The Bunker – News without the nonsense

It’s time for Parliament’s end of term report card. Does anyone at all get an A, or should everyone be forced to repeat the year in disgrace? Special guest Thangam Debbonaire MP, Shadow Leader of the Commons, joins us to explain the meaning of Dawn Butler calling Boris Johnson a liar in the House; whether Rees-Mogg actually casts a shadow; what Labour is doing right and wrong… and her as-yet unpublished novel ‘Murder In The Whip’s Office’. “People in space know that Boris Johnson tells lies. I know toddlers who are more honourable than the Prime Minister…” – Thangam Debbonaire “The Olympic committee is like a deeply inconsiderate flatmate hosting a house party at a deeply inconsiderate time.” – Ahir Shah “Johnson has managed to alienate all of his own MPs… and when you’ve rebelled once, it’s so much easier to do it again.” – Marie le Conte “Speaker-watchers will know that Lindsay’s been quite shirty with the Government lately…” – Thangam Debbonaire https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented by Alex Andreou with Marie le Conte and Ahir Shah. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. 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

New COVID infections are trending downwards. Has Johnson’s Freedom Day gamble paid off, or are we just in a moment of calm before a new wave breaks? Plus pingdemic panic, vaccine passports, the Government gives up on students (again), Lord Frost tries to bore the EU into submission, and why the Taliban probably won’t take all of Afghanistan. Arthur Snell joins Andrew Harrison to lay out what’s coming in the week ahead.• “Johnson no longer has a team in Number 10 to manage the political landscape for him.”• “Students are never going to vote Conservative. The Tories have given up on them.”• “It’s clear that Cummings was running the show, because Johnson himself isn't capable of running anything.” Presented and 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With new technology, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you become part of the road. What are the big topics in tech that we should be talking about – for our own prosperity and survival? King’s College Professor Mischa Dohler tells Alex Andreou how a real plan for tech can use hyperfast Wi-Fi to create an “internet of skills”. Are there any insurmountable barriers between us and technological nirvana? And how close are we to building an actual working Iron Man? “We should use technology to automate jobs – but humanise work” “Building a kilometre of road costs lots of money – adding digital fibre cost pennies. So every infrastructure investment needs a digital dimension.”  “At some point we’ll hit a limit of, why do we actually need petabytes of data per second? Who’s watching this stuff?” 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 Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s astonishingly beautiful, fiercely independent, full of mystery and a crossroads of jaw-dropping historical events – so why do we still think of Romania as a backwater? Paul Kenyon, author of Children of the Night: The Strange and Epic Story of Modern Romania, tells Arthur Snell how this sensational state has survived multiple coups, fascist death cults, dictators, and Cold War spies…and why Dracula doesn’t enjoy such a bad rep among his fellow Romanians.  “Romania’s fascist movement was led by a rock star mystic who looked like Hugh Grant.”  “Romania’s fascist leader was so patriotic, he wore a sack of Romania’s blood-soaked earth around his neck.”  “Everybody thought that one in three members of their family were part of the Secret Police.”  “All the leading Romanian football clubs have seen their owners go in and out of prison.” Presented by Arthur Snell. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Produced by Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Productionhttps://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Paul-Kenyon/Children-of-the-Night--The-Strange-and-Epic-Story-of-Modern-Romania/25376753  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

India’s brutal second wave of COVID is now receding, leaving behind intensified poverty, economic carnage, a staggering estimated 400-700m infections and a death rate of approximately 2%. But things were already going catastrophically wrong in the world’s largest democracy thanks to the rule of science-denying populist Narendra Modi. Ros Taylor talks to journalist Debasish Roy Chowdhury and Professor John Keane about their latest book, To Kill A Democracy: India’s Passage To Despotism – and what Modi tells us about how democracies collapse.  “India is perceived as the world's largest democracy. But there are only grains of truth in this India Story.” – John Keane “It takes seven generations for the Indian to reach the average income level. In Denmark, it only takes one.” – Debasish Roy Chowdhury “The strongman in a state of demagogues.” – John Keane “In Delhi, you can inhale half a pack of cigarettes in air pollution on a good day.” – Debasish Roy Chowdhury “India is a warning to the rest of the democratic world.” – John Keane Presented and Ros Taylor. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Productionhttps://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Debasish-Roy-Chowdhury/To-Kill-A-Democracy--Indias-Passage-to-Despotism/26292160  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid roll the dice with the health of millions, healthcare commentator Roy Lilley takes us on a deep dive into what’s in store for the NHS. Plus, the Cuban uprising and the Labour Left, the Pegasus spyware scandal, and do universities really need a Free Speech Enforcer? (Spoiler: no). Plus… are you on a pilot scheme? If not, why not?  “I’ve been around politics for a long time, and this is the worst situation I’ve ever seen.” – Roy Lilley  “The problem with making irreversible promises is that when you have to reverse them, you look like a shambles even to people who agree with you.” – Yasmeen Serhan  “Two hours of Twitter and Johnson reverses himself. We appear to be governed by jellyfish.” – Gavin Esler  “The NHS is holding its breath… it’s high wire time.” – Roy Lilley https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented by Andrew Harrison with Yasmeen Serhan, Gavin Esler and Arthur Snell. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. 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

As Johnson opens “Freedom Day” with a classic one-rule-for-us flip-flop (hey, he was in a pilot scheme!) what does England’s first week without restrictions mean for ordinary people who aren’t in the Cabinet? Plus the NI protocol reaches crunch point, Keir Starmer prepares for war on Labour’s far Left, and what the Pegasus Spyware scandal means. Naomi Smith joins Andrew Harrison to set out the week ahead.• “The government is coming for immigrants, people seeking sanctuary and our democratic rights.”• “The so-called Sausage War wasn’t even handbags at dawn compared to what’s coming for Northern Ireland.”• “I get the temptation to escape Earth right now… but wouldn’t we just be taking Covid to the aliens?” Presented and 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Neanderthal” is a common term of abuse but should we stop feeling so superior towards our close evolutionary relatives? Did they think like us, even at the abstract level? Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of the “insanely fascinating” Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death And Art tells Ian Dunt what we know about the astonishing sophistication of Neanderthal mind, manufacturing and material culture… and why there are traces of Neanderthal in us today.  “If we could scan a Neanderthal brain it’s very possible we’d see they didn’t think so differently from us.” “We assume we’re ‘better’ than Neanderthals because we dominated them… That doesn’t fit with the idea of different human groups meeting and interbreeding.”  “We shouldn’t be surprised that we could breed with Neanderthals. They are another kind of human” “Homo sapiens are weird in the evolutionary tree, with our big balloon heads.”  “Neanderthal women were highly muscled. You wouldn’t want to arm-wrestle them.”  Presented by Ian Dunt. 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 ProductionC8muVeosxCVXdHDLSwLs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pandemic has stress-tested Britain’s tech sector for flaws and strengths. Does it have the capacity to overcome the damage caused by Brexit? Alex Andreou talks to Professor Richard A. L. Jones, Manchester University expert in Materials Physics and Innovation Policy, about whether COVID restored the value of experts, and what the NHS Digital health data sell-offs mean for our personal privacy…• “Science is a very international industry – but Brexit and COVID have damaged that.”• “The idea that we can visas for the superstars but nobody else doesn’t help anyone.”• “If you don’t have an industrial strategy on purpose, you get one by accident.” • “Science isn’t a recipe for instant correct answers. It’s a start towards getting a better understanding.”• “People do trust UK biotech – but the government has done a lot to erode that trust.” Presented and produced by Alex Andreou. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and 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 video series Anywhere But Westminster by John Harris and John Domokos is one of the Guardian’s most acclaimed strands and now a winner of the Orwell Prize. What makes it work? The Two Johns tell Dorian Lynskey about why we need more reportage and fewer pundits, how they talk to real voters without falling into vox pop stereotypes, the value of uncertainty… and why we are all Walsall now.  “I cried on camera when a group of Liverpool mums described life without a Sure Start Centre.” – John Harris  “We ask people about their lives, not who they're going to vote for.” – John Domokos “The world is full of commentary and punditry. To increase knowledge, you have to report.” – John Harris “I can't remember what it was like to be certain of stuff… Making this series has  changed my mind and values.” – John Domokos “Although I’ll never vote Conservative in my life, now I understand why people do.” – John Harris 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices