The Bunker – News without the nonsense

The planet is burning. So does it make sense to pour billions (and tons of carbon) into space exploration? Or could it help solve Earthly problems – including climate change? On the eve of the first moonshot in 50 years, Tereza Pultarova of Space.com joins Andrew Harrison to weigh up the pros and cons of extraterrestrial research, from the space industry’s carbon debt to moon treaties, space junk...

Why do we see so many political u-turns? What makes politicians turn 180 – and why are some so against it? After Liz Truss’s budget flip flop laid waste to the Thatcher comparison she dreamed of, Ros Taylor talks to Tim Bale , professor of politics at Queen Mary University, about why we see such drastic changes of course in modern politics.    “U-turns are more likely because voters are now less t...

They are described as isolated, violent misogynists. So what draws men to the community of “incels” – or involuntary celibates? Do they hate women or are their reasons for rejecting sex more complex? Justin Quirk delves into the dark corners of the internet with William Costello , expert on the psychology of incels at the University of Austin at Texas, to find out how worried we should be about th...

A home should be a sanctuary. But for many people, it means sharing a bed, worrying about whether you’ll have a roof over your head, or whether home ownership is even possible. Hashi Mohamed, lawyer and author of A Home of One’s Own, calls Ros Taylor from his home in Wembley, to talk about arriving in Britain as a child refugee, why the planning system is political, and how we can tackle the housi...

Who has the new PM surrounded herself with – and how much power do they wield? Alex Rees is joined by columnist, Bunker regular and Westminster gossip maven Marie Le Conte to discuss the cosy coterie of hardcore conservative think tanks shaping her policy, and what it takes for a political obsessive to be by a minister’s ear.  “For junior roles, you need to prove your loyalty from the get-go, and...

After U-turning on their mini budget, do Kwarteng and Truss have a vision beyond lining their mates pockets? Plus, with mutiny in the ranks, including from general-election-calling Nadine Dorries, what’s the latest from the Tory conference? And, after Truss’s grilling on regional radio last week, we ask where would we be without local journalism? This week’s guest is Richard Hayton , associate pro...

Kami-Kwazi pulls the 45p tax cut as the curtain goes up in flames at Tory Conference. Can Truss style this one out or is she already toast? Plus, what Putin’s criminal annexation of parts of Ukraine means; Bolsonaro does better than he expected in Brazil ; and is Britain finally rowing back from kneejerk Europhobia? Ros Taylor plots out the next seven days with Justin Quirk.  “This u-turn is a mas...

As surveillance becomes ever more sophisticated, should we be worried? From borderless security guards to Deep Fakes, what do we need to know about the changes to this technology? Jelena Sofronijevic is joined by Kirstie Ball, professor of management at the University of St. Andrews and Pete Fussey, professor of sociology at the University of Essex to discuss the possibilities and pitfalls in this...

The financial meltdown Truss and Kwarteng have caused has surprised even their greatest detractors. But seriously, just how bad is this? And is there any way to fix it – even if they wanted to? David Blanchflower , former member of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee, Dartmouth economics professor and author, joins Alex Andreou to discuss the situation.  “Markets prevent clueless amate...

Speeches can make or break a politician – so, Liz Truss looks like she’s in trouble. What can she do to improve? Jacob Jarvis is joined by Dr. Henriette van der Blom , the founding director of the Network for Oratory and Politics at the University of Birmingham to discuss the art of political speeches and “deliver, deliver, deliver” some advice to the new PM.  “Truss’s inaugural speech was by far...

As Giorgia Meloni’s victory sparks concern across Europe, we discuss what you need to know about Italy’s new PM. How surprising, and worrying, is it that Italy has moved to the right? Alex Andreou is joined by Chiara Albanese, Bloomberg's Rome-based political correspondent, to explore Meloni’s track record and ask what kind of leader she’ll be.    “She is brushing off her fascist roots to appeal t...

How did Viktor Orbán seize total power within Hungary – and what warnings should other nations take from his actions? Doomsday Watch host Arthur Snell is joined by Zsolt Enyedi , professor of political science at the Central European University, to unpack what lessons democracies should take from the Orbán era.        “The public treated the radicalisation of debate as a political gimmick, and now...

The fiscal event of the year has caused the pound to plummet – what, if anything at all, are Truss and Kwarteng thinking? Plus, could Labour have chosen a better time to have their conference with the Tories in turmoil? We discuss Starmer’s vision for a future government. And, we ask what makes a truly great sportsperson after tennis star Federer’s retirement.  "There's no clever strategy behind i...

Mini-budget backlash has given Labour plenty of ammunition to use against the Tories as their party conference gets into swing. Just how bad have Kwarteng and Truss’s plans gone down? And what fallout can we expect? Plus, we look at the latest from Russia, as Putin’s draft faces widespread protests. And, we unpack the Italian election results.  “ Despite efforts from right-wing client media, marke...

Some 75% of adults don’t get the recommended seven to nine hours a night – and one in seven survive on dangerously low levels of sleep. So are we facing a national, or even international, sleep crisis? Lisa L. Lewis and Oxford professor Russell Foster talk to Jelena Sofronijevic about our body clocks, circadian rhythms, and why sleep is revolutionary.    “ Sleep is like shoe size. One size does no...

Weekend pop culture! Does Bowie mega-documentary Moonage Daydream do the Dame justice? Cult author David Keenan tells us about his astonishing, cryptic novel of occult hippiedom Industry of Magic And Light . And we’ve got big news for all listeners… plus a lot of new music, TV and movies to tide you over the autumn.  “My father was illiterate, but he could tell the most amazing stories. He had suc...

For this week’s Bunker Gold, listen back to Ros eating insects in September 2021… Chances are you haven’t willingly eaten an insect. But two billion people are already bugging out on this sustainable source of protein. Could insects offer the perfect solution for our post-Brexit and pandemic supply chain problems? Entomologist Brian Fisher and Imperial College London’s Dr. Tilly Collins join Ros T...

Disputes over energy resources have become a key global issue. How is the way we consume oil and gas reshaping politics across the world? Arthur Snell, host of the Doomsday Watch podcast, is joined by Thijs van de Graaf , associate professor of international politics at the Ghent Institute and author of Global Energy Politics to discuss our changing energy sector. “Oil consumption has peaked in th...

Bidding wars, rent caps and queues just to view homes. What is going on with rented housing? Far from being a fringe aspect of housing used by students, it's now used by a significant proportion of our population. Ahir Shah is joined by Pete Apps , deputy editor at Inside Housing and author of forthcoming book Show Me the Bodies, on the Grenfell Tower disaster, to discuss navigating the lettings m...

Liz Truss has taken her robotic speaking style too far as she trundles around like a Dalek yelling “deregulate, deregulate!” What red tape are she and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng actually going to cut? Plus, we discuss the Overton Window of protest. Will tighter crackdowns on demonstrators persist as the mourning period ends? And, finally we discuss outdoor brand Patagonia’s owner giving away the co...

Politics restarts as the Queen’s Funeral ends the mourning period. Liz Truss heads off to the UN Summit and Kwasi Kwarteng prepares his banker-fluffing Fiscal Event as the Government tries to reboot itself. Plus, we look at the latest from Ukraine, and the increasing pressure Putin faces for his miscalculations. Justin Quirk talks to Arthur Snell to lay out the days ahead.  “Truss has really strug...

Should we welcome artificial intelligence in healthcare – or is it the stuff of dystopian nightmares? Jelena Sofronijevic is joined by James Zou, assistant professor of biomedical data science at Stanford University and David Leslie, director of ethics and responsible innovation research at the Alan Turing Institute, to discuss the potentials of AI and the future of health.    "We're building AI t...

Weekend pop culture! We discover The Beatles ’ new spruced-up ‘Revolver’ with Giles “Son Of George” Martin. Guest Will Hodgkinson of The Times extols the chirpy-chirpy glories of ’70s bubblegum pop from his new book In Perfect Harmony . And we check out A24 gore-fest Bodies Bodies Bodies and Netflix’s latest Korean import, Narco Saints .  “ Revolver is a punk record. The Beatles played hard.” – Gi...

With a new monarch and PM, Britain faces stark change. How will these incoming figureheads handle this? What will this mean for the future of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth? Historian Sir Anthony Seldon joins author and former BBC journalist Gavin Esler to discuss the turmoil we face. “ The United Kingdom is actually a relatively new concept.” “ The Monarchy, unlike Prime Ministers, embod...

Six months into the Ukraine crisis, are western sanctions imposed on Russia really working? Dr Richard Connolly , associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, joins Ahir Shah to explain the economic war sparked by Putin’s invasion, the effectiveness of Western sanctions, and why this hidden conflict isn’t going as well as expected.  “ Russia is quite happy to sell oil cheaply to friend...