The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Sir Winston Churchill’s legacy is often discussed – but is usually more complex than conversations suggest. Some call him one of the greatest Britons of all time – in India, however, he is regarded as one of the key villains of imperial rule. Ahir Shah is joined by historian Walter Reid , fellow of the Royal Historical Society and author of Fighting Retreat: Churchill and India , to discuss how Ch...

Jürgen Klopp impressed the football world with his honest reasons for quitting as Liverpool manager. But how come so few politicians know how to quit when they’re ahead? Andrew Harrison talks to Oh God What Now regular Seth Thévoz about the history of political exits – and the times when leaders from Harold Wilson to Thatcher, Major and Blair just couldn’t let go. •“Even politicians who’ve said ‘I...

It’s a bad Brexit news week as new regulations are put in place. Plus, Sunak’s woes continue – but Hunt’s going to try and help him out. And we discuss the latest from conflicts and elections across the globe, including Trump being made to look like a loser.  • “The government is once again farming out its problems caused by Brexit to companies.” – Alex Andreou  • “The last thing Sunak needs is to...

Hit reality TV show The Traitors reveals how great some people are at lying – and how bad others are at detecting it. What lessons can we take from Claudia Winkleman’s backstabbing parlour game about the world of politics? Today in The Bunker , Ahir Shah speaks with The Guardian ’s Zoe Williams to find out which of our politicians would flourish or flounder under the pressure.  Stay tuned until af...

The US election is being fought on many fronts, but what does the American public really care about most? Is it the economy, is it immigration, or is it simply the name of the person who sits in the Oval Office? Susan Davis is a political correspondent for NPR and host of the NPR Political Podcast. She joins Alex Andreou in The Bunker to discuss how the likely candidates will campaign on the most...

What do people care most about at the moment – and how will this affect their votes in the upcoming general election? From immigration to the NHS, the economy to defence, there’s plenty for voters to think about. Ros Taylor speaks to Ben Walker, senior data journalist at the New Statesman and co-founder of Britain Elects .  •“The priority amongst all Britons is not immigration, not the NHS, but st...

Few TV dramas have had such an instant seismic effect as ITV’s miniseries on the Horizon scandal, Mr Bates vs The Post Office . How do searing stories of miscarriages of justice make it to screen in a ruthless television environment? And what makes them so effective at concentrating public outrage and forcing change? Simon Heath , CEO and Creative Director of World Productions, was Executive Produ...

“Ron DeSanctimonious” is out of the Presidential running meaning a two-way race between Trump and Nikki Haley in this week’s New Hampshire Primary. Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea start to filter through to the economy. The Lords get ready to savage the Rwanda Plan. And NASA opens up a can of asteroid dust – what could possibly go wrong? Gavin Esler sets out the week ahead for Andrew Har...

Donald Trump once said he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and his supporters wouldn’t care. Not only does polling suggest that could be true – but since he was criminally indicted (not for shooting anyone) his loyalists have stuck by him. Thomas Gift is the founding director of UCL’s centre on US politics and he joins Jacob Jarvis in The Bunke r to discuss what he believes are the five types of...

Migration is one of the most divisive issues in the UK – socially, politically, and economically. But a lot of the information we consume is propaganda, and many of the assumptions made are wrong. Hein de Haas , author of How Migration Really Works, offers Ros Taylor insights which could lead to effective migration policy.  • “The overall contribution of recent migration has been positive rather t...

The 2024 US Presidential election will likely see Biden and Trump back on the ballot. And, if previous elections are anything to go by, Russia will play a key role in manipulating things in Trump’s favour. Joseph Webster, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and editor of the China-Russia report, joins Gavin Esler in The Bunker , to discuss what Russia seeks to gain out of a Trump presidency, and...

Young people, particularly young men, are increasingly becoming radicalised toward the far-right. Often chronically online and extremely vulnerable to manipulation, just how big of a risk do they pose? And what can be done about it? Alex Andreou joins Cynthia Miller-Idriss , founding director of the Polarisation and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at the American University in Washin...

PM Rishi Sunak faces the commons today to explain military action against Houthi Rebels. Plus – the Rwanda bill is back. Will the Conservatives be satisfied with the latest draft? Across the pond – The Republican Party caucuses in Iowa. Is a Trump victory inevitable? And finally President Biden has congratulated Lai Ching-te following his victory in the Taiwan election, how will Beijing respond? ...

A special crossover episode with This Is Not A Drill , our geopolitics podcast. Why are UK and US navies defending Western shipping against missile attacks and hijacks from rebels in the poorest country in the Middle East? The battle between the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia threatens to spill over into a wider regional conflict – and Iran is fanning the flames. What happens next? Gavin...

Brainwashing has been utilised as a political tool for centuries. How exactly is it weaponised today? Daniel Pick , author of Brainwashed: A New History of Thought Control, discusses the history and contemporary manifestations of thought control with Alex Andreou , in The Bunker .  • “Brainwashing seeks both to decimate and damage the mind – and to infiltrate ideas and to organise ideologies in a...

Internet culture has changed a lot since the last general election – so the way politicians use it will have to evolve too. Facebook may no longer be the king of social media, but have Sunak and Starmer mastered Tiktok, Instagram or YouTube? Today in The Bunker , Ros Taylor speaks with professor of digital politics at Sheffield University, Kate Dommett, about the tricks politicians will be using t...

Once known as the Brexit Party, Reform UK wants to mortally wound the Tories in the General Election. Do its recent poll spikes show real support for Richard Tice’s vociferously anti-migration, anti-woke party? Should the Tories really worry – and should Labour? And could those fanciful stories about Nigel Farage joining the Tories and taking over as leader really come true? Legendary journalist a...

Rishi Sunak faces more backbench backlash as Parliament returns. Plus – will an emergency summit give closure to the 700 victims of the Post Office scandal? Finally in a year of vital elections, how will the Taiwan election shape global politics?   • “Sunak should not be pandering to the party faithful. That’s not governing.” – Ros Taylor   • “We’re looking at three byelections in just eight days....

There’s pretty much only one certainty in US politics in 2024: chaos. Trump faces a reckoning with the law, but is still very much in the running for the presidency. Meanwhile scrutiny against Biden ramps up. How will these controversies play out? Joining Gavin Esler in The Bunker to discuss all of this is senior editor at The Dispatch and host of the Advisory Opinions podcast, Sarah Isgur .  • “A...

Britain’s damaged economy will dominate this election year but it’s a sprawling topic. We’ve broken it down into five key issues to keep an eye on in 2024 – from the endless battle over tax cuts to the still-dire cost of living crisis, from the mortgage timebomb to the unforeseen consequences of AI. Former advisor to Vince Cable and now senior fellow at the Institute for Government Giles Wilkes la...

AI took the world by storm in 2023 – and has the potential to fundamentally change it in 2024. But will it be for better or worse? That all depends on who utilises it. Dr. Kate Devlin is joined in The Bunker by Kyle Taylor , author of the The Little Black Book of Artificial Intelligence: How Big Tech is Making Humanity Redundant to discuss.  • “Everything in the AI space is being designed in a for...

New year, same old Sunak. Alex Andreou joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss the latest misjudgements from the PM and the immediate political news to look out for, before diving into a forecast for 2024. From elections across the globe, to conflicts worldwide and AI – we discuss the key themes you need to look out for over the next 12 months.  • “Sunak has no time to do or promise anything meaningful.”  •...

From pandemics to natural disasters, terror attacks to global warming, it seems the world is becoming more disastrous by the minute – and government responses consistently fall short. Why aren’t we ever prepared?  Ros Taylor speaks to Jeff Schlegelmilch , director of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness Director and co-author of Catastrophic Incentives: Why Our Approache...

We’ve come a long way as society but has progress hindered our ability to have a laugh? Seth Thévoz is joined by David Stubbs , the author of Different Times to discuss the evolution of British comedy from silent movies to the raunchy sitcoms of today. "Monty Python looks a bit dodgy these days.” – David Stubbs "The real revolution in comedy was the Young Ones. It was punk.” – David Stubbs "Tommy...

On today’s Bunker Gold, a Christmas throwback from 2022…  What do veganism, Donald Trump and Brussels sprouts have in common? They’re all points of contention at Christmas time. But how do you deal with the terrible opinions of family and friends? Marie Le Conte is joined by Christmas elves Tom Peck and Seth Thévoz to discuss navigating conversations with Brexit-y uncles and Corbynista cousins.  •...