The Bunker – News without the nonsense

The BBC World Service is under attack. The global broadcaster reaches an audience of over 500 million listeners across the globe. But budget cuts and the exit of some territories have left the BBC service a shell of its former self.   Alex Andreou is joined in The Bunker by Simon Potter , professor of modern history at Bristol University and author of This is the BBC: Entertaining the Nation, Spea...

Accusations of sexual assault and rape against Russell Brand will dominate the news this week. Will this open a new front in #MeToo and lead to lasting change? Plus, after Starmer makes claims about how to manage illegal migration – what are the latest proposals?  We also have an update on ongoing Conservative psychodramas including Liz Truss’s failed premiership, Tom Tugenhadt’s plea to appeal to...

Brits seem to be more mean-spirited than ever. This is clear on social media, but also in attitudes towards poorer sections of society. How did we become so mean, and what can we do about it? Hannah Fearn is joined by professor of human geography Danny Dorling , author of new book Shattered Nation: Inequality and the Geography of A Failing State , to find out how social issues change attitudes tow...

Rudy Giuliani was once credited for lowering crime in New York and a swift response to 9/11. So how has he fallen so sharply from grace? Jacob Jarvis is joined by Andrew Kirtzman, author of Giuliani: The Rise and Tragic Fall of America's Mayor to find out how since becoming an integral part of the Donald Trump leadership, Rudy Giuliani is a figure beset with scandals.   “Rudy Giuliani was a differ...

This week on Bunker Global: After Vladimir Putin meets with Kim Jong Un – should we be worried? Plus, a series of catastrophes hit North Africa, including the earthquake in Morocco and devastating flooding in Libya. And finally, Britain is frozen out of an EU-world trade agreement. Laura Makin-Isherwood , formerly London bureau chief of Feature Story News , and Abdulkader Assad , senior political...

We’ve built machines to help us make decisions in all sectors of our lives – especially in government. But we don’t understand exactly what they’re capable of and how they may evolve. David Runciman is author of The Handover: How We Gave Control of Our Lives to Corporations, States and AIs. He joins Ros Taylor in The Bunker to discuss “the machinery of states” and whether AI could learn to outgrow...

Being mistaken for Naomi Wolf was once a joke for acclaimed author Naomi Klein . But following the global pandemic, her doppelgänger embraced conspiracy theories and was welcomed into alt-right spheres. In an effort to understand the woman she was often mistaken for — Naomi Klein journeyed down the rabbit hole into a world of misinformation, emotional manipulation and a mirror world not quite like...

Covid-19 caused chaos for a lot of us. For children and young people it completely disrupted their personal growth, in education and social settings too. Dr. Lauren Andres is a professor of planning and urban transformatio n at UCL . She’s studying the impact that pandemic policies put in place by governments around the world have had on young people. She joins Ros Taylor in The Bunker to discuss...

Britain’s prisons are under the spotlight following Daniel Khalife’s escape from HMP Wandsworth. Alex Chalk did the damage control rounds over the weekend – but does the justice secretary have more problems than this high profile debacle? Meanwhile, a parliamentary researcher was arrested under suspicion of sharing official secrets with China. What does this mean for the UK’s relationship with Bei...

Following Brexit, performers are consistently losing out on opportunities to perform. How has it gotten so bad – and can the situation be resolved? Alex Andreou is joined in The Bunker by Deborah Annetts , the CEO of the Independent Society of Musicians to find out how the government could save the music industry and why they have no desire to do so. “Various select committees have begged the gove...

One of Tucker Carlson’s recent interviews is with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán. In the interview Orbán called for Trump to return to the U.S. presidency, among numerous other inflammatory statements. Why is Tucker so obsessed with Hungarian politics – and how does Orbán use the media to bolster his narrative? Chris Jones is joined by journalist for 24.HU , Zsolt Kerner . “It’s ironic to s...

Joe Biden is 80 and his main Republican rival Donald Trump is 77. Opponents of each are ready to use their ages against them – but will this debate matter come 2024? Writer for Vanity Fair and host of the Fast Politics podcast, Molly Jong-Fast says the age argument is a classic GOP tactic, but questions how well it will work. She joins Gavin Esler in the Bunker. “One of the things we’re not talkin...

This week on Bunker Global: The G20 is assembling in India this weekend, what can we expect from this year’s summit? Plus, we take a look at Victor Orbán’s interview with Tucker Carlson and the UAE is looking to loosen ‘gaming’ laws in their country. Could Dubai become the Las Vegas of the middle east?  Chris Jones is joined by associate professor of politics and international relations at UCL, Ju...

Inflation is one of the hot political topics at the moment. Jeremy Hunt says that keeping inflation at five per cent is putting money in the pocket of the average Brit... So we figured it was time to provide a cheat-sheet on inflation knowledge, just in case the Chancellor of the Exchequer needs a judgement-free refresher.  Alex Andreou sits down with Giles Wilkes , senior fellow at the Institute...

Being the leader of the opposition is a thankless task, often described as the worst job in politics. Those that don’t go on to be PM are often completely forgotten, rarely to be spoken of again. So what makes a good leader of the opposition? And how has the role changed through history? Dr. Nigel Fletcher is the Author of The Not Quite Prime Ministers: Leaders of the Opposition 1783–2020 . He joi...

We have some of the worst river health standards in Europe – in large part due to raw sewage being pumped into our vital waterways. Is it too easy for water companies to get away with this? And does the Government have a plan to fix the issue? Jamie Woodward is a professor of physical geography at the University of Manchester. He joins Laura Makin-Isherwood in the Bunker to discuss. “The water com...

School’s out indefinitely across the country as many deal with a concrete crisis. But how much did the government know about this looming fiasco? Meanwhile, parliament is back in session — inflation, small boats and green energy are on the agenda for the Conservatives. Meanwhile, Starmer looks towards the general election with a shadow cabinet reshuffle. Plus a preview of the G20 conference, the l...

You are what you buy, but how does shopping shape our politics? Can brands be agents of social change? Bobby Friction is joined by Marcus Collins, author of For the Culture: The Power Behind the World's Most Successful Brands, from Apple to Beyoncé, to explore how companies tailor their brands to different personal politics.  “How we make our identity is unbelievably powerful.” “Nike is far more t...

Over half a million people in America are homeless – and this figure keeps increasing. How can this crisis – which is resulting in deaths across the nation – be solved? President Joe Biden wants to eradicate homelessness by 2025. Can he? Ann Marie Staudenmaier is senior legal counsel for the Washington Legal Clinic for The Homeless. She sits down in The Bunker with Chris Jones to discuss why the U...

This week on Bunker Global: We’re a year and a half into the Ukraine war, and the estimated death toll remains unclear. James Cleverly is in China to “reestablish lines of communication” despite raising humanitarian concerns. Plus, we found out what happened at the BRICS summit and finally we looked at the latest horror story from Australia.  Chris Jones is joined by broadcast journalist Laura Mak...

There’s a revolution in the way doctors are treating mental health, but the UK could be at risk of falling behind. Dr. Kate Devlin speaks to Dr. Matt Wall, a cognitive neuroscientist at Imperial College London and Invicro, to discuss microdosing, legal red tape and what happens when you give an octopus MDMA.  "Drug policy isn’t on the agenda for any of the main UK parties. They just don’t care.” ...

Rubik's cubes, leg warmers and Walkmen. How does the pop culture of a decade define it? Looking beyond clichés and caricatures, how was culture an agent of social change in the 1980s? Dr. Kasia Tomasiewicz speaks to Dr. Lucy Robinson , author of Now That's What I Call a History of the 1980s , to discuss photograph of Diana’s legs, Roland Rat and political power of popstars.   “Nostalgia assumes yo...

Nadine Dorries has resigned. Who did she slate in her resignation letter? Plus Sadiq Khan has introduced the Ultra Low Emissions Zone for the Greater London area, how has that gone down? We also have an update on the Home Office’s treatment of refugees, the latest on the new Covid strain and an update on Donald Trump running for office. Andrew Harrison is joined by Hannah Fearn to give you the sto...

Money tells us a lot about a country – so what can the ruble tell us about Russia? Exploring a nation with a long history of autocracy, Ekaterina Pravilova, author of new book The Ruble: A Political History , joins Seth Thévoz in The Bunker. “When political scientists try to explain why Russia is so weird they often overlook the ruble.” “Many historians have a feeling of deja vu about Russia right...

Are any of our institutions sacred? The latest drama from the British Museum has us questioning the role museums play in our society. This week on the Bunker Panel we ask the question: are we more shocked by corruption in our museums than in political office? And what is it about scandals that really grabs our attention? We’ve assembled some of the Bunker’s most scandalous contributors to get to t...