The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Why does Hitler still cast a shadow on our politics? How do you re-examine the Nazis’ record without inadvertently fuelling Holocaust denial? Historian Prof. Frank McDonough, author of new book The Hitler Years: Disaster 1940-1945, explains why we still don’t understand the enormity of the Third Reich’s crimes, why the unstoppable German Blitzkrieg was a myth generated for home consumption, and why a Britain obsessed with the War really does need another book about Hitler.  “Hitler still casts a long shadow over the present. The Third Reich is a lesson on how democracy can be destroyed from within.” “People say, don’t we know enough about the Third Reich already? And the answer is no, far from it.” “There’s an old saying: The Russians gave the blood. The Americans gave the money. And Churchill gave the speeches.” “We in Britain badly need a grown-up attitude understanding of the Second World War as an alliance, not as Britain standing alone.” Presented and 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why has self-interest become such a dirty word (or words) in politics? Why do we always assume the worst motives in our opponents? And if voters keep on disappointing progressives by voting against their supposed economic interests, do we need to revise our idea of what self-interest really is? Thomas Prosser, author of What’s In It For Me? Self-Interest And Political Difference explains why we should stop worrying and learn to love the concept of self-interest.  “Reflecting on self-interest takes the sting out of politics.” “Progressives – unlike conservatives – aren’t so good at recognising the validity of self-interest.” “Self-interest isn’t just economic, it’s cultural. That’s where Remainers went wrong on Brexit.” “There’s an argument that the 2017 Labour manifesto was the least redistributive ever.” “Awareness of self-interest makes us more tolerant.” Presented and 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britain’s £80bn trade sector was left out of Johnson’s vaunted Brexit deal. Why, and what does that mean? With Lockdown III (or is it IV, V or VI?) about to be launched, has No.10 definitively lost control of the Pandemic? And what should we keep an eye out for in 2021?Yasmeen Serhan, Ian Dunt and special guest Dmitry Grozoubinski – international trade expert and former WTO negotiator for Australia – join Andrew Harrison for the first BUNKER of the new year.  “Ironically enough, in the end it turned out Johnson wasn’t the ‘cake and eat it’ guy at all.” – Ian Dunt  “You’ve got a President on record ordering officials to re-calculate votes in his favour? I’m still capable of being surprised by Trump” – Yasmeen Serhan “The idea that the Government isn’t in control is a truism amongst the public” – Ian Dunt Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. 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

Joe Biden’s in-tray is packed but will the 46th President’s energies be consumed by repairing the damage of Trumpism instead of his own agenda? What lies in store in flashpoints around the world from Taiwan to Turkey to the Western Sahara? And will the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks see the Taliban restored to power in Afghanistan? Arthur Snell plots out the year ahead.   “Are we really in a place when many American voters don’t believe in democracy, or is it just when Trump is on the ballot paper?” “It’s extraordinary that we could get to the end in Afghanistan almost where we began, with the Taliban back in government.” “By the end of the year, there’ll be a new cast of people that we don’t recognise in control of politics.”  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

From Barnard Castle to bleach injections to ward off COVID, from Matt Hancock trying to cry on TV to “will you just shut up, man?” it’s been a year of ignominy and idiocy – as well as twelve months of pain, failure and tragedy. But what were the worst bits? Yasmeen Serhan, Arthur Snell and Ahir Shah join Andrew Harrison to remember the most shameful moments of a year everyone wants to forget.  “What a fantastic afternoon of television that Cummings press conference was…” – Ahir Shah “Johnson’s fatal flaw isn’t overpromising. It’s that he doesn’t give a fuck about anything.” – Arthur Snell “Every government announcement should be followed by an asterisk – subject to change, terms and conditions may apply.” – Yasmeen Serhan Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. 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 it started, how it’s going… This was a year that blew up Boris Johnson’s plans for post-Brexit Britain and forced the Conservatives into uncharacteristic economic intervention. What has 2020 done to a newly-purified party of true believers? Former Conservative MP David Gauke tells Ros Taylor about the state of the New Tories, what would have happened if Cameron hadn’t called a referendum on the EU, and how the Conservatives have become “a party of protest, not government”.  “It’s a discontented party. It’s uncomfortable. And it’s rebellious.” “It’s now hard to see that there’ll ever be pro-European advocacy in the Conservative party again.” “There’ll be a gravitational pull towards those socially conservative Red Wall voters… Anyone who’s expecting a return to Cameron-style government will be disappointed.”  “The Tory Party has taken on the personality of a newspaper columnist, rather than a traditional party of government.” Presented by Ros Taylor. 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

The Labour Party has just endured its most self-torturing year since, well, last year. Is Keir Starmer beginning to turn the party’s fortunes around? Is the Left’s guerrilla war against the Leadership all noise or is Labour truly in a civil war? Does Corbyn even want to come back into the Labour fold? And above the infighting, is the Opposition doing enough opposing? Nick Cohen of The Observer gives his End of Term Report for the Labour Party to Dorian Lynskey.  “Britain is not a conservative nation – whenever Labour wants to win an election, it wins an election.” “Oppositions do lose elections, and they do it when people can’t imagine them as a government.” “Being next to the EU is like being in bed with an elephant. It might not notice you, but you notice everything it does.” “Of all the hills the Left has chosen to die on, it’s this Trumpian denial of Corbyn’s record on antisemitism.” Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. 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 it feel to be at the centre of protests for racial justice that shook Britain and the world? Imarn Ayton, an actor and drama teacher from Peckham, found herself on front covers and news bulletins across the world after she was given a megaphone at a protest in London – and decided to speak into it. She tells Jude Rogers what BLM has achieved, what was behind the infighting in the movement since the summer, and what needs to happen next.  “Black people have been marching for decades. The real turning point was seeing people of all colours marching in the streets.”  “The litmus test for society is overt racism, not covert racism. But covert racism is what causes the most damage.”  “Most people who adopt and love black culture don’t believe that they are covertly racist.”  “We need to have the most awkward conversations. We are still very much in denial about systemic racism.” Presented by Jude Rogers. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. 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

Angry, irrational rejection of key public health measures like lockdowns and masks was one of the ugliest aspects of 2020. How did lockdown deniers give scepticism such a bad name? Did the Brexiters’ war on experts make it harder to fight COVID? And deep down, do some lockdown deniers have a point? Alex Andreou talks to Queen Mary University politics professor Tim Bale and FT writer, honorary fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and author of How To Make The World Add Up Tim Harford about the power of wilful ignorance. “Over the past few years. middle finger, up-yours politics is what has resonated with many, many people.” – Tim Bale “Many sceptics didn’t go for the principled argument. They just argued that lockdowns kill more people or even that the virus isn’t all that dangerous.” – Tim Harford “How can the BBC allow business people to act as armchair epidemiologists?” – Tim Bale “The virus didn’t go away of its own accord. It went away because of the incredible sacrifice that so many people made.” – Tim Harford “The person in the street probably trusts experts MORE after the experience of COVID than they did beforehand.” – Tim Bale “Sweden was the poster boy for lockdown scepticism. But when you look at the infection and death figures – and the economy – Sweden is not that different from Britain.” – Tim Harford Presented by Alex Andreou. 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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What psychodrama is driving No Deal? Can the Tory Party be rescued from its embrace of nationalist unreason? And what is Boris Johnson like to work for? Former Cabinet Minister and power-walker Rory Stewart joins us Ayesha Hazarika, Arthur Snell and Andrew Harrison for this week’s panel edition. “Churchill desperately cared about detail… but I couldn’t get Boris to engage in the Foreign Office at all.” – Rory Stewart “Boris’ Brexit Deal is all about the drama, not the detail.” – Ayesha Hazarika “International politics is about local wisdom. On Iraq, Labour was too centralised and bureaucratic.” – Rory Stewart “We’ll still be negotiating with the EU by 2040” - Arthur Snell “Politics was deeply damaging for my mind, soul, and body… Ultimately, politics is bad for you.” – Rory Stewart 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