The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Which businesses could dig Britain out of the COVID recession? What will industry need to do to adapt to a new, socially-distanced reality? What are all those people involved in hospitality, services and entertainment going to do for a living? And is this a good time to start a business? Entrepreneur, investor and original mother of dragons DEBORAH MEADEN talks to Alex Andreou about the blank slate that is post-COVID business. “There are very few moments in business where everything changes. And this is one of them.” “We might find that we’ve changed forever how we go out and socialise in pubs or restaurants.” “My businesses have been through a scary moment. But now it’s become an exciting moment for us.” “You NEVER do everything at once in business. And with Brexit the Government is trying to do exactly that.” “There’s no point in having your money sitting in the bank right now. Get it out. Get it working.” 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

The death of George Floyd has triggered an outpouring of protest in the US and a surge of unprecedented violence from police. Could these astonishing events really change the direction of politics and race in America? Journalism teacher and ex-Washington Post writer and editor MARCIA DAVIS reported on Ferguson and the nascent Black Lives Matter movement. From Washington DC she talks to Dorian Lynskey about a tumultuous week in the United States – and what needs to happen next. “It’s got to be more than a hashtag this time.” “This has been time of fear and worry but also joy and excitement for many of us – because maybe things are changing” “There’s nothing good about the death of George Floyd… but it has galvanised people of all races in an unprecedented way.” “Many young people are saying yes, Biden IS better than Trump… but they want more.” 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

We love Parris in the springtime. Times columnist, much-admired old school Tory and now Conservative exile MATTHEW PARRIS talks to Ros Taylor about the extraordinary place the Government has got itself into. What’s left of old-fashioned Toryism? Have we got to a place where people are happy for Government to make their decisions for then? And will the existential shock of the pandemic finally draw the Brexit poison out of Britain? “It’s going to be harder and harder to make the case that there isn’t a magic money tree.” “Boris Johnson is afraid of Parliament. I think he suffers from imposter syndrome.” “Boris Johnson is having to behave like a schoolmaster when he doesn’t even do his own homework.” 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

Comedian Mark Watson is this week’s special guest as Britain sacrifices public health for sunbathing and access to flatpack furniture. Are we mentally ready to get back out and be normal? Will FOMO be replaced by FOGO – Fear Of Going Out? What is the meaning of masks? Who’s behind the attacks on “Scum Media” and what are they trying to achieve? And what is ‘British Common Sense’ anyway? Ayesha Hazarika and Helen Lewis join Ros Taylor for this week’s full-length BUNKER. “What you’re allowed to do seems like a blokey charter… football, fishing, cars…archery?” – Ayesha Hazarika “Opening car showrooms should be very good for the nation’s optical health.” – Mark Watson “Dominic Cummings promised to unite the country and to be fair, he did achieve that. Everyone hates him.” – Ayesha Hazarika This government feels like people with gardens making rules for people who live in tower blocks.” – Helen Lewis Presented by Ros Taylor with Helen Lewis and Ayesha Hazarika. 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

When term starts in autumn, universities won’t look like what we’re used to. What will “bubble learning” look like? What sort of hole will the pandemic knock in University finances? Will there be a socially-distanced bar and/or Animal Rights Soc disco? And will Government bail out colleges – or let some fail in an orgy of academic Darwinism? Dorian Lynskey talks to Oxford Brookes History professor and commentator Glen O’Hara about higher education’s upcoming crisis – and why even that £9,000 per term fee doesn’t cover the cost of tuition. “I wouldn’t use the term belt-tightening. I’d say blood-letting.” “Blended learning is definitely the new black.” “The biggest hit will be felt at the biggest institutions like Leeds or King’s… The big boys will really suffer.” “Universities are large-scale businesses with cafes, accommodation, bars and so on… In terms of income this is a perfect storm.” 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

There’s a nightmare economic downturn on the cards, but unions were deeply involved in the emergency bailout plans. Is organised Labour about to re-enter policymaking for the first time in over 40 years? What can unions do for women workers in an economy in turmoil? And how can we rebuild better? TUC General Secretary FRANCES O’GRADY tells Ayesha Hazarika about the role unions can play not just in fixing the economy, but in transforming it. “Seven in ten care workers are on less than £10 an hour. What has gone wrong?” “Women are realising their own value. And that public support has been really important.” “Let’s be ambitious for ordinary working people.” “The public mood has changed, when we’ve got so many so-called self-employed delivery drivers who don’t have those key rights.” “This can’t all end with the clapping on Thursday nights.” 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

What buttons can government push to wake up a comatose economy, and will they work this time? Will this formerly Conservative government need to go full Keynesian with a bonanza of giveaways to stimulate activity? Or if fear of persistent virus stops us returning to “normal”, might Government withdraw its support measures to force us back to work? Alex Andreou talks to DR GEMMA TETLOW, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government, about the fiendishly complex task of bringing the economy back from suspended animation. “Ten years of focus on greater efficiency drove out some of the resilience that might have been there.” “If we come out of this with people holding on to their money then Government may need to stimulate the economy even more.” 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

Where does this week of chaos leave the Government’s authority? Will it affect our staggering progress towards the cliff edge of a failed negotiation with the EU? Ian Dunt talks to ANAND MENON of UK In A Changing Europe about the Johnson government’s self-inflicted problems. This podcast recorded on Tuesday 26 May. “With unemployment and a recession coming, will people finally stop thinking about politics and say just fix the sodding economy?” – Anand Menon “When cut-through REALLY cuts through, it becomes the emotional framework that everyone remembers. And that’s what’s happened to Cummings.” – Ian Dunt “It suits the Government to walk from the talks in November, so that sense of outrage can carry us through the first queues at Dover.” – Anand Menon 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

Got a bonus one for you: Britain’s fishing industry has long been an emotional hot button for Brexiters and a seaborne sticking point for our trade negotiators. What exactly is going on in Britain’s coastal waters? And what would a No Deal Brexit mean for fishermen who’ve been promised so much – and used as symbols – over the past five years? Ros Taylor talks to IAIN SPEAR of Devon scallop suppliers Coombe Fisheries about the fate of the Great British Fish. 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

Dom Under Siege, Day Five: Has the Prime Minister’s incomprehensibly immovable Rasputin done enough to save his skin? And is a 60-mile car trip really the best way to test your eyesight? Plus guest John Appleby of health think tank the Nuffield Trust joins us to scope out how the NHS will change after COVID lifts. And why does the Government’s “Cultural Renewal Taskforce” contain no-one from the music, books, museum, heritage or fashion industries? Ahir Shah and Ros Taylor join Andrew Harrison for this week’s full-length BUNKER. “This is not going away as long as you know what a Zoom funeral is.” – Ahir Shah “This won’t be what breaks the Johnson Government. But the doubts have now been sown.” – Ros Taylor “In terms of lockdown, anyone can cite the Cummings Caveat now.” – John Appleby Produced and presented by Andrew Harrison with Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork 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 provided a golden opportunity for unscrupulous online and offline retailers to jack up their prices on essential goods. Who are the worst culprits for COVID price gouging? Who are the victims? And what should government be doing to stop them? ADAM FRENCH, Senior Consumer Rights Editor at the consumer advocate Which?, talks to Andrew Harrison about pandemic profiteering. 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

Should he stay or should he go now? Audio of our Emergency Dominic Cummings podcast, recorded on Zoom at 1pm today, Sunday 24 May with Dorian Lynskey, Ros Taylor, Alex Andreou and Andrew Harrison. You can just about get it listened to before the PM’s press conference at 5pm when, gosh, who know who’ll get sacked? Video of this podcast is coming soon on our Patreon page too. Sign up for full access. 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 Government’s emergency measures to keep public places empty are proving to be a rat’s nest. Even senior police officers and prosecutors don’t fully understand the law. Prosecutions are falling apart. And civil liberties groups are calling for a review of all penalties. Constitutional expert and Remainiacs regular DAVID ALLEN GREEN talks to Ayesha Hazarika about bad law made in haste, and what we can look forward to in the inevitable Public Inquiry. “We’ve enforced public health legislation as if it were public order emergency.” “The regulations that created perhaps the widest-ranging prohibitions in peacetime never had a parliamentary vote.” “It may well be that the litigation will go on longer than the virus did.” “We’re supposed to nod along in a public health emergency… but how much are we nodding along?” 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

There’s only one problem with the widely-held belief that humans are fundamentally amoral and selfish, says Dutch historian RUTGER BREGMAN: it’s rubbish. His new book Humankind: A Hopeful History argues that the record shows humanity’s superpower is its unique aptitude for altruism and co-operation. He tells Andrew Harrison why everything from Lord Of The Flies to the story of the Blitz is teaching us to draw the wrong conclusions about the human race – and explains who benefits from spreading the myth of human selfishness. “Catastrophes bring out the best in people” “Individual humans are not all that smart or strong – but we can cooperate on the level no other species can match.” “The idea that most people are pretty decent is actually a revolutionary idea.” “Cynicism is a form of laziness.” 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

On this week’s full-length podcast: Keir Starmer, Donkey Farmer. Be a hero, or else: The Government frogmarches teachers to the frontline. Futurist Mark Stevenson joins us for some big ideas on how to change everything when the COVID mess starts to abate. Corona-ing up the Culture Wars. Should we give in to travel guilt? And which of the panel will defend David Cameron? Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou join Andrew Harrison for this week’s full-length BUNKER. “THE WORLD HAS JUST BEEN GIVEN A CRASH COURSE IN SYSTEMS CHANGE.” “If you want to see real innovation, go to the places where the world is broken.” “Every nation has been given an exam called COVID. And the grades are coming in.” “Being vindicated about something you always knew was going to be a shit show is not a great feeling.” Produced and presented by Andrew Harrison with Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork 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

FROST/BARNIER: As Britain’s negotiators issue ultimatums out of thin air and the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier pronounces the talks “very disappointing”, is there anything to save Britain from the catastrophic No Deal we were promised would never happen? We talk to HILARY BENN, Chair of the Commons Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union, about the Brexit brinksmanship that could blow up in Britain’s face. 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

Hollywood bowled over: Coronavirus has thrown the entire movie industry into suspended animation. Are the studios strong enough to withstand this unprecedented shock? Will smaller movies become collateral damage in the shutdown? Will straight-to-streaming become the new norm for even blockbuster movies? And anyone for Tenet? Is Christopher Nolan’s mind-scrambler really going to save the movies business? Nick de Semlyen of EMPIRE magazine explains the industry’s travails to Dorian Lynskey. “I don’t think the cinema experience is going to die. But it’s definitely under threat.” 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

The Government’s emergency measures have saddled Britain with levels of debt unseen outside wartime – and a possible future of mass unemployment. How can we rebuild the economy for a post-COVID future? What’s the scale of the task? And which industries could thrive after the shutdown and which are doomed? DR GARRY YOUNG, co-Deputy Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, sets out our possible futures to 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 we disappear deeper into virtual worlds both for work and relaxation, what are the political dimensions of the technologies we depend on to connect? Videogame scriptwriter Edward Stern, who has worked on Dirty Bomb, Gears Of War and other “shooty bang” games, explains to novice Ros Taylor why games will be increasingly important in our distanced future… what makes a good game tick… why they aren’t as gendered as you thought … what their ascendancy can teach us about our modern world… and how to present yourself on Zoom. “For people with disabilities, a game that lets you fly when you can’t walk is quite a big deal. That’s existentially redefining.” “Reality is quite badly written at the moment. The characters are bad. You have very few actions available to you. And you’re stuck in one place for far too …” 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

Are YOU staying alert? If not, WHY not? We look at the Government’s confusing (and possibly self-serving) re-do of its COVID advice. UCL Global Politics professor and presenter of the Power Corrupts podcast Brian Klaas explains why we’re asking the wrong questions about Trump’s shambolic Corona response. And is this the most disappointing apocalypse ever if you happen to be a guy visiting Subway with a bazooka? Ros Taylor and Ahir Shah of The Mash Report join Dorian Lynskey for this week’s full-length BUNKER. “Socially-distanced congas are at least preferable to eating the neighbours.” – Ahir Shah “Blithering on about garden centres is not a sensible way to run a country.” – Ros Taylor “This virus really doesn’t listen to the will of the people at all…” – Dorian Lynskey “Every time you don’t directly say ‘Don’t do this’, a portion of the population is going to do that thing.” – Brian Klaas Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Ros Taylor and Ahir Shah. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork 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 changed everything – and maybe inaugurated a strange new era of history that nobody anticipated. What can we learn from past existential crises, from the oil shock to the world financial emergency of 2008? Will 2020 be a turning point like 1945 or 1979? And what good could come from this great upheaval? Historian ALWYN TURNER, author of Rejoice! Rejoice!: Britain in the 1980s, Crisis? What Crisis?: Britain in the 1970s and the upcoming All In It Together, talks to Andrew Harrison about life on the hinge of history. “Whether we like it or not, this is the dawning of a new era.” 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

Meanwhile, in Brazil… Extreme populist President Jair Bolsonaro’s dismissive response to the Corona crisis makes even Trump’s look vaguely reasonable. Could the anti-lockdown sentiment he’s fomenting push Brazil into real crisis? And how does this homophobic, military fetishist, formerly marginal far-right figure maintain power? Rio-based British journalist DOM PHILLIPS talks to Dorian Lynskey about wild times in the world’s sixth-largest country. “A professor in Rio once described Bolsanaro as just a troll… but he has a very popular touch. And he’s very, very extreme.” “The stuff I saw during the elections, it’s absolutely staggering that a mainstream politician would say these things.” 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

Who’s up for some philosophy? COVID is shaping up as a crucible for the very idea of freedom – and an ultimate test for populism and libertarianism. Ian Dunt talks to TOBY BUCKLE of the Political Philosophy Podcast about what freedom means, who owns it, what the lockdown is doing to international notions of liberty, and whether Boris Johnson is, if possible, even worse than Trump. “Look at the evidence. Don’t look at your intuition. What seems obvious to you won’t be obvious to someone from another part of the country.” “Politics isn’t about policies. It’s about disagreements about the meaning of words.” 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

How is the Great Home Schooling Experiment going? Is distance learning exposing the holes in Conservative eduction policy – and the gulf between wealthy pupils and state students without laptops and iPads? Do we need to stop treating schools as a national childcare service? And will we see the end of traditional summer holidays? Education journalist LAURA MCINERNY who runs Teacher Tapp talks to Dorian Lynskey about the ongoing class struggle. “Nine in ten vulnerable children are now NOT at school.” “Those in the poorest areas are reporting that their children are doing the least and have the least resources.” “Motivation is a massive issue. If something you’ve spent five years working towards is taken away, you might just think ‘I’m never going to work for anything again’.” 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

Britain’s COVID response is now officially the worst in Europe – yet somehow Boris Johnson is getting away it. How? Plus: The NHS triumphant. Health policy expert Roy Lilley on how the service must change after the Corona ordeal. And what have we learned on our enforced retreat into inner space? Gavin Esler and Ayesha Hazarika join Andrew Harrison for this week’s full-length BUNKER. “Everyone’s an epidemiologist nowadays.” Produced and presented by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork 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

After an economic shock that’s unique in human history, how can we rebuild Britain’s businesses and public finances? How are we going to pay off a national debt unseen outside of wartime? Ian Mulheirn, Chief Economist of Renewing the Centre at the Tony Blair Institute, tells Naomi Smith about the hard choices ahead in a world without rules. “This is the first time ever that governments have actively decided to switch the economy off.” “We won’t be as worried about paying this debt off as we might have been in the past. We’ll just have to live with it.” “This is what the State is for. It’s for safeguarding livelihoods and lives in times of crisis.” 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

Donald Tusk is telling Poles to boycott their presidential elections out of “basic human decency”. Is Poland’s ruling Law And Justice using COVID to intensify its anti-liberal direction? How are ordinary Poles coping with Corona? And could Law And Justice really get Poland expelled from the EU even though Poles are the most pro-EU people in Europe? Sociologist ROCH DUNIN-WĄSOWICZ of the LSE explains the crisis in democracy in the EU’s seventh-largest country. “If the Presidential elections were to take place they would not fulfil the democratic conditions of being free, open and transparent.” “This amounts to the complete control of the judiciary by the executive.” “In Poland the UK is being showcased as Europe’s worst case of handling COVID. And that makes the Polish community in the UK worried.” “A lot of promises were made to Britain’s Polish community, and those promises were broken.” 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

Zoom fatigue, virtual pubs, the Baby Johnson… Standup comic and comedy writer ATHENA KUGBLENU purges all her lockdown neuroses while Ian Dunt hides behind the microphone. Is Captain Tom being politicised? Why do we have to see everything through the prism of the Second World War? And why do we still treat posh upper class white guys with such respect? “A lot of stuff is going on under our noses while we’re all, y’know, juggling for the NHS.” “Congratulations to Boris Johnson, babies are wonderful… but he’s a politician who’s come back to work. So he’s fair game.” “I wouldn’t have put it has Boris Johnson to time this kid so he got an extended Easter break.” 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

The lockdown is impacting everyone differently but it’s hitting people with pre-existing mental health issues especially hard. Demand for help with depression and anxiety are up by 30% worldwide, and the impending once-in-a-century recession is likely to make it worse. Will Higham of the charity Rethink Mental Illness talks to Naomi Smith about the post-COVID crisis in mental wellbeing – and how it affects young people especially. Presented by Naomi Smith. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork 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

As Boris Johnson returns to work, will we see a chastened lockdown hawk or will he revert to his laissez-faire instincts? With trust in journalists plummeting, who decided that it’s the media’s job to ask “helpful questions” of government? Plus Conservative MP Robert Largan joins us to discuss whether infrastructure is the silver bullet to fix the Corona-hit economy. “We are watching unprecedented deaths… To talk about ‘success’ right now is obscene.” – Ian Dunt Presented by Ros Taylor with Naomi Smith and Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork 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

Put that sourdough starter away… Lockdown is the perfect opportunity to enrich the soul by discovering the mystery and magic of gardening. Superstar ethnobotanist JAMES WONG tells Alex Andreou how to start growing at home, and the hacks that can make it work for you. Why is being around stuff that’s growing so good for our mental wellbeing? What’s the gateway drug to horticulture? And which of the 400,000 plants on Planet Earth should you be planting right now? “We don’t know how or why gardening is so good for us. All we know is, it works.” “We’ve got time on our hands now that we may never have again.” “Supergluing plants? Are you kidding me?” Presented by Justin Quirk. 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

Bleach! 5G! Bats! Why would anyone march with a banner that reads “Sacrifice the Weak”? Is the political reaction to COVID really being influenced by conspiracy theory? And can a democracy function when many voters simply reject facts in favour of comforting delusion? Political psychologist STEPHAN LEWANDOWSKY talks to debut presenter Justin Quirk about the irrational energies driving the Corona crisis. “Whenever people feel they’ve lost control they invariably resort to conspiracy theory.” “People take lies from a politician as a nudge and wink that they are on their side. That’s what happens with Trump.” Presented by Justin Quirk. 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 airline and travel industries are suffering the most serious crisis in their history: worse than 9/11, the 2008 financial slump and the Icelandic volcano combined. Can air travel survive COVID? And given its carbon footprint, do we even want it to? Aviation writer JOHN WALTON tells Andrew Harrison how airlines will have to change, why the industry can’t operate on a financial knife edge any longer… and if it’s right for bearded billionaires with private islands to get the begging bowl out. 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

Britain’s tax system was already a mess before the COVID-19 emergency sent the public finances into a crisis of wartime proportions. Is this a moment to radically re-engineer government revenue? Are we taxing the right things, activities… or people? Will those who got off lightly in 2008 have to pony up rather more this time around? And in the post-Corona world, does even a Tory government have any choice about moving us to a European-style high tax economy? GILES WILKES of the Institute for Government explains all to baffled layman Andrew Harrison. 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

While the rest of Europe locked down, Sweden took a different and much looser path on dealing with COVID. Is their controversial approach working? Is Sweden right to measure itself against a longer-term tally of suffering caused by the virus’s economic consequences, and not just the immediate death toll? Andrew Brown, author of Fishing in Utopia: Sweden and the Future that Disappeared talks to Ros Taylor about the biggest COVID gamble in Europe. “There’s a view that everyone is pursuing the Swedish strategy, whether they know it or not.” “This is a fairly brutal way of doing it. But Sweden’s view is that the facts are brutal.” “Swedish opinion is like a shoal of herring. They all head in the same direction together – but that direction can change suddenly.” “The Swedish government can be extremely bossy – but part of the technique of social control was to deny that it existed.” 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

After the Sunday Times exposé of Johnson’s indolent initial response to the COVID crisis, is the Government’s infantile “rebuttal” an attempt to rewrite the facts of what happened? Hard Lockdown vs Soft Open: economics writer Frances Coppola joins us to scope out the far future of post-plague Coronanomics. Gove-building and Hancock-smashing. And it’s high times for conspiracy theorists. What are we going to do about Bill Gates’s 5G weaponised virus bats? “Who’s giving up on market-led economics right now? The markets themselves.” – Frances Coppola “Eamonn Holmes might think he’s ‘just asking questions’. But they’re asking the wrong questions.” – Nina Schick “With Johnson indisposed they’re terrified of creating a rival. What if Rishi Sunak becomes the face of Government?” – Alex Andreou Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Nina Schick and Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork 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

After years of rubbishing expertise, politicians are now turning to science in humble desperation. Buzzfeed and Telegraph science writer TOM CHIVERS, author of The AI Does Not Hate You, talks to Ian Dunt about the uneasy alliance between science and politics… why immunity passports are probably a non-starter… and why we should have a sliver of sympathy for Matt Hancock and even Boris Johnson. “The hardest thing in writing about science? Explaining uncertainty.” 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’ve all heard about the “wet markets” in Wuhan. How connected are COVID-19 and dangers of future pandemics to the world meat trade? JULIET GELLATLEY of vegan charity Viva! explains how indiscriminate mixing of species and neglect of hygiene in meat markets creates the perfect breeding ground for another viral emergency. Is giving up meat – or eating less of it – no longer a matter of personal choice but world public health? “More and more diseases are emerging from animals and crossing over to human beings… Three in four new diseases come from animals.” 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

Music makes life worth living for some of us, and live shows are the only way many artists make a living. As Corona puts the music industry in an induced coma, TOM GRAY of Gomez talks to Dorian Lynskey about the monumental challenges that music faces. Will we see the return of concerts in 2020? Will we even want to get together in large numbers? If streaming your favourite band all night is not the answer, what is? And should we nationalise Ed Sheeran? “There are people who are not going to be able to survive this. Their income is going to be annihilated.” “Recorded music went away in the Noughties. Touring was the lifeblood, and now it’s gone.” “There will people in the couple of months who’ll be wondering what they’re going to do with the rest of their lives.” 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

How did China really perform in the biggest global health disaster in 100 years? Chatham House China and diplomacy expert DR YU JIE gives Alex Andreou the inside story on the PRC’s response to Corona. What was behind the infamous silencing of warnings about the virus from local doctors? Will the Crisis threaten the Party’s rule? What it’s like to live with China’s stringent, ultra-personal monitoring programme? And how do things feel different for a Chinese person in the West now? “China needs to let the scientific evidence speak for itself, rather than orchestrating a propaganda campaign to tell its narrative.” “Chinese social media is not particularly kind about Chinese people returning home. They say ‘Why are you bringing the virus home to us?” “The 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party comes in 2021. China will need an economic success story to tell its population.” 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

The Labour antisemitism leak: what does it mean and is anyone going to jail for a data breach? Plus, how long can lockdown continue? Why herd immunity isn’t a scare phrase but in fact the only way we’ll beat COVID. The magical, corporeally-fixated incantations of the Johnson fan-press. And how Corona is changing technology. Who’ll win out if the emergency forces the battle of the streaming titans to a grand season finale? Ian Dunt, Helen Lewis and special guest Stuart Dredge, tech writer for The Guardian, convene to sort it all out. “At no point did [the Labour Left] confront the idea that people didn’t like their candidate or their policies… If it’s always someone else’s fault, what are you going to change next time?” – Helen Lewis “People talk about how good Hong Kong’s response was. But in Hong Kong, if you test positive they take you away and put you in Covid Butlins.” – 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 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

Who knew that poetry would join videoconferencing and sourdough-making as one of the key ways we got through the COVID lockdown? SARAH CROWN, Director of Literature at the Arts Council and senior reviewer for the Guardian and the TLS, talks to Ros Taylor about why poetry’s stillness and conciseness is perfect for pressured times. Plus, how to find the right poetry for your lockdown experience. And do poets cope better with solitude – or does solitude turn you into a poet? “Poetry isn’t about escape. It’s about recognition, and achieving meaning in your life.” “In a pandemic we don’t look for happiness. We look for meaning. And poetry really delivers on that.” The poem that Sarah reads on this episode is Spring by Edna St. Vincent Millay 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

It’s the end of the world as we know it and… some people are quite into that, it seems. Why are so many people so keen on the end of everything? What do doomsday preppers, alt.right catastrophists and billionaire plutocrat antidemocrats like Peter Thiel have in common? And is the communal response to COVID proving their worst ambitions wrong? We talk to Mark O’Connell – author of new book Notes From An Apocalypse: A Personal Journey The End Of The World And Back – about the dark fantasy of the End Times. 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

The COVID lockdown has provided scammers, fraudsters and cybercriminals with a golden opportunity to find new ways to steal. Now ALEXIS CONRAN, presenter on The Real Hustle and talkRadio, tells Naomi Smith about the new scams they’re using, and how to defeat them. What are the telltale signs of a con? What are the worst counterfeit products out there? How can you spot fake Coronanews? Plus why the Cabinet ought to be worried about their Zoom chat logs – and why you should bin passwords for passphrases, “When there’s panic and fear, people stop using logic and they’ll try anything.” – Alexis Conran 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

COVID-19 has put the NHS under the spotlight as never before but how many of us really understand the true state of this national treasure? ROY LILLEY is one of the most influential voices in the world of public health. Today he explains the catastrophic errors on the road to Corona, what the outpouring of love and respect for NHS workers means for its future, how the NHS compares to other health systems worldwide… and what must happen if the NHS is to survive. WARNING: Andrew Lansley should probably not listen to this podcast. “I travel the world and the one thing everyone says to me is, We wish we had your system.” “The NHS is holding its collective breath as to what’s to come.” “This is the biggest challenge since 5 July 1948 when the NHS was born. This is its day and this is its hour.” “That round of applause changed the status of the NHS forever. There is no politician who can touch it now.” 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

Newly-promoted Shadow Justice Secretary DAVID LAMMY joins us in an unprecedented week in British politics. Has Boris Johnson’s hospitalisation finally brought home the seriousness of COVID-19 to the hosts of secret barbecues and birthday parties? Does new Labour leader Keir Starmer’s cabinet re-do amount to socialist distancing? What needs sorting in the criminal justice system? And why all Bunker guests get immediate promotions… “If you’re in a war, the time to question the generals is not in the middle of the battle.” – David Lammy Presented by Naomi Smith with Ayesha Hazarika and Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork 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

WFH? WTF! As the world adjusts to flexible working, will we ever go back to offices, meetings and “presenteeism”? GABY HINSLIFF, Guardian writer and author of Half a Wife: The Working Family's Guide to Getting a Life Back, talks to Ros Taylor about COVID’s seismic changes to working life. Will the crisis change our attitude to screentime for children? Will it be a wrench to go back to “normal”? And what happens when your kids wander into that critical Zoom conference with the CEO of Omni Consumer Products? NB This podcast was recorded before the news about Boris Johnson’s hospitalisation. “For women, WiFi has been as revolutionary as the pill.” “Adults are using Houseparty, Zoom and FaceTime… we’ve stolen all the teenagers’ apps.” “I never imagined this situation in my wildest dreams, or nightmares.” There’s a BUNKER DAILY every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and the main full-length panel show every Wednesday morning. Lockdown conditions mean we’re having to use available audio tech, so please bear with our variable sound quality. We’re working on it. 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

Domestic Goddess NIGELLA LAWSON comes to the nation’s aid in a Lockdown Kitchen conversation with our own Alex Andreou. What’s her emergency back-of-the-cupboard recipe for when the chips are down (and there aren’t any chips)? Is isolation reminding us to value our food culture a little more? Plus top kitchen tips – yes, it turns out you can freeze cheese – and a titanic clash of potato-peel crisp techniques between Nigella and Alex. “They say the Italians are extravagant with food but not wasteful. I’m a lot like that.” – Nigella Lawson “For someone like me, not having lots of people to cook for is strange. But it does make you reflect on exactly what cooking means to you.” – Nigella Lawson Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. 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’s so seductive about the end of everything? What happens when you’re writing a novel about an apocalyptic future, and then an apocalyptic future arrives? NAOMI ALDERMAN, author of bravura sci-fi gender reversal novel The Power and now showrunner for its upcoming TV adaptation, talks to Dorian Lynskey about the appeal of Armageddon fiction in the midst of an actual global disaster. Plus, a guide to the end-of-the-world novels that are really worth reading… and why our best guide to the current crisis is Groundhog Day. “Every Utopia is a dystopia for somebody” “Every death is a tragedy, and this is a serious time. But it’s worth remembering that many of us are going live through the most luxurious plague humanity has ever experienced.” “Maybe it’s time for the return of the Utopia. I could certainly use one now.” Presented by Dorian Lynskey. 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

Exiled Tory moderniser LORD ANDREW COOPER talks to Naomi Smith about the grave consequences of ignoring Brexit because of COVID-19, why the crisis government is neither “socialist” nor “conservative” but populist nationalist, and why Johnson’s stubborn refusal to extend Transition would devastate an economy already enfeebled by the Coronavirus. “Brexit turned the party from a mainstream project into a sort of cult. They’ve become an English Nationalist party… and they know the crisis has transformed the landscape on which they have to govern.” – Andrew Cooper We’re recording remotely and still working on our sound, so please excuse our audio quality for the moment. Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Helen Lewis and Arthur Snell. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork 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