The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Elon Musk’s calamitous time at Twitter, or X as he wants to call it, has wrecked the platform. But could he go as far as tanking the company entirely? Today in The Bunker, Chris Jones speaks with Ryan Broderick, tech journalist and writer of the Garbage Day substack, to find out if we could see the end of the site – and what impact its demise would have upon the Tesla chief’s other business ventures. • "On X, you can see family friendly adverts beside some of the most hateful content you can imagine.” – Ryan Broderick• “Purely right wing social media platforms just don’t work." – Ryan Broderick• “Elon Musk has never found a rake he didn’t want to step on." – Ryan Broderickwww.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and Presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Private schools have been responsible for educating a broad spread of political leaders. What’s going on in this weird world of elite education? To make sense of public schools and their staggering influence within the UK government and beyond, Andrew Harrison talks to Robert Verkaik, author of Posh Boys: How English Public Schools Ruin Britain, in The Bunker. • “It’s bizarre when you think that one school can be as influential in the running of the government as Eton has.” – Robert Verkaik • “These schools' sole purpose is to advance the life chances of children who are already incredibly privileged… which ultimately undermines our democracy.” – Robert Verkaik Buy Posh Boys: How English Public Schools Ruin Britain through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production: Alex Rees. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All eyes will be on Boris Johnson as he faces the Covid Inquiry this week. What bombshells? Plus – Keir Starmer has made headlines over the weekend for his praise of Margaret Thatcher? What’s the Labour leader up to? We have the latest on the Government’s failing Rwanda plan – can Rishi Sunak ever escape the doomed policy? Finally we have the latest on the Israel Hamas conflict, are Israel’s allies losing patience with Netanyahu?  “Nothing Johnson says this week will change the public perception of Boris Johnson.” – Ros Taylor  “Going to war with a neighbouring country may not be the smartest thing to do during a pandemic.” – Alex Andreou "Johnson does have a history of dismissing female-led inquiries.” – Ros Taylor Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou with Ros Taylor. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve all felt shame. But it’s more than an emotion – it’s also a political weapon. All manners of politicians, including recent figures like Trump and various Brexiteers, have utilised the feeling to pursue their ends. David Keen, the author of Shame: The Politics and Power of an Emotion, speaks to Alex Andreou to discuss the strength of shame and how it’s been used throughout history. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump is never out of trouble. And it’s hard to keep up with his latest wrongdoing. Jacob Jarvis is joined by Andrew Rudalevige, Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government at Bowdoin College and a visiting professor at LSE, to go over the five key areas of drama you need to understand in the run up to 2024.• “If Trump were convicted of all 90 of his current felonies, he'd’ be looking at something like 700 years in prison.”• “Any private citizen not named Donald J. Trump would inevitably get convicted for espionage and obstruction of justice in the classified documents case”www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gun battles, mass graves, and explosions – that’s not a description of a battlefield, but of an illegal gold mine in South Africa. Gold mining propped up the nation’s economy for over a century, and still today countries like the UK trade millions for its gold. But a huge price crash in the late 90s put tens of thousands of miners out of a job. Since then, a literal criminal underworld has risen, operated by illegal miners named the Zama-Zamas, who risk their lives everyday in abandoned mine shafts that could collapse any minute.Kimon de Greef is a journalist who has investigated all this for The New Yorker. He joins Dipo Faloyin in the Bunker to explain what drives the Zama-Zamas and where their gold goes.• “Up until the end of apartheid, Gold was the bedrock of South Africa’s economy.” – Kimon de Greef.• “It’s like something out of the most dystopian science fiction, down there, but it’s real.” – Kimon de Greef.• “Gold really explains a lot of South Africa’s social history.” – Kimon de Greef.www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Dipo Faloyin. Written and Produced by: Chris Jones. Audio production: Alex Rees. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve all heard of ChatGPT. But what is the recent drama surrounding the lesser-known parent company OpenAI and its fired-then-reinstated CEO Sam Altman? Chris Jones gets the 411 on the controversy with The Bunker’s resident AI expert Dr Kate Devlin.•“We should be talking about the repercussions of our technology, and about how a small handful of people in a small part of America have huge amounts of global control.” – Dr Kate Devlin• “My fear is that they are going to be more focused on developing the technology rather than the ethicality of AI and its consequences for humanity.” – Dr Kate Devlinwww.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard and Liam Tait. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marie Le Conte and Eviane Leidig discuss the dangerous tactics of far-right women on social media, normalizing extremist ideas and prescribing traditionalism as an antidote to unhappiness. They explore the content and motivations of these influencers, the fantasy of traditional motherhood, personal stories of radicalized women, and the role of social media in amplifying extreme ideologies.

What should we actually pay attention to in Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement, away from the points he wants to spin? To make sense of the mini-budget, Alex Andreou is joined in The Bunker by Jo Michell, professor of economics at the University of the West of England, to take a closer look at the chancellor’s proposals.• "We shouldn’t treat taxes as a burden, but a responsibility.” – Jo Michell• “Longer term forecasts are completely unpredictable." – Jo Michell• “The government is against investment itself, just green investment." – Jo MichellSupport us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The small period of post reshuffle harmony is over and Sunak’s party is back to doing what it does best: infighting. Could new Home Sec James Cleverly enrage backbenchers by moving away from the Rwanda plan? And Matt Hancock is back in the spotlight as he faces the Covid Inquiry. What can we expect from his testimony? Plus, the latest on the Israeli/Hamas ceasefire. Could it be extended? And finally, King Charles is heading to Dubai for COP28. Will the environmentalist monarch speak his mind or toe his government’s line?Ros Taylor is joined in The Bunker by Hannah Fearn to get you prepped for the week ahead.  “Migration is 3 times higher than before Brexit, and that’s nothing to do with small boats.” – Hannah Fearn Reform UK is holding the door wide open for a Farage comeback." – Ros Taylor "There’s no evidence that migration is a do or die issue for Conservative voters.” – Hannah Fearn Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor and Hannah Fearn. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices