

The Bunker – News without the nonsense
Podmasters
News without the nonsense, every weekday morning. In episodes that fit your commute*, The Bunker cuts through the noise to make sense of what’s really going on in news, current affairs, politics, economics and culture. We bring you smart explainers, interviews, fresh perspectives and under-reported stories to as a refreshing alternative to repetitive Punch and Judy news coverage. It’s the only way to start the day. From the producers of Oh God, What Now?Our regulars include: Gavin Esler • Ros Taylor • Alex von Tunzelmann • Andrew Harrison • Zing Tsjeng • Jacob Jarvis • Emma Kennedy • Rafael Behr • Seth Thévoz.• Sign up to support the podcast and get episodes ad-free and early: patreon.com/bunkercast• Apple users: Get all of our core shows ad-free and early with the Podmasters Originals super-subscription.(* Even if it’s just from the kitchen to the front room. )The Bunker is a Podmasters production.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 17, 2023 • 23min
Judge dread: How Rishi Sunak will fight for his Rwanda vision – with Ros Taylor and Joelle Grogan
Tell us what you think of The Bunker in our Listener Survey – five respondents will get the Bunker mug or t-shirt of their choice.The Supreme Court has shot down the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. But Rishi Sunak is determined to see his policy through, even if it means defying the European Court of Human Rights. So what next for the controversial plan? Ros Taylor is joined in The Bunker by legal academic and head of the research at UK in a Changing Europe, Joelle Grogan to look at the fallout of the court decision. • “The supreme court found that Rwanda was unsafe for the policy, not that it was unlawful.” – Joelle Grogan• "The law cannot claim something is safe when it is not factually safe.” – Joelle Grogan• “A majority of Rwanda alternatives are also facing their own migration crisis.” – Joelle Groganwww.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Simon Williams. 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

Nov 16, 2023 • 26min
Elon Mess: Is Politics wrecking Musk’s life? – Marie Le Conte asks Max Chafkin
Tell us what you think of The Bunker in our Listener Survey – five respondents will get the Bunker mug or t-shirt of their choice.Things are bad for Elon Musk. From the slow motion car crash at Twitter to his mission to eradicate the woke mind virus. Where did it all go wrong for the Tesla CEO and how has his politics warped his view of the world? Marie Le Conte is joined in The Bunker by tech journalist for Bloomberg and co-host of Elon Inc. Max Chafkin to discuss the divisive politics of the world’s richest man.
“Elon Musk is a weird mix of Taylor Swift and Warren Buffet” – Max Chafkin
“The Twitter acquisition has been disastrous, not just from a financial standpoint but a personal disaster too.” – Max Chafkin
“If you had to come up with his formula for success, over-promising is a huge part of it.” – Max Chafkin
Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Marie Le Conte. Producer: Liam Tait and Eliza Davis Beard. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. 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

Nov 15, 2023 • 33min
Crisis management: How financial meltdowns shaped the modern-day Labour Party
Tell us what you think of The Bunker in our Listener Survey – five respondents will get the Bunker mug or t-shirt of their choice.Disasters shape the course of politics – and financial crises have heavily impacted Labour’s policies over time. A century ago, the Labour party had almost no economic experts within its ranks. Since then it has battled crises like the great depression of the 30s and more recently the economic crash of 2007. How has this changed the party? Dr. Christopher Kirkland is a lecturer in politics at York St. John University and the author of Labour’s Economic Ideology Since 1900 Developed Through Crises. He joins Alex Andreou in The Bunker.• “Back to 1929-31…the Labour party only had one recognisable expert in terms of finance.” – Dr. Christopher Kirkland• “What Attlee did and the Labour Party did is they offered something optimistic.” – Dr. Christopher Kirkland• “Blair wanted to present something different - hence the term ‘New Labour’.” – Dr. Christopher Kirklandwww.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: 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

Nov 14, 2023 • 28min
Brothers grim: Inside the Barclays’ weird world
Tell us what you think of The Bunker in our Listener Survey – five respondents will get the Bunker mug or t-shirt of their choice.The Barclay brothers were one of the most influential pairings in political life in recent decades. Born into a normal family, the duo became powerful, broadsheet newspaper owning billionaires. Despite that, very little is actually known about them. Professor Jane Martinson is the Marjorie Deane Professor of Financial Journalism at City University of London and author of You May Never See Us Again: The Barclay Dynasty: A Story of Survival, Secrecy and Succession. She joins Andrew Harrison in The Bunker.Buy You May Never See Us Again here and help the podcast through our affiliate link. • “Although they owned loads of newspapers, no one really knew anything about them.” – Jane Martinson• “They should have been one of Britain's greatest success stories… but it has not ended that way.” – Jane Martinsonwww.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Alex Rees. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 13, 2023 • 28min
Braver-gone at last! Start Your Week — Emergency edition
Suella Braverman's firing, Israel-Hamas conflict, Biden-Xi Jinping meeting, natural disasters, and podcast promotions discussed in an emergency edition of The Bunker.

Nov 12, 2023 • 22min
BUNKER GOLD - How filthy is Britain's air?
This week's Bunker Gold arrives out of the smog, from 2022...Dirty air filing homes across the UK is leading to an increase in asthma and lower life expectancy. But just how filthy is it? And are we doing anything meaningful about it? Ros Taylor talks to David Green, senior research fellow in the aerosol science team at Imperial College London.“Scientists have found particles from polluted air in unborn babies.”“Some of the highest levels of pollution are experienced in cars.”“Government anti-pollution measures benefit the public purse in the long term because we spend less on things like childhood development.”“Outside of London, industrial hubs contribute a huge level of air pollution – Port Talbot’s factories make it the most polluted place in the UK.”🚨 Help us make The Bunker better! 🧑🏼💻 Answer our new LISTENER SURVEY 📋 And you could win a Bunker mug or t-shirt 👕:https://www.patreon.com/posts/help-us-make-our-92573016Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 12, 2023 • 41min
Bunker Panel: Love on the political spectrum – Could you date them if you hate them?
On our latest panel edition: The COVID inquiry exposed an undeniably toxic culture of pseudo machismo underpinning Downing Street – how did it come to this? Plus, we discuss the politicisation of online dating, and whether our political leanings are the new measure of “hot or not”.Joining Podmasters’ own Batman and Robin Andrew Harrison and Jacob Jarvis are Oh God, What Now? regular Marie Le Conte and Why? presenter Dr. Anna Machin for a double date in The Bunker.
“If you can get to the top of the food chain by being revolting, great! Just be sure you trust the people around you.” – Dr. Anna Machin
“I've ended up dating a card carrying Tory. Not just a voter.” – Marie Le Conte
Why? – the brand new podcast taking you to the edge of knowledge. Available on all good podcast players – visit whypodcast.co.uk to find itTell us what you think of The Bunker in our Listener Survey https://www.patreon.com/posts/help-us-make-our-92573016 – five respondents will get the Bunker mug or t-shirt of their choice.www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Jacob Jarvis with Andrew Harrison, Marie Le Conte and Anna Machin. Producers: Eliza Davis Beard and Liam Tait. Audio production: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 11, 2023 • 32min
Bunker USA: Red, white and screwed – Was American politics doomed from the start?
American politics is in chaos – but in many respects the US was born that way. Throughout the late 1700s the federalist party constantly fought with the anti-federalists over their opposing desires for the future. But is partisan politics really a problem? Or is it a necessity for a democratic system to function? Seth Thevoz is joined by bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H.W. Brands – whose new book: Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics explores exactly that.
“Partisanship seems to be inevitable in a democratic system of competitive politics.” – H.W. Brands
“There are lots of people on the conservative right who think the current government is out of control.” – H.W. Brands
“If partisanship ever disappears, that's going to be a system of something much worse.” – H.W. Brands.
Tell us what you think of The Bunker in our Listener Survey: https://www.patreon.com/posts/help-us-make-our-92573016 – five respondents will get the Bunker mug or t-shirt of their choice.Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Seth Thevoz. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Jade Bailey. 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

Nov 10, 2023 • 28min
Putin's Puppets: Who are the mercenaries replacing Russia's Wagner Group?
Russia’s use of private military companies (PMCs) is no secret, despite Vladimir Putin’s best efforts. Wagner is the most infamous but after Yevgeny Prighozin’s downfall, another has taken its place – Redut PMC. Where does its loyalties lie? How powerful is it? And who’s in charge? Dr Marina Miron is a post-doctoral researcher at the War Studies Department at King's College London. She joins Laura Makin-Isherwood in The Bunker.
“Now that Wagner is out of the picture, it seems like Redut is taking its place.” – Dr. Marina Miron
“I don’t think there is a lot of resistance to PMCs in Russia, especially in the public sphere.” – Dr. Marina Miron
“Redut started recruiting from prisons, only when Wagner finished.” – Dr. Marina Miron
Listen to our brand new science podcast WHY? – taking you on adventures to the edge of knowledge – at whypodcast.co.uk Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Laura Makin-Isherwood. Producers: Chris Jones and Eliza David Beard. Audio production: Jade Bailey. 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

Nov 9, 2023 • 30min
Kicking and streaming: Can Spotify survive?
Spotify dominates the music industry – but artists struggle to profit from the platform. What if that power balance shifts? Although the streaming platform is on track to reach one billion users by 2027. Can the streamer perfect the mix of corporate profits, customer satisfaction and pay musicians more than a fraction of a penny per play?Andrew Harrison is joined in The Bunker by music business and tech journalist Dr. Eamonn Forde to discuss Spotify's uncertain future.
“Spotify was created to compete with illegal music services like Napster.” – Dr. Eamonn Forde
“Apple was slow to streaming, Steve Jobs always felt that it was a ridiculous idea to ‘rent’ music” – Dr. Eamonn Forde
“The CD market had a phenomenal growth curve that was completely unsustainable.” – Dr. Eamonn Forde
Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. 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


