The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Why is the NHS struggling so badly if Omicron is less severe than previous COVID wave? And how come the Government wants to tear up COVID testing and mass vaccination when hospitals are on the verge of being overwhelmed? Health commentator Roy Lilley joins us for a situation report on the pandemic. Plus, can Suella Braverman successfully turn the acquittal of the Colston Four into Culture War fuel? What are we giving up for January? And Michael Gove stars in Die Hard In A Lift.  “The NHS is running up the down escalator… It has no workforce plan, because it doesn’t even get to write its own plan.” – Roy Lilley “It’s interesting to see who’s raging at Djokovic being kept in the same ‘unacceptable’ conditions that actual refugees are kept in as a matter of course…” – Ahir Shah  “There are more NHS staff sick right now than there are soldiers in the UK army.” – Roy Lilley “Colston SHOULD set a precedent – that the State should listen to local communities when they want to get rid of these statues.” – Ayesha Hazarika https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Alex Andreou with Ayesha Hazarika and Ahir Shah. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Government toys with pulling free lateral flow tests and mass vaccination. Are they giving in to the hard right CRG without a fight? Plus Liz Truss gets her first threat to trigger Article 16 in early, the horrific costs of Zero COVID in Xi’an in China, and auf wiedersehen to trial by jury. Naomi Smith and Justin Quirk set up the week ahead.  “Johnson being a liar and rule-breaker is completely baked in with voters.” “The simple fact is, Boris Johnson has lost his power over Cabinet.” “The story on Johnson is moving from ‘One rule for them, one for us’ to ‘They ain’t levelling us up.’” “If Liz Truss was your friend at school, you'd be telling her to play a bit harder to get.”  “Who had tennis meets obnoxious populism on their report card for 2022?” Presented by Justin Quirk and Naomi Smith. Producers Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Warning! Major spoilers! DO NOT listen unless you’ve already finished Sweet Bobby. How well do you know the person you love? The huge hit podcast Sweet Bobby charts a barely believable story of catfishing and psychological manipulation, in which a British woman called Kirat Assi discovers that her online romance is not what she thought. In a treat for all Bobby-heads, journalist and presenter Alexi Mostrous talks to Naomi Smith about uncovering this astonishing story. How did THAT PERSON do THAT THING and get away with it? And what did the experience do to the woman who lived it? “This story read like a novel that would have been rejected for being too unrealistic.” “It's easy to set up a fake Facebook profile. It's harder to set up 35 different phone numbers.” “Kirat's community wasn't just close, it was closed off.” https://www.tortoisemedia.com/listen/sweet-bobby/Written and presented by Naomi Smith. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hear all the music on our rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunkComedian and actor Omid Djalili joins us to talk about the joy of returning to touring (tickets available now!), taking Iranian visitors to see Chelsea FC when he was only six, and life as TV’s go-to Middle Eastern everyman. Screenwriter Kevin Sampson gives us the story behind his devastating Hillsborough drama Anne, about a mother’s fight for justice for her son. Plus the lost Bowie album Toy, The Tourist on BBC1 and much more. “When I first saw Bowie, it was like an alien had come down the chimney.” – Kevin Sampson “When you watch something in a live setting, it has a physiologically different effect on you.” – Omid Djalili “What TV can do is personalise the experience of human pain.” – Kevin Sampson “I always thought the ME in BAME must stand for Middle East…” – Omid Djalili Produced and presented by Siân Pattenden and Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Theme music: ‘Bunker Theme (Juntos Mix)’ by Kenny Dickinson. The Culture Bunker is a Podmasters production. Rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How would you behave as the dictator of Turkmenistan? Are bad people the only ones who get power - or does power make people worse? Host of the Power Corrupts podcast – and friend of ours! – Professor Brian Klaas talks to Alex Andreou about their latest book, Corruptible, learning from ski lessons with the likes of Paul Bremer…and what’s wrong with police recruitment videos. “Serial killers are not successful psychopaths, because they couldn't hide it. They're the ones in the boardroom and the office.” “Flat societies are not the answer. Western hierarchical societies are some of the safest places for humans to live.” “Good governance costs, but it’s a price well worth paying.” “Power corrupts gradually. The longer someone is in office, the worse they will become.”   Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Productionhttps://brianpklaas.com/corruptible  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the UK the country’s falling out of love with Johnson, the economy’s in crisis and the Conservative government is falling apart. Around the world there are crunch elections in France, Brazil and Hungary… the threat of a nuclear Iran… and in the USA, a battle for the very existence of democracy. Arthur Snell, Justin Quirk and special guest Antonia Jennings from the Centre for Local Economic Strategies join Andrew Harrison to open the Pandora’s Box that is 2022. Hear our new series DOOMSDAY WATCH here: https://kite.link/doomsday “It’s been a stockpilers’ pandemic, and the LFT shortage proves they’re still ahead of the crowd.” – Arthur Snell “It’s time for Government to invest and stop worrying about the debt level.” – Antonia Jennings "The only thing left for the Democrats after the mid-terms is to save democracy.” – Arthur Snell “If Brazil runs a fair election, Bolsonaro’s out.” – Arthur Snell https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Andrew Harrison with Arthur Snell and Justin Quirk. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does 2022 have in store? It’s crunch year for three massive British institutions that have defined our lives: the BBC, the NHS and the Monarchy. Putin seems determined to exploit the West’s disarray to invade Ukraine. And if Donald Trump makes a comeback, could American democracy itself fall? Ros Taylor and Gavin Esler look ahead to a nerve-wracking year. • “The challenge for BBC News is, how do you balance people who simply won’t tell the truth?”• “Russia and Ukraine could mean a ground war in Europe for the first time since 1945.” • “We’ve underestimated the way that Putinism and the lies have infected our own democracies… Trump and Trumpism are still here.”Presented by Ros Taylor and Gavin Esler. Assistant producers Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From 1970s Westminster, to the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? scandal, James Graham is one of the UK’s most successful playwrights today. As Best of Enemies opens at the Young Vic, he talks to Dorian Lynskey about dramatising the brutal Buckley vs. Vidal debates of the 1968 US presidential elections, how art engages audiences and tackles polarization, composing playlists in the pub after rehearsals …and why COVID-threatened theatres have to work even harder to “drag people” away from TV, Netflix and Disney Plus. “I feel a personal responsibility to the story to make it as meaningful and impactful as possible.” “I don't know what it's like to be in 1960s America, but I do know what it's like to get into an argument on live TV.” “Queer and Nazi weren't slurs politician had used before on US television.” “The most radical thing a playwright can do is celebrate the idea of empathy towards different points of view.” “I was surprised by the resistance from the progressive left to showing Dominic Cummings on TV.” “Democracy depends on theatre. The Greeks made sense of difficult things by putting people in a theatre and telling stories.” Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anyone for cheese and whine? The noble Lord Frost scuttles away from his Brexit mess as it emerges that real hardworking meetings require a chilled Chablis and an agreeable Comte in an exclusive garden. Plus, as 2021 staggers to its ignominious end, we pinpoint the lasting images and a few rays of hope in a year of misgovernance – and highlight what to look out for in 2022. Marie le Conte, Ahir Shah and Gavin Esler are your panel. Have a fantastic Christmas and thanks for your support. We’ll be back in the first week of January. Until then, have a safe and a happy one. Hear our new series DOOMSDAY WATCH here: https://kite.link/doomsday “There’s nothing funnier in the Nadine Dorries story than Steve Baker sending his Bitmoji as he kicked her out.” – Marie le Conte “The big surprise of the yer was rediscovering that most of us, most of the time, just want to get on with our neighbours.” – Gavin Esler “Boris Johnson is a person who loves actions, but not their consequences.” – Marie le Conte “The French presidential elections are currently a bin on fire - but Frenchly.” – Marie le Conte Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Marie le Conte, Ahir Shah and Gavin Esler. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s going to be a cold Christmas at No 10, as Lord Frost resigns as Brexit Minister, Simon Case recuses himself over Christmas party investigations - and Nadine Dorries gets booted out of WhatsApp chats. Is jetsetter Liz Truss ready to take up her new position? And what will all this mean for popular compliance with new COVID rules? Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou look at the week ahead, in the last SYW of 2021. “Is this what purgatory feels like?” - Naomi Smith “The bookies still have Sunak as favourite to replace Johnson. The bookies don't know their history.” - Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou “Frost's resignation has strong Steve Baker energy.” - Naomi Smith “Truss is trying to style herself as a modern day Margaret Thatcher.” - Naomi Smith “2022 might give you a nasty populist treat in the US midterms.” - Naomi Smith Presented by Alex Andreou and Naomi Smith. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices