The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Our political debate stops at Christmas — but this hasn’t always been the case. It was only in the Victorian era that Christmas was reinvented as a time for family and domesticity, with no room for politics. Should politics return to Christmas? Has it been there all along? University of St Andrews Senior Lecturer in Theology Rev Dr Stephen Holmes speaks to Alex Andreou about the politics of Christ...

On our latest panel edition: It’s been a weird year in the world of politics. From accusations of bunny murder, to saucy broadway interruptions and hemp bar shenanigans. Do you remember the crazy political stories that defined the last 12 months? Jacob Jarvis and an all-star lineup of Podmasters regulars, Marie Le Conte , Jonn Elledge and Andrew Harrison go through the 20 weirdest stories from the...

Terrorist activity is surging across Europe since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, and UK police are warning MPs that London is currently facing the “biggest convergence of threats we have seen for a very long time”. Could we be facing a new phase in intensified political terror? Peter Neumann , Professor of Security Studies at King's College London and author of The New World D...

The Covid Inquiry continues to throw out news lines with Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove appearing since our last round-up. If you’ve found it too hard to keep track, we’re here to catch you up. Alex Andreou is joined once again by Prof. Christina Pagel to explain some key moments. • “The attitude of ‘I know better’ is quite damaging to Sunak.” – Christina Pagel • “It’s not just that we’v...

Michelle Mone has admitted to lying to the media over her links to a PPE firm. What fallout will happen next? Plus – Rishi Sunak continues to pander to backbenchers over immigration, what does the PM have to gain by embracing the right? Plus, calls mount for a prolonged pause in the Israel/Hamas conflict, will Netenyahu be strong-armed into another ceasefire? And finally we have the latest on repo...

Donald Trump’s hold over rural voters is priceless to the Republican party. But how did this real life caricature of a wealthy businessman win them over? And has the divide between rural and urban voters ever been so big in America? Nicholas Jacobs is the co-author of The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America and joins Dorian Lynskey in The Bunker. “No republican candida...

The internet has become a theatre of war, with lies and disinformation being radically weaponised. The UN has responded with a framework on how to fight such threats – But does it hold any real potential to win the battle for truth? Carl Miller co-founded the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos and joins Marie Le Conte in The Bunker. “There’s no single stakeholder that can possibly ma...

We know the human cost of Russia’s war in Ukraine – with estimated fatalities reaching half a million. But what is the financial cost? Can Russia afford to continue this conflict – and for how long? Oxford Analytica senior Russia analyst and Eastern Advisory Group director Dr Richard Connelly speaks to Chris Jones in The Bunker.  • “Before the war, the Russian economy had been through a decade of...

Most extreme movements seem to have one thing in common: angry men. Do misogyny and radicalisation go hand-in-hand? Extreme Britain: Gender, Masculinity and Radicalisation author Dr Elizabeth Pearson discusses the mobilisation of masculinity with Marie Le Conte, drawing upon personal experiences with British extremist group leaders such as Anjem Choudary and Tommy Robinson.  • “Men realise particu...

It’s Rishi Sunak’s nightmare week as he faces the COVID Inquiry and his own restive MPs over Rwanda. How will the testy PM deal with a real grilling? And it will only take 28 Tory rebels to sink the Rwanda legislation. How will he handle that? Plus, Farage paints coming last in I’m A Celebrity as a win, the cruelty of the family income rules on migration, and flawed leasehold legislation. Ros Tayl...

Donald Trump commands extreme support from evangelicals in America – despite seemingly lacking Christian values. How has this support developed and endured? Dr Seth Thévoz is joined by Tim Alberta, journalist and author of the book The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism, to discuss.  “There is a caricature of the evangelical, flag waving Trump republica...

Despite governments pushing to make people healthier, the junk food industry continues to thrive. How do the corporations in charge continue to thrive – and hold power the world over? Alex Andreou is joined in The Bunker by Eduardo J. Gómez , author of Junk Food Politics: How Beverage and Fast Food Industries Are Reshaping Emerging Economies, to find out.  • “Junk food is an image of wealth which...

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 ventu...

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...

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 allie...

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.patr...

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...

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,...

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 amou...

The far-right is often associated with angry white men — but their female counterparts might be even more dangerous.  Dr Eviane Leidig , a postdoctoral fellow at Tilburg University and author of The Women of the Far Right: Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization. She joins Marie Le Conte in The Bunker , to discuss how these women weaponise social media to disseminate extremist ideologie...

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 • “...

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 fina...

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 Marvel Cinematic Universe may be teetering in 2023 — but for two decades it’s been the dominant force in Hollywood. Andrew Harrison is joined by Gavin Edwards, co-author of MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, to discuss how its characters and storylines help to expl...

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.  President John F. Kennedy’s assassination remains a favourite topic for conspiracy theorists. How did the momentous event spark a new era in conspiratorial thinking? And what makes it persist 60 years on. Jacob Jarvis is joined by Tom Phillips, co-author of Conspiracy...

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.  It’s been ten years since China launched its colossal Belt and Road initiative, intended to usher in a new era of trade and economic growth. Has it achieved what it set out to? Or is progress starting to ebb? Alex Andreou is joined by George Magnus , an associate at t...