The Bunker – News without the nonsense

As the Government tears up its own promises on Northern Ireland with its Internal Markets Bill, the don of legal experts David Allen Green explains the enormity of this breach of international law, why the Government has provoked constitutional crisis on not one but four fronts… and how it could play out. Spoiler: “This will not end well.”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

After a summer filled with u-turns and policy failures galore, and with the road to 2021 looking incredibly treacherous, will Boris survive the Autumn? Plus, did Extinction Rebellion undermine their cause by blocking everyone’s Saturday papers being delivered? And will we see ‘Mock The Weak’ on our screens as the new BBC Director General Tim Davie promises more right-wing comedy? “The Government is failing us on health and on wealth” - Naomi Smith “The Government is only comfortable with people meeting in closed spaces if they’re fuelling the economy” - Ros Taylor Produced and presented by Andrew Harrison with Naomi Smith, Ros Taylor and Nina Schick. 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

A vaccine is seen as the primary route out of the COVID19 crisis, but only half of Brits surveyed by Kings College London say they would be likely to get one. Professor HEIDI LARSON, director of The Vaccine Confidence Project, tells Ros Taylor the reasons people give for not wanting a vaccine, and how we can build public trust in health interventions. “If Facebook closed their doors tomorrow, these sentiments would not go away” “We need a more diverse group of entities to embrace vaccines” “I’m constantly struck at how little people really understand vaccines” 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

Britain’s woeful electoral system wastes millions of votes and consistently enables minority rule. KLINA JORDAN, joint CEO of the ‘Make Votes Matter’ campaign, tells Naomi Smith why Labour should make implementing proportional representation their first priority in Government, and offers some key rebuttals to common PR myths.“People have been campaigning on this issue for 130 years”“Labour have only gotten into power when there was electoral coordination going on”“There’s no reason why coalition deals should be done in smoked-filled rooms”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

Coronavirus has changed life as we know it, especially for those who work in our health service. Dr Dominic Pimenta resigned from the NHS over Dominic Cummings’ lockdown trip to Durham, and his new book ‘Duty of Care’, describes the brutal experience of working on the COVID-19 frontline. Dominic tells Alex Andreou about his work in the NHS during the pandemic, from the initial murmurings coming out of China to full-throated lockdown here in Britain. His story, along with many others in the NHS, is one of heroism and sacrifice. “Everyone was doing double time and taking on duty after duty.”“When needs must, the NHS was there.”“How do we get people to believe in the same facts?”“As a doctor, you’re not taught particularly well how to deal with your patient’s grief, or your own.”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

Last week the Government introduced legislation aiming to curb the ruinous practice of deforestation, but how will this fit in with Brexit trade policy? What more should the Government be doing on environmental matters? And how damaging have populists Trump and Bolsonaro been in the battle against climate change? UCL professor of global change science SIMON LEWIS talks to Justin Quirk about the future of our planet. “It’s good that the Government is talking about this, but the devil is in the detail” “We need much bigger action to get to net zero” “Trump has been incredibly damaging to evidence-based policy over the last four years” “The Conservatives would not be so fast and loose with the facts if it weren’t for Trump” “The impact of Bolsonaro will be felt for a long time” 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

With the polls seemingly stacked against him, what dirty tactics will Donald Trump need to deploy if he’s to triumph in November’s election? And what will his victory, or demise, mean for the Western world? UCL Politics Professor Dr Julie Norman joins us to discuss the upcoming campaign. Plus - what the does the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny mean for Russia’s fight for democracy? And following anti-lockdown protests in London at the weekend, we take a look at how the far right is using COVID to bolster its ranks. “Trump is trying to frame himself as the law and order President” - Dr Julie Norman “2016 was an existential level trauma for the Democratic Party” - Justin Quirk “In Russia, an opponent of Vladimir Putin is a dangerous thing to be.” - Arthur Snell Presented by Nina Schick with Arthur Snell and 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

What is an obsession with politics doing to our psychology – and vice versa? Which weird psychology drives the Johnson Government’s mix of belligerence and incompetence? The Guardian’s Rafael Behr talks to Ian Dunt about the deep, unconscious roots of solidarity, polarisation, anger and ideological commitment, and the contents of the government’s subconscious engine room. If Dominic Cummings wants to burn everything down, what exactly does he want to replace it with?  “If you can make people afraid, you can activate a fight or flight response that makes it harder to form dispassionate intellectual judgments.” “There’s a lot more bad news on the horizon so Johnson might as well use Gavin Williamson as his trouble-sponge for a bit longer.”  “This cabinet has ended up like the USSR, when your elite is selected for two qualities: stupidity and thuggery.” “Some time soon Cummings is going to find that the flames are too hot – and there is no phoenix.” Rafael's new podcast, Politics on the Couch, is available wherever you get your podcasts.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

On top of COVID, a No Deal Brexit could push Britain’s already dire food poverty situation into crisis. And if we fall onto a Global Tariff for foodstuffs it will mean drastically limited kitchen staples and increased prices all round. The Shadow Food, Farming and Rural Affairs Minister, Labour MP Daniel Zeichner, joins Naomi Smith to explain the danger of a twin crisis in food supply and food poverty. How did Britain get it so wrong on food security?  “We all salute the work of food banks but we shouldn’t need them in this country.” “It’s not about a lack of food in this country, it’s lack of income.” “It would be very foolish to assume that because we got through COVID, we could get through a No Deal scenario.” “The number of adults who are food insecure has quadrupled in lockdown” “Our food system is essentially broken” “Is there a risk that food just won’t get into the country? Absolutely.”  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

We were living in a golden age of craft beer… and then COVID hit. Will the pandemic tally wound Britain’s independent beer makers? Or are government ignorance and Big Brewing more of a threat to this life-enhancing industry? Britain’s leading beer writer PETE BROWN – author of Craft: An Argument: Why The Term 'Craft Beer' Is Completely Undefinable, Hopelessly Misunderstood And Absolutely Essential – tells Andrew Harrison how we got here, and how to Make Craft Beer Great Again.  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