The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Reform UK’s conference was as weird and worrying as you might have expected. If you haven’t seen the “highlights” then we’ll spare you watching. Matthew Holehouse, The Economist’s British politics correspondent, was there and joins Gavin Esler to discuss what went on. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Angela Rayner’s departure has left Labour in turmoil as the party looks to recalibrate. Will Starmer’s changes work? Plus, Reform UK held its conference at the weekend – is there any way of stealing the spotlight back from them? Gavin Esler and Jacob Jarvis discuss all this and more in Start Your Week. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more. Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Gavin Esler. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the fake news pandemic worsens, Twitter/X and Facebook are phasing out their human fact-checkers in favour of crowdsourcing the job – that is, getting the users to do it. And it turns out that the “Community Notes” system Musk loves so much doesn’t work at all as you’d expect. Are fact-checkers fighting a losing battle? Chris Morris, Chief Executive of the independent investigative charity Full Fact, talks to Andrew Harrison about the crisis of truth in news, how A.I. is making it worse, and what happens if we leave it all to the alleged wisdom of crowds. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Simon Williams. Produced by Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Conspiracy theories used to be confined to fringe internet discussions and the guy you’d avoid in the pub. Now, thanks to figures like Donald Trump, they’ve gone mainstream. But where’s the line between healthy scepticism and believing the Royal Family are lizard people? Today in The Bunker, Alex von Tunzelmann is joined by Daniel Jolley, social psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham, to find out how the UK embraced conspiracy theories and what we can do to sort fact from fiction. Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Blond white children playing in slightly-too-colourful fields? London as an open sewer patrolled by threatening migrants? Trump as Superman? Alligators in MAGA hats? The far-right thrives on generative artificial intelligence images and they’re all so naff. Is A.I. slop the official art style of the new authoritarianism? New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie talks to Andrew Harrison about why the radical right loves shiny, sentimental images; how they connect to Hitler’s fascist kitsch; and what it means when reality doesn’t live up to your fantasies. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Chris Jones and Robin Warren. Produced by Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been more than 1,280 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The death toll is unthinkable, peace talks are stuck and Trump’s latest “summit” in Alaska hasn’t shifted the dial. Today in The Bunker, Chris Jones is joined by journalist and This Is Not a Drill co-host Oz Katerji to ask: where does the war stand now, and how is Ukraine enduring under the relentless assault from Russia? • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘Weekend At Donald’s’? After a feverish few days of speculation about the President’s health, we get back to reality. Alex von Tunzelmann guides you through the week ahead, from the beginning of Starmer’s make-or-break autumn with all its thorny taxation issues to the endless flags-and-hotels protests – will they burn out with the summer? Plus the assassination of a Ukrainian politician, earthquake in Afghanistan and Trump’s latest power-grab. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Produced by Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the core of the most infamous regime in history is a paradox: a leader who somehow exercised total control while being personally lazy and issuing only vague instructions to his ministers. In Hitler’s People: The Faces of the Third Reich the renowned historian Richard J Evans investigates Hitler’s central clique from Göring, Goebbels and Himmler to low-level followers and fellow travellers. He talks to Alex von Tunzelmann about the power dynamic at the centre of Third Reich and what it can tell us about how authoritarians rule today. • Buy Hitler’s People through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Produced by Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He’s climbing up a lamp-post near you to hang flags. He’s smearing every immigrant in terms that would have got you kicked out of the Tories even five years ago. And he thinks he can lead the Conservatives. What turned Robert Jenrick from a non-threatening Cameroonist Tory into a trouble-stirring Cosplay Farage? Does he really believe in anything? Would he do a deal with Reform? Or would he merge with it? Rob Hutton, parliamentary sketchwriter for The Critic magazine, joins Andrew Harrison to discuss the hidden shallows of the man they still call “Robert Generic”. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Produced by Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inside today’s Russia, conspiracy theories like this aren’t just fringe curiosities, they’re mainstream. From TV talk shows to Putin himself, wild stories about stolen lands, shadowy Western plots, and circling enemies aren’t dismissed; they’re used to fuel Russia’s war in Ukraine and position the country as a morally just state. Today in The Bunker, Alex von Tunzelmann is joined by Dr Ilya Yablokov, Lecturer in Digital Journalism and Disinformation at the University of Sheffield, to explain how the Russian state uses mass media to normalise conspiracy theories to the public. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The dog days of summer continue to be dominated by flags, boats and hotels. Will the migrant protests and freelance flag-raising burn out or will the Mail’s dream of chaos in Britain come true? Plus as Trump’s Ukraine “solution” stumbles on he floats the idea of more military occupations of American cities; the French government teeters; and the Great Mounjaro Shortage of 2025. Ros Taylor sets out the week ahead with Andrew Harrison. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Produced by Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production https://www.podmasters.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some say Donald Trump’s ancestry ties him to Norse kings and even Rurik, founder of Russia’s first dynasty. In recent weeks, Russian state media have pushed the idea that Trump’s “Viking blood” explains his ruthless streak. But would the real Vikings have raised a flagon in his honour, or run him out of the fjord? Today on The Bunker, Chris Jones is joined by medieval historian Dr. Keith Ruiter, who specialises in the Viking age, to find out how the vikings would have dealt with a leader like Trump. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The modern far right often play the underdogs, shaking fists at mysterious elites said to control our thoughts and culture. But much of their lexicon has already slipped into the mainstream. Phrases born on message boards now appear in newspapers, on TV, even in everyday chat. On today’s Bunker, Dorian Lynskey talks to journalist Matt McManus, assistant professor at Spelman College and host of the Academic Edgelords podcast about the words and the warped worldview that the far right has smuggled into our politics. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a special crossover edition from our partner podcast, This is Not a Drill, Oz Katerji is joined by Keir Giles, author and Russia expert at Chatham House, to discuss the fallout from Trump’s meetings with Putin, Zelenskyy and a host of European leaders. After a frantic week of international diplomacy, what is the prospect of an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine? We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. • Support This is Not a Drill on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this: https://www.patreon.com/thisisnotadrill • Support The Bunker on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Oz Katerji. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill and the Bunker are Podmasters productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Britain’s heading for civil war.” “Immigration’s out of control.” “We’re stuck with two-tier woke policing.” How do you argue back when relatives, friends or colleagues start parroting Reform’s inflammatory half-truths? And when they’re encouraged by a compliant media and radicalised pundits? Campaigning journalist Paul Mason wrote How To Stop Fascism. He tells Andrew Harrison how to tell a persuadable Farage fan from an irredeemable racist, how to debate with them, and why progressives no longer have the luxury of sticking to their factions. • Buy How To Stop Fascism through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After Trump’s meeting with Putin, world leaders are scrambling to the White House for damage control. Zelenskyy will be joined by an A-list cast of European figureheads – what will they be pushing for? Alex von Tunzelmann and Jacob Jarvis discuss all this and more as they tee up the week ahead. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Alex von Tunzelmann. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The new season of South Park is causing a stir with its sharp attacks on the Trump administration. Long seen as a bastion of free speech, the cartoon has built its reputation on skewering everyone, but is its trademark cynicism shifting towards a more targeted political stance? Today on The Bunker, Jacob Jarvis speaks with media critic Ciara Moloney to unpack the politics behind the long-running cartoon and examine its new role as a protector of free speech in a fraught media landscape. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world’s eyes will be on Vladimir Putin as he meets with Donald Trump in Alaska. With Ukraine’s future on the table, could this be the Russian leader’s moment to get exactly what he wants? Today in The Bunker, Chris Jones is joined by Dr Ian Garner, author of Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth, to unpack what’s really at stake in this meeting of political powers. Buy Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. NOT FOR PATREON: • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. NOT FOR PATREON www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social NOT FOR PATREON Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Tom Taylor. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daily life depends US-based cloud computing. What happens if Trump decides to use it as a weapon against his enemies, as he does with tariffs? Just three American firms – Google, Amazon, and Microsoft – control around two-thirds of Europe’s cloud infrastructure including the UK’s Home Office, HMRC, Department for Work and Pensions, and MoD. Could Trump order his cowed techbro allies to simply cut us off? And is anyone preparing for moment when America could hold us to digital ransom? Kieron O’Hara – computer scientist, philosopher and co-author with Wendy Hall of Four Internets – talks to Andrew Harrison. • Buy Four Internets through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more. Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Politics has always been brutal but in the Trump era, it’s turned downright ugly. From Ted Cruz to Elon Musk, Donald Trump doesn’t just defeat opponents; he aims to degrade them. Public insults, jeers, the whip of a hostile crowd and, most of all, humiliation. Why does this gut-level tactic work so well for the leader of the free world? Today in The Bunker, Jacob Jarvis sits down with Toby Buckle, host of the Political Philosophy Podcast, joins us to unpack the politics of humiliation. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump and Putin are due to meet in Alaska in a bilateral meeting despite a global push to ensure Zelenskyy is brought to the table. Will anything come of this, or is this just going to be a meeting of two super-egos? Rafael Behr joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss this and other news to look out for this week in Start Your Week. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Rafael Behr. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rage against the machines? For 200 years “Luddite” was a term of abuse for deluded people who tried to hold back progress. But with A.I. threatening everything from mass unemployment to business tyranny to actual human extinction, maybe it’s time to accept that the 19th century worker’s rebellion under fictional leader Ned Ludd had a pretty good point. Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech talks to Alex von Tunzelmann about the amorality of technology, the libelling of the Luddites, and what we can learn from them in the age of ChatGPT and OpenAI. • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nigel Farage claims Britain is on the edge of ‘societal collapse’ with crime so bad that people are scared to leave their own house. But is there any truth behind his claims or is it just another alarmist soundbite? Today in The Bunker, Jacob Jarvis talks to Zoë Grünewald, Westminster editor at The Lead, about whether Farage’s rhetoric matches reality and if it will swing votes in the next election. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Tom Taylor. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the assassination that sparked the First World War to the covert drone strikes of today, targeted killing has been used to shape history and shift the balance of power for generations. Today in The Bunker, Seth Thévoz is joined by Simon Ball, professor of international history and politics at the University of Leeds and author of Death to Order: A Modern History of Assassination, to explore the long, shadowy history of assassination as a political tool. Buy Death to Order: A Modern History of Assassination through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Tom Taylor. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Were you up at 4am, crushing laps on the Assault Bike, triple-dosing beef tallow coffee, journaling your goals, and grinding through a high-performance podcast? No? Then what’s wrong with you? Welcome to the grindset—the cult-like mindset glorifying relentless work, self-optimisation, and so-called success. Fuelled by figures like Stephen Bartlett, Gary Vee, and James Watt, it dominates LinkedIn, podcasts, and bro-business culture. But beneath the hype lies burnout, spiritual emptiness, and a whole lot of cosplay capitalism. Business professor Fiona McQuarrie joins The Bunker to ask: Where did this macho myth come from—and does it really get anyone anywhere? • Listen to Bright Future In Sales by Fiona and Andrew’s favourites, Fountains Of Wayne. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices