELEY – Screenwipe writer and co-creator of everything from the grown-up Ladybird books to Philomena Cunk – talks to Ian Dunt about what the pandemic has done to TV, the live sitcom that is Great Britain, and the dismal poverty of Boris Johnson’s terrible, feeble jokes. “Have I Got News For You in lockdown just looks like a series of hostage videos.” “The last thing the world needs right now is a golden age of monologue.” “Boris Johnson is an ambassador of the trivial and inconsequential… but your Prime Minister should not be a figure of fun.” Presented by Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re conditioned to think that economic development will get faster and faster. But it turns out that many key indicators from population growth to GDP expansion are slowing down. DANNY DORLING, social geographer and author of Slowdown: The End Of The Great Acceleration and Inequality And The 1%, talks to Ros Taylor about the coming Great Deceleration – why inequality is clearly the strongest indicator of mental wellbeing – why most of we hear about the Brexit-hungry “left behinds” is nonsense – and why our slow future was already taking shape before the COVID lockdown. “Important indicators like population are rising – but not as fast we think they are.” “Acceleration was so lauded in the past because we were improving living standards… but we’ve gone way past that. Simply consuming more won’t make us happier.” “Half of the British population is on the edge of being financially insecure and in fact destitute in the near future.” “If your told since birth that you’re the best in the world, then seeing your kids incapable of supporting or housing themselves is hard to accept.” “We’re living under a misconception that this is an age of acceleration. Compared to our grandparents’ time, it’s an age of slowdown.” Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A pop career is for life. Art explorer, national treasure and former Pulp frontman JARVIS COCKER talks to Andrew Harrison about his return to the music fray with new band Jarv Is… and new album Beyond The Pale. On the agenda: the musical concerns of the mature gentleman, what celebrity does to the unwary mind, the legacy of ‘Common People’, and how pop is a way of asking yourself the questions you really ought to answer. “Celebrity is like pornography. It takes something great, like sex, and grosses it out.” “The post-war dream was a classless society… and now that seems to have totally disappeared.” Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Europe really build back better after the pandemic? How does the EU’s response to COVID look when you’re one of Britain’s former MEPs? Molly Scott Cato, former Green Party MEP and the party’s current Brexit and Finance spokesperson, joins Alex Andreou to talk over plus the Russia Report, the financial conduits that make corruption possible, and what we do now that Vote Leave runs the country “These people drove the Brexit boat and are now in government, and we don’t really know where their loyalties lie.” “In British society we hide our dirty laundry – but the laundry is still dirty.” “The main problem of the Eurozone is that some countries can tell others how to spend their money.” Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“In Moscow, inquiry closes YOU.” As the Russia Report confirms the Conservatives’ wilful blind eye to Putin’s interference in UK elections, where do we go from here? If we rage about the Russians supposedly tipping the Referendum or the General Election, are we looking at the wrong things? Plus, why the left needs to stop gloating over The Guardian’s money woes… and hands off Bill Gates. Can’t a guy just be a munificent billionaire without everyone getting on his case? Naomi Smith subpoenas Helen Lewis, Ian Dunt and Alex Andreou to give evidence on this week’s full-length Bunker. Also – sirens! “We can’t have another election with half of the country believing they’re going to be cheated” – Alex Andreou “Russia is trying to encourage wedge issues and the Vote Leave government is exacerbating that.” – Ian Dunt “The same backbenchers who are losing their shit about a Chinese wire in their phone are completely relaxed about Russia running electoral interference.” – Alex Andreou “Russian influence has become so embedded in the UK that the intelligence community can only shrug.” – Alex Andreou “The new elitism is packing the Lords with your mates.” – Ian Dunt Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coronavirus has put women out of work more frequently than men, led to a spike in domestic violence, pushed women’s healthcare down the list of priorities, and set the scene for a mental health crisis for women. Yet politicians appear blind to the pandemic’s gendered consequences. Dr Clare Wenham, Assistant Professor of Global Health Policy at the LSE, talks to Helen Lewis about how the pandemic has hit women hardest, and what we will need to learn from it. “We’re seeing exactly what happened with Zika and Ebola – but on a global scale.” “Female-dominated industries are the ones hardest hit by pandemics. What it means is, women lose their jobs.” “British exceptionalism means we haven’t learned from what happened during pandemics in the rest of the world.” Presented by Helen Lewis. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Intelligence report into Russian interference in British elections and the Referendum is finally published this week – but what will it mean? Why are Brexiters so keen to discredit it? And are Tory backbenchers finally growing a spine? Ian Dunt sets the scene for what looks like a momentous week in British politics. “Eskimos supposedly have a thousand words for snow – and the Russian government has a thousand words for lie.” “The Russians are banking on domestic tribalism to prevent any serious response to their interference.” “The Tories are up to their necks in Russian donations.” “The Raab leak shows how inept and cynical the Government’s response to Russian interference has been.” Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hold the front podcast page! The infamous Russia Report could well come out next week. What will it reveal? The Guardian’s Russia correspondent LUKE HARDING, author of Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem And Russia’s Remaking Of The West and first British journalist to be expelled from Russia since the end of the Cold War, joins Dorian Lynskey to look at what Putin really wants. How did Russia influence Brexit? Why did Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s Russian collusion flop so badly? Whatever happened to the classy, erudite KGB of old? Oh, and the Secret Plot against Chris Grayling. “You have to ask, why have Johnson and Cummings burnt so much political capital on suppressing this report?” “Donald Trump is seen in Moscow as the greatest success in Russian espionage history.” “The message of Salisbury was, You may forget about us but we will never forget about you.” “Robert Mueller was like a boy scout going into Trump’s gambling den.” “Russian interference in Brexit definitely happened – whether you believe it was determinant or not.” Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do former democrats and intellectuals so often make the squalid journey from liberalism to hardline nationalism? Historian ANNE APPLEBAUM’s new book Twilight Of Democracy: The Failure Of Politics And The Parting Of Friends describes why once-liberal people make deals with devils of demagoguery. She talks to Nina Schick about the revenge of the second-raters, the lure of performative rage, how toxic nostalgia feeds authoritarianism and worse… and what we can do about it. “If you despair that your society is coming to an end, you will embrace desperate measures.” “When Trump tweets ‘LAW AND ORDER’ what he’s saying is, I can shut these people up.” “Brexit was a coup carried out by one part of the elite against another part of the elite.” “The defeat of Donald Trump is absolutely the most important thing that needs to happen for the world to move forward.” Presented by Nina Schick. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As America faces the dire prospect of a Trump second term, the hardest-hitting, most brutal and effective anti-Trump ads come from the rebel Republicans of Super PAC the Lincoln Project. Former George W Bush and John McCain strategist Steve Schmidt of The Lincoln Project joins us to explain the scale of the stakes, the depths of Trump’s betrayal, and what British listeners can do to unseat America’s worst president. Plus, fun with cancel culture! Ayesha Hazarika and Alex Andreou join Andrew Harrison for this week’s full-length Bunker roundtable. “In a choice between a sociopath and a socialist, in America the sociopath is going to win seven days a week.” “We have gone full Banana Republic in the US in the past four years.” “Democracies can’t flourish when the truth and a lie are indistinguishable.” “It took 240 years to discover the design flaw in the American system.” “Grievance is the high-octane fuel of Trumpism. No grievance, no Trumpism.” Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork by Mark Taylor. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Not everyone with COVID ends up in hospital. Sufferers are beginning to report a disturbing post-viral syndrome of deep, extended fatigue, weakness, “brain fog”, anxiety and weird physical sensations that they’re calling “Long COVID”. Paul Garner of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine tells Naomi Smith about his own strange and debilitating ten-week experience with Long COVID – and explains why employers and medical professionals need to take it seriously. “I felt very fatigued, with brain fogs, my heart was racing… it felt like my life was draining out of me.” “I used to do an hour of intense yoga regularly. Now I do 15 minutes and I’m floored for two days.” “This disease messes with your head. I’ve woken up in a very low mood, in tears… then later in the day I’ll be fine.” “This is very similar to ME and long-term fatigue… And patients are not being believed by employers and health professionals.” Presented by Naomi Smith. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How will transport in cities change after the COVID wave subsides? Will financial worries make high-frequency public transport a thing of the past, just when we need it most? And will we even WANT to live in cities any more? Jonn Elledge of urban nerdery site CityMetric talks to Ros Taylor about the future of trains, buses and bikes… and why we might have missed the COVID opportunity to rethink transport. “Uber isn’t even good for Uber drivers. The company clearly wants to phase them out.” “The Government is going to have to subsidise London’s transport again. If it doesn’t the city will grind to a halt.” “If London life no longer exists as it once did, what’s the point of spending a fortune to live there?” “I do worry that anything we were going to do about traffic, the moment has now passed.” Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COVID’s impact on people with multiple sclerosis has been cruel beyond even the privations experienced by the rest of us. Our panelist Ros Taylor has never spoken about her own MS diagnosis before. In conversation with David Martin, CEO of the MS Trust, she discusses the astonishing hardships faced by people with MS during the pandemic, why all charities are facing a potential extinction event… and what listeners can do to rescue essential charities that face total ruin. Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump annihilates the language of democracy even as he campaigns to destroy its institutions – and in this, he’s just like Putin. In a podcast unlike any we’ve recorded (complete with live thunderstorms), the author of Surviving Autocracy MASHA GESSEN talks to Dorian Lynskey about the lies designed to purely to bully, the perils of the next Trump… and why we might come out of the populist mess better than we went in. Produced and presented by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As #BlackLivesMatter puts law enforcement under microscope worldwide, policing expert and former Met officer Peter Kirkham gives the view from inside British policing. Plus, what does Beijing’s draconian crackdown on free speech mean for Hong Kong citizens – and will Britain’s offer of BNO passports make any difference? And what are you going to spend your £500 government stimulus voucher on? Nina Shick and Arthur Snell join Dorian Lynskey for this week’s full-length Bunker podcast. “Lockdown isn’t a policing issue. It’s a government and a health issue. Portraying it as a policing issue just shows how shambolic the Government’s response has been.” – Peter Kirkham “Any organisation put together by white males will put the interests of white males first. We have to ask ourselves how we deal with that.” – Peter Kirkham Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork by Mark Taylor. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Bermondsey to Zimbabwe to Moscow and beyond, PETER TATCHELL has been fighting for human rights for over 50 years… and the LGBT rights that got him pilloried by the tabloids in 1983 are now the stuff of the mainstream. As we enter the most dangerous moment for democracies since the end of WWII, what should we be fighting for – and how? Peter talks to Andrew Harrison about populism’s crisis moment, the failure of Corbynism, and how we can still follow the COVID crisis with a once-in-a-century renewal. Produced and presented by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recorded before the Government’s announcement on support for the arts… Last Friday Naomi Smith talked to stand-up comedian and host of the Two Vegan Idiots podcast CARL DONNELLY about the battered state of comedy and the arts under the COVID onslaught. Then on Sunday Rishi Sunak announces £1.57bn of aid to the arts. Who says The Bunker doesn’t get things done, eh? Listen in as Naomi and Carl discuss what’s needed to fix crisis that has cost the arts £74bn and threatens 400,000 jobs. “The arts isn’t just left-wing comedians banging on about Nigel Farage… These venues employ thousands of people.” Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Extended culture upgrade special! Like all live music, opera has been floored by COVID-19. Can an art form that thrives on crowds and projecting your voice (and your breath) survive this game-changing crisis? Will opera houses face bankruptcy? How is the industry negotiating the nightmares of rescheduling, social distancing and insurance companies that won’t pay up? And when will audiences finally get to experience the thrill of live opera again? Alex Andreou raises the curtains on an all-star Corona Crisis special from the opera world, featuring Michael Moody, co-founder of the Grange Festival, Hampshire; Australian lyric soprano and multiple competition winner Kiandra Howarth; and National Symphony Orchestra Principal Guest Conductor John Andrews (whose Very Brief History of Opera on YouTube has been a blessing on lockdown). The music for this special edition is Kiandra performing Crepusculo at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. “As sins go, bringing a respiratory disease to an opera festival is right up there.” “As opera buffs, we’re always dealing with tragedy…” Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GRAVE RESERVATIONS: Britain’s restaurants will unlock this weekend in a life or death moment for an industry that employs almost a million people. Will diners embrace their freedom or will FOGO keep them away? How has the COVID lockdown changed our relationship with eating out? Which restaurants will innovate their way out of trouble? And if a No Deal Brexit happens, will it all have been for nothing? The Observer’s renowned food critic JAY RAYNER joins Andrew Harrison to talk about the most momentous meals we may ever eat. Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Was Keir Starmer right to defenestrate Rebecca Long-Bailey and will this reset the DAYS SINCE LABOUR BUST-UP clock to zero? Special guest Philip Seargeant, author of The Art of Political Storytelling, explains how narrative crowded out truth in politics and what we can do about it. And what can everyone learn from Liverpool FC’s Jürgen Klopp – even if they hate football? Helen Lewis and Ahir Shah join Andrew Harrison for this week’s full-length Bunker podcast. “The thing about the Labour Left’s anger on social media is, Twitter is what they’ve got left.” – Helen Lewis “It's hard to find models of masculinity that aren’t brittle or blokey. But Klopp is authoritative and also quite caring too.” – Helen Lewis Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork by Mark Taylor. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there a real free speech crisis in universities or is it just another confected Culture War squabble? With people like Amber Rudd banned from speaking simply for having been in government, is No Platform overreaching itself? And how did a bunch of defrocked Marxists end up the main advocates of a very conservative vision of free speech? British-Australian academic EVAN SMITH, author of No Platform, talks to Dorian Lynskey about the tangled roots and “mission creep” inherent in the practice of shutting people up. “Nigel Farage was exposed to the sunlight of debate pretty regularly. How well did that work out?” Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is the pandemic an extinction event for news media, or a strange opportunity? Is trust in journalism really collapsing in the age of populism? And is the BBC still top of Dominic Cummings’ To Destroy list? Don of media analysts RAYMOND SNODDY – ex media editor at the Times and FT – talks to Andrew Harrison about the media’s COVID-born existential crisis. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Immigration is the topic most guaranteed to drive good sense out of the room. Will opinions be changed by COVID’s sobering reminder of the irreplaceable work that immigrants do? Has Black Lives Matter shown us the progress we’ve made – or the progress we haven’t? And will the Government use COVID quarantine as cover for even more repressive immigration rules? MINNIE RAHMAN of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants talks to Alex Andreou about the myth of the immigrant freeloader and the unforeseen cruelties of the Hostile Environment. “Let’s face it, any migrant is just one lost document away from becoming a victim of the Hostile Environment.” “You can’t have a two-tier system where some people can access services and some can’t. We’re only as healthy as our neighbours.” Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If shops and pubs can reopen, why can’t pools? Swimming saves the NHS and social care some £357m a year, yet the Government’s mishandling of community sport is a microcosm of its muddled approach across Coronavirus. How badly will this affect young swimmers? And how does COVID-19 fare in chlorinated water anyway? Swim England chief exec JANE NICKERSON explains as enthusiast swim fan Ros Taylor goes off the deep end. “If we’re working on science, what makes a cinema or a pub better to open than a swimming pool?” “The children who are missing swimming lessons now could become a lost generation.” “We talk about protecting the NHS. Well keeping people fit and healthy IS protecting the NHS.” Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you wearing your facemask? If not, WHY NOT? Plus: Has Britain’s shambolic response to COVID exposed something worse than bad leadership: a deep-seated rot in the British state itself? What’s going to happen when mass unemployment hits the sharp-elbowed, politically-engaged middle classes? And most importantly, when can we finally, finally get our highlights done? Ros Taylor welcomes Ayesha Hazarika, Nina Schick and Alex Andreou into our specially-hardened Bunker for this week’s panel show. Stay tuned for Alex’s deep-dive on anti-COVID “moustache and beard snoods” and PPE niche porn… “There are people now who’ve only heard of older people as a burden… We wheel out our veterans and then let them drown with COVID.” – Alex Andreou “The infamous Red Wall is a blessing and a curse for Boris Johnson.” – Ayesha Hazarika “Britain needs to complain more and whinge less.” – Alex Andreou Presented by Ros Taylor. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork by Mark Taylor. Audio production by Alex Rees. Produced by Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hundreds of thousands of people should be heading to Glastonbury right now. Instead the live music industry is hanging on by its fingernails, hundreds of venues are threatened with closure, and the Government hasn’t included music in its ‘Cultural Renewal Taskforce’. Music agent JAMES WRIGHT of United Talent Agency talks to Andrew Harrison about what this multi-billion pound industry needs to survive. “Music is this country’s cultural background. And it’s being taken away from people.” “Our business just doesn’t work with ANY social distancing in place.” Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices