The Bunker – News without the nonsense

There’s nothing like American political conventions here in the UK. When Kamala Harris accepts her party’s nomination at this week’s Democratic National Convention , it’ll be more of a spectacle and a celebration than a mere political moment. Why do these gaudy, over-the-top events matter? And in this strange and tense Presidential Election, following the Trump assassination attempt and Biden’s wi...

Kamala Harris will accept the Presidential nomination at this week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago – but will Gaza protests draw more attention than this celebrity- and former-president packed ‘political Glastonbury’? Ukraine’s counter-invasion of Russia presses on – is the end of the war drawing closer? At home, the new government tackles hate: from plans for misogyny to be treated as...

A trove of Project 2025 videos have been leaked, giving unique insight into what Trump appointees might want to do if he wins the election. In this teaser for American Friction , Jacob Jarvis discusses leaked Project 2025 training videos, with ProPublica reporter Andy Kroll , one of the journalists who obtained and analysed them. Go here for the full episode .     Want to know more about the race...

This year marks NATO’s 75th anniversary – having survived the Cold War, 9/11 and most recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Is NATO’s role is changing, can it hold on to its members – and will it be recognisable in ten years? Will it even exist? Peter Apps, author of Deterring Armageddon: a biography of NATO , joins Ros Taylor in The Bunker to discuss its uncertain future.    Buy Deterring Armag...

Online politics is drowning in memes – repurposed movie stills, videos and viral catchphrases are everywhere. From the UK General Election to the American Presidential race, memes are increasingly central to political campaigns. But can they actually sway votes? Senior Research Fellow at Complutense University Madrid Paolo Gerbaudo joins Jacob Jarvis in The Bunker to discuss the intrinsic politica...

The second in our ‘Foreign Affairs’ mini-series on Britain’s battered foreign relationships. Today: China is growing in industrial and military power while post-Brexit Britain is increasingly adrift. Will StarmQer have to accommodate to whatever Beijing wants – or can Britain assert itself against the new superpower? Gavin Esler speaks to KCL Professor and former Beijing embassy official Kerry Bro...

Far-right riots and racist violence have traumatised Britain – but how powerful are the extremists? Where are they drawing their power from? And how can ordinary people stop them? Paul Mason is a journalist is the author of How To Stop Fascism . He tells Andrew Harrison what makes modern far-right politics different and dangerous – the compromises we’ll need to defeat it – and why we need “militan...

The fallout from rioting continues to dominate the news – how will the Government handle this? Gavin Esler joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss challenges for Starmer now and into the future. Plus, they discuss clashes with Elon Musk , relations with China , Trump’s most recent grim behaviour and the latest from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine . There’s all that and more in your primer for the we...

In 1914, war engulfed Europe in a conflict that killed millions and change the course of the twentieth century. Now, 110 years later, the geopolitical climate feels uncomfortably familiar to the period preceding the First World War. Are we moving ever closer to another global conflict – and might it be avoided by taking lessons from the origins of the Great War? To find out, Luke Turner talks to D...

For decades class has been a dirty word in British politics. Now Keir Starmer heads the most working class, least privately-educated cabinet in modern history, and is putting class concerns like workers’ rights reform at the centre of its politics. Will Labour’s programme work? How true has the party been to its working class origins? And does it win when it is? Political historian Anthony Broxton...

Joe Biden won’t have a second term as president after he heeded calls to leave the 2024 race. So as it comes towards an end, how will his time in office be remembered? Leslie Vinjamuri director of the US and the Americas programme at Chatham House , talks to Dorian Lynskey about Biden’s legacy.   We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkerc...

The country is facing its worst wave of far-right violence in the modern age –but is it just mindless thuggery or are deeper forces at work? Can the psychology of rioting help us defeat this wave of violence? Professor of social psychology Clifford Stott unpacks the dynamics of the riots, how they’ve spread, and what they really mean to Andrew Harrison.     We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed...

An occasional series on how Britain is fixing its battered foreign relationships. Today: After the combative Tory years, Keir Starmer is trying to reset the Anglo-French connection . What do we want from France and what does Paris want from us? Britain’s former Ambassador to France Lord Peter Ricketts talks to Ros Taylor about whether Starmer and Macron are natural allies, the damage caused by Bre...

After the worst civil disorder in a decade, will severe instant sentencing deter rioters like it did in 2011? Is the violence evidence of the far right’s weakness, not its strength? And is this really a test of the Starmer Government’s strength? Plus Kamala Harris’s choices of running mate, the chances of an Israel/Hezbollah war, and more Alex Andreou sets out the week ahead with Andrew Harrison ....

Britain’s new army chief recently said Britain must be ready for war in three years. Where are the biggest threats coming from, what are our current weaknesses, and how can we best prepare? To find out, Gavin Esler speaks to the Economist ’s defence editor Shashank Joshi .    We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.   www.patreon.com/bunkercast   Written and p...

Donald Trump recently announced Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate. Who exactly is Vance – and why is he the subject of so much controversy? POLITICO national political correspondent and author of Trump in Exile Meridith McGraw tells Dorian Lynskey of her own recent experience on the campaign trail with the Senator.   Buy Trump in Exile through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund Th...

The Olympics are in full-swing – but news of medals and victory are often overshadowed by controversies linked to contestants and politics. We’ve seen this already this year – but has the Olympics always been so political? Emma Kennedy sits down with David Goldblatt, author of The Games: A Global History of the Olympics.   We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored cred...

From overcrowding to underfunding, British prisons are in crisis. So how can Labour remedy 14 years of the Tories’ neglect of criminal justice system? Former director of public prosecutions Lord Ken Macdonald sits down with Ros Taylor to discuss how we might solve the prison conundrum.   We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.   www.patreon.com/bunkercast   W...

Rachel Reeves is set to unveil a £20bn black hole in public finances – what will Labour do about this? In more bleak news, GPs are set to strike over unfair working conditions – what would this mean for patients? And, a public sector pay deal is expected, what will it look like? Plus, who are the top contenders in the Tory leadership race? In world news, we discuss the latest in the U.S. President...

With Kamala Harris set to replace Joe Biden in the 2024 race, focus has turned to who will be her running mate. Jacob Jarvis gets the rundown on the top contenders from Katie Gaddini , visiting scholar at Stanford University , an associate professor of sociology at the Social Research Institute, University College London . Take a listen to America Friction podcast: https://listen.podmasters.uk/Ame...

As our climate continues to heat up, wildfires, flooding and drought are becoming the new normal. But beyond weather events, how is extreme heat affecting our politics, economy, and society at large – and have we already reached a boiling point? Alex Andreou asks Jeff Goodell, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of The Heat Will Kill You First.   Buy The Heat Will Kill You First throu...

As vicious conflicts rage across the world, the civil war in Sudan has received limited attention. To explain the far-reaching impacts of the conflict, the humanitarian crisis unfolding, and why we should start paying attention, Gavin Esler speaks to Alan Boswell , Crisis Group ’s director for the horn of Africa, in today’s Bunker .   We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sp...

Keir Starmer has one hell of a challenge fixing everything the Tories broke in their 14 years in charge. Where to begin? Guardian journalist Polly Toynbee sits down with Ros Taylor in The Bunker to discuss Starmer’s uphill battle ahead.   We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.   www.patreon.com/bunkercast   Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by El...

It’s the morning after Joe Biden’s shock withdrawal from the U.S. Presidential race. Why now – and who will replace him? Closer to home, we’ve got Keir Starmer’s first PMQs to look forward to. What should we expect? And what does the strike on Yemen mean for the Middle East – and how will international governments respond? Want to hear more about the situation in the US? Listen to American Frictio...

Amazon turns 30 this month – and it’s unrecognisable from the online bookstore it once was. But can it continue to grow forever – or might recent legal cases mark the end of Bezos’ global market domination? Kate Devlin speaks to The Wall Street Journal ’s Dana Mattioli , author of The Everything War , to find out. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. • I...