The Bunker – News without the nonsense

The Government’s emergency measures to keep public places empty are proving to be a rat’s nest. Even senior police officers and prosecutors don’t fully understand the law. Prosecutions are falling apart. And civil liberties groups are calling for a review of all penalties. Constitutional expert and Remainiacs regular DAVID ALLEN GREEN talks to Ayesha Hazarika about bad law made in haste, and what we can look forward to in the inevitable Public Inquiry. “We’ve enforced public health legislation as if it were public order emergency.” “The regulations that created perhaps the widest-ranging prohibitions in peacetime never had a parliamentary vote.”  “It may well be that the litigation will go on longer than the virus did.” “We’re supposed to nod along in a public health emergency… but how much are we nodding along?” Presented by Ayesha Hazarika. 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

There’s only one problem with the widely-held belief that humans are fundamentally amoral and selfish, says Dutch historian RUTGER BREGMAN: it’s rubbish. His new book Humankind: A Hopeful History argues that the record shows humanity’s superpower is its unique aptitude for altruism and co-operation. He tells Andrew Harrison why everything from Lord Of The Flies to the story of the Blitz is teaching us to draw the wrong conclusions about the human race – and explains who benefits from spreading the myth of human selfishness. “Catastrophes bring out the best in people” “Individual humans are not all that smart or strong – but we can cooperate on the level no other species can match.” “The idea that most people are pretty decent is actually a revolutionary idea.” “Cynicism is a form of laziness.” 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

On this week’s full-length podcast: Keir Starmer, Donkey Farmer. Be a hero, or else: The Government frogmarches teachers to the frontline. Futurist Mark Stevenson joins us for some big ideas on how to change everything when the COVID mess starts to abate. Corona-ing up the Culture Wars. Should we give in to travel guilt? And which of the panel will defend David Cameron? Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou join Andrew Harrison for this week’s full-length BUNKER. “THE WORLD HAS JUST BEEN GIVEN A CRASH COURSE IN SYSTEMS CHANGE.” “If you want to see real innovation, go to the places where the world is broken.” “Every nation has been given an exam called COVID. And the grades are coming in.” “Being vindicated about something you always knew was going to be a shit show is not a great feeling.”  Produced and presented by Andrew Harrison with Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork by Mark Taylor. 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

FROST/BARNIER: As Britain’s negotiators issue ultimatums out of thin air and the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier pronounces the talks “very disappointing”, is there anything to save Britain from the catastrophic No Deal we were promised would never happen? We talk to HILARY BENN, Chair of the Commons Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union, about the Brexit brinksmanship that could blow up in Britain’s face. 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

Hollywood bowled over: Coronavirus has thrown the entire movie industry into suspended animation. Are the studios strong enough to withstand this unprecedented shock? Will smaller movies become collateral damage in the shutdown? Will straight-to-streaming become the new norm for even blockbuster movies? And anyone for Tenet? Is Christopher Nolan’s mind-scrambler really going to save the movies business? Nick de Semlyen of EMPIRE magazine explains the industry’s travails to Dorian Lynskey.“I don’t think the cinema experience is going to die. But it’s definitely under threat.”Presented by Dorian Lynskey. 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

The Government’s emergency measures have saddled Britain with levels of debt unseen outside wartime – and a possible future of mass unemployment. How can we rebuild the economy for a post-COVID future? What’s the scale of the task? And which industries could thrive after the shutdown and which are doomed? DR GARRY YOUNG, co-Deputy Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, sets out our possible futures to 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

As we disappear deeper into virtual worlds both for work and relaxation, what are the political dimensions of the technologies we depend on to connect? Videogame scriptwriter Edward Stern, who has worked on Dirty Bomb, Gears Of War and other “shooty bang” games, explains to novice Ros Taylor why games will be increasingly important in our distanced future… what makes a good game tick… why they aren’t as gendered as you thought … what their ascendancy can teach us about our modern world… and how to present yourself on Zoom.   “For people with disabilities, a game that lets you fly when you can’t walk is quite a big deal. That’s existentially redefining.”  “Reality is quite badly written at the moment. The characters are bad. You have very few actions available to you. And you’re stuck in one place for far too …”  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

Are YOU staying alert? If not, WHY not? We look at the Government’s confusing (and possibly self-serving) re-do of its COVID advice. UCL Global Politics professor and presenter of the Power Corrupts podcast Brian Klaas explains why we’re asking the wrong questions about Trump’s shambolic Corona response. And is this the most disappointing apocalypse ever if you happen to be a guy visiting Subway with a bazooka? Ros Taylor and Ahir Shah of The Mash Report join Dorian Lynskey for this week’s full-length BUNKER. “Socially-distanced congas are at least preferable to eating the neighbours.” – Ahir Shah “Blithering on about garden centres is not a sensible way to run a country.” – Ros Taylor “This virus really doesn’t listen to the will of the people at all…” – Dorian Lynskey “Every time you don’t directly say ‘Don’t do this’, a portion of the population is going to do that thing.” – Brian Klaas Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Ros Taylor and Ahir Shah. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Script and assistant production by Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and artwork by Mark Taylor. 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 everything – and maybe inaugurated a strange new era of history that nobody anticipated. What can we learn from past existential crises, from the oil shock to the world financial emergency of 2008? Will 2020 be a turning point like 1945 or 1979? And what good could come from this great upheaval? Historian ALWYN TURNER, author of Rejoice! Rejoice!: Britain in the 1980s, Crisis? What Crisis?: Britain in the 1970s and the upcoming All In It Together, talks to Andrew Harrison about life on the hinge of history. “Whether we like it or not, this is the dawning of a new era.” 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

Meanwhile, in Brazil… Extreme populist President Jair Bolsonaro’s dismissive response to the Corona crisis makes even Trump’s look vaguely reasonable. Could the anti-lockdown sentiment he’s fomenting push Brazil into real crisis? And how does this homophobic, military fetishist, formerly marginal far-right figure maintain power? Rio-based British journalist DOM PHILLIPS talks to Dorian Lynskey about wild times in the world’s sixth-largest country.  “A professor in Rio once described Bolsanaro as just a troll… but he has a very popular touch. And he’s very, very extreme.”  “The stuff I saw during the elections, it’s absolutely staggering that a mainstream politician would say these things.”  Presented by Dorian Lynskey. 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