The Bunker

The brand new podcast from the makers of The Bunker. Bewildered by the US Presidential Election? Don’t worry, American Friction has got you. Every Friday Chris Jones, Jacob Jarvis and Nikki McCann Ramírez of Rolling Stone join expert special guests to count down to America’s most rancorous election in generations.  Get the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major platforms.  Follow us on social media:  Twitter Instagram  TikTok Written and presented by Chris Jones, Jacob Jarvis and Nikki McCann Ramírez. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you haven’t tried our new press review show PAPER CUTS yet, here’s a taster of today’s episode. This time it’s the Mail and Telegraph’s Johnson-related meltdown, the majesty of Glenda Jackson and much more as comedian Fin Taylor and writer-historian Alex von Tunzelmann join Andrew Harrison under a huge pile of newsprint. Hear the full episode here. We’re out mid-morning every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to look at the the day’s best headlines, wildest stories and weirdest opinions. Subscribe on your favourite app. It’s the perfect chaser to your daily Bunker… Illustrations by Modern Toss https://moderntoss.com/ Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Produced by Sophie Black. Design: James Parrett. Music: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Exec Producer: Martin Bojtos. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. PAPER CUTS is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ukraine War is reshaping the world. Arthur Snell writes the first draft of its history. In this excerpt from Ep.1 of our new series: How Russia’s febrile history, Putin’s paranoid resentment and Western complacency led to an historic crime against a peaceful nation, the largest European land action since the Second World War… and a conflict of unprecedented brutality. Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War is out now. Hear it wherever you listen to podcasts. Get every edition a week early and ad-free when you support the show on Patreon. Photo by Paul Conroy. Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vladimir Putin has surrounded himself with loyalists who have kept him in power for 20 years. Earlier this week, Russian defence minister and close ally of Putin, Sergei Shoigu, was removed from his post. But the author of The New Politics of Russia, Andrew Monaghan, says Shoigu’s removal was less of a sacking, as Western media suggests, and more of a promotion. He joins Chris Jones to discuss how Putin’s inner circle operates.    Buy The New Politics of Russia through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.    We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit,    Support us on Patreon.   Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard and Chris Jones. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britain has a spy problem, with a significant surge in threats from China, Russia and Iran in recent months. What kind of covert operations are they running? Gavin Esler sits down with former MI6 director of operations and intelligence and director of transnational threats and political risk at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Nigel Inkster, to find out just how concerned we should be.     • “We’re seeing a significant upsurge in espionage and other forms of covert activity directed at western countries.” – Nigel Inkster  • “At the end of the day, there is always going to be a role for the human source, for secret agents, because you need to know what is going on in the minds of key decision makers… you can’t interrogate a tape recorder or a satellite.” – Nigel Inkster    We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.    Support us on Patreon.   Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Instagram | Twitter    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You might have seen a flurry of alarming headlines and articles about bird flu in recent weeks. Some reports are comparing it to COVID-19, and positioning it as the next potential worldwide pandemic. How concerned should we be? Alex Andreou asks Devi Sridhar, Professor and Personal Chair in Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh.  • “Previously, you’d have to be in very close proximity with an infected bird. That is changing. For the first time, we have now confirmed cow to human transmission – that is a signal that something is different here.” – Devi Sridhar  • “It’s like a lottery. There are millions of viruses circulating among animals.” – Devi Sridhar We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast    Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Instagram | Twitter      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brits have a bad reputation abroad – but what about Britain as a whole? To discuss how other countries look at Britain, Rafael Behr speaks to FT journalist Michael Peel, author of What Everyone Knows About Britain (*Except the British).  • “Looking at Britain from overseas made Brexit easier to see coming.” – Michael Peel  Buy What Everyone Knows About Britain (*Except the British) through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast    Written and presented by Rafael Behr. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In your round-up of the week ahead… Rishi Sunak warns that the UK is about to face its most dangerous years ever. The Israeli assault on the Gazan city of Rafah is imminent. And, what does Russia’s new incursion into Ukraine north of Kharkiv mean? Plus, the Trump trial continues with testimonies scheduled from his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. And why were EU flags banned from the Eurovision finale?      • “Rishi Sunak says the challenges of the next few years are so enormous and so scary that only Conservative innovation and Sunak’s own bold ideas can help us face it.”  – Ros Taylor    • “Sunak is undoubtedly trying to distract attention from the state that the country is in. If you look at what’s going on in Russia, the NHS will look less depressing.” – Ros Taylor     We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.      Support us on Patreon. Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Ros Taylor. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britain and America’s link is often called the “special relationship”. But is it that special anymore – or is it actually pretty one-sided? Angus Hanton is a businessman and entrepreneur and the author of Vassal State: How America Runs Britain. He argues that the relationship has changed for the worse – and that Britain has become the 51st state of the United States at great cost to its economy. He joins Gavin Esler in The Bunker to discuss.    Buy Vassal State: How America Runs Britain through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.    • “We’re being taken over at scale and the government doesn’t care.” – Angus Hanton  • “I think this has contributed to our impoverishment and higher tax rates.” – Angus Hanton    If you want more US politics – listen to our new podcast American Friction, out every Friday in the run up to November’s election. Available here, or wherever you get your podcasts.    We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit,    Support us on Patreon.     Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Swearing is a part of life. But is there a place for it in politics? Would Parliament function better if politicians were allowed to use a bit more profanity? Alex Andreou discusses this with Philip Seargeant, senior lecturer in applied linguistics at The Open University and author of The Art of Political Storytelling. • “Swearing always has a purpose.” – Philip Seargeant • “The idea that language can be particularly harmful has come more from the younger generation.” – Philip Seargeant  We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast    Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Starmer’s referencing of Thatcher has enraged the left – but is it anything beyond symbolic politicking? And is he really Thatcherite at all? Andrew Harrison speaks to Robert Saunders, a reader in modern British history at Queen Mary University of London, about the legacy of Thatcher and how it ties in with modern Labour policy.  • “It’s worth remembering that Margaret Thatcher herself borrowed ideas from the left.” – Robert Saunders • “I think Thatcher would be quite alarmed by what she would see in a Reeves-Starmer manifesto.” – Robert Saunders  • “Truss and Sunak were giving two different memories of Margaret Thatcher in the last Tory leadership contest… it was like two branches of the same religion.” – Robert Saunders  • “Margaret Thatcher has become a myth. And the nature of myths means every generation can give different tales about them.” – Robert Saunders We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Support us on Patreon. Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rishi Sunak is trying to spin his local election trouncing as best as he can – what bluster should we ignore this week? Plus, the latest from Gaza as Israel strikes Rafah. And, the Trump trial rolls on – while Xi visits Europe for the first time in five years. Alex Andreou talks Jacob Jarvis through the week ahead.     • “There’s a sort of electoral ruthlessness to the Labour Party at the moment.” – Alex Andreou  • “Sunak should call an election, he won’t, but he should.” – Alex Andreou   • “If Sunak should do something then that usually suggests he won’t do it.” – Jacob Jarvis  • “This is a critical moment for Netenyahu.” – Alex Andreou   • “There is a weird mix of entitlement and scattergun strategy going on from Trump in his court case.” – Jacob Jarvis    Want to hear more about the American election? Then listen to our new podcast, hosted by Jacob Jarvis, ‘American Friction’ – out every Friday in the run up to November’s vote.     We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.    Support us on Patreon.   Written and Presented by Jacob Jarvis with Alex Andreou. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is “fandom” one of the drives behind our dysfunctional politics? That’s the thesis of Dr Phoenix Andrews new book I Heart Politics – who writes about how people power is behind a series of quake moments in recent political history. He joins Andrew Harrison to discuss whether the phenomenon and power of fandom is overlooked in contemporary politics, and how the fandoms of politicians like Trump, Farage and Thatcher affect the cultural zeitgeist. • “The world feels mad, but finding people with a common passion is uplifting.” – Dr Phoenix Andrews • “Political fandom is basically Eurovision with consequences.” – Dr Phoenix Andrews We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Buy Phoenix Andrew’s book I Heart Politics: How People Power Took Over the World through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and Presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Adam Wright and Liam Tait. Audio Production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Artwork: James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fox News is regularly criticised for being sensationalist, full of conspiracies and obsessed with Trump. But, what’s it like if you really watch it for hours on end? Jacob Jarvis did just that and he talked to Dan Cassino, a political scientist at Fairleigh Dickinson University and author of: Fox News and American Politics: How One Channel Shapes American Politics and Society, about what he saw. What is the channel, which has been America’s most watched cable news station for twenty years, really all about?      • “What’s happened over the years to Fox News is it’s turned into something akin to a celebrity gossip magazine.” – Dan Cassino  • “If you come to the US Fox News is on wherever you are and that’s how it’s meant to be consumed… with about 30% of your brain.” – Dan Cassino  • “We’re still living in the world that Fox News Created.” – Dan Cassino    We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.     Support us on Patreon.   Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by Jim Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump’s followers are often described as cult-like. But how much does the former president actually act like a cult leader? Does he employ the same coercive control tactics utilised by infamous infamous figureheads of the past – like Jim Jones and Sun Myung Moon? The Cult of Trump author and leading mind control expert Steven Hassan tells Rafael Behr how perceiving Trump as a cult leader might let us better understand the current political climate.  • “People don’t care that Trump has ninety-one criminal charges against him, that he has over 40,000 documented lies. They refuse to believe he lost the election. Their minds have been hacked.” – Steven Hassan • “There are a lot of different cults in the cult of trump.” – Steven Hassan We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast       Written and presented by Rafael Behr. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Satire has been pronounced dead more times than disco. As the political world has lurched into chaos, satirists have struggled to match the absurdity of the figures they mock. But what happens if politics gets boring? Andrew Harrison is joined by Jan Ravens to find out how satire can survive beyond the next general election.     • “Liz Truss’s tragic flaw is that she hasn't grown up. She is still a little girl expecting approval.”  – Jan Ravens  • “Satire can't bring down the government, but it can attach an idea to people that they can never shake off.”  – Andrew Harrison  • “I'm very happy to do without my Liz Truss impression if it means we can do without her in any position of power whatsoever.” – Jan Ravens    We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.    Support us on Patreon.   Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by Jim Parrett. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.    Instagram | Twitter  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We live in a world of borders – and often take them for granted. But they’ve shaped the world in myriad ways over the centuries. Our politicians go to extreme lengths to secure them and in some cases build giant walls to protect them. So what can we learn from examining their history?     Andrew Harrison is joined by Jonn Elledge, author of A History of the World in 47 Borders: The Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps, as we talk about the weird and wonderful history of the lines on our maps.     • “Open borders aren’t inherently progressive, Genghis Khan was in favour of them!”  – Jonn Elledge   • “When you look back through history, You have empires, you have cities but there aren’t many borders.” – Jonn Elledge  • “Borders in Europe only really started settling down in the 17th and 18th centuries.”  – Jonn Elledge     We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.    Support us on Patreon.   Buy Jonn Elledge’s book A History of the World in 47 Borders: The Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.  Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Instagram | Twitter  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the local elections this week – just how bad does it look for Rishi Sunak? As general election rumours swirl, he’s going to be crossing everything in the coming days… And there was the no confidence vote in Scotland lined up – but it’s been reported Humza Yousaf will quit before it happens. Plus, Trump’s trial continues – will he contain his rage as it rolls on? Then finally we turn to Gaza and look at the latest in terms of ceasefire talks. All that and more in Start Your Week, with Ros Taylor and Jacob Jarvis.     • “Sunak wants to give the impression that the Rwanda deportations will happen and that no legal issues will get in the way” – Ros Taylor   • “Calling an election for July might actually be advantageous for Sunak.” – Ros Taylor    We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.    Support us on Patreon.   Written and Presented by Jacob Jarvis with Ros Taylor. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. ENDS  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Silicon Valley presents itself as a haven for tech start-ups wanting to change the world for the better. But, beneath the facade, it has a serious fraud problem. Why do tricksters thrive among the geniuses? Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the FTX crypto exchange is the latest high-profile example – but he’s far from being the first tech start-up founder to wind up in jail. Erin Griffith is a reporter for the New York Times specialising in tech and finance – and joins Chris Jones in The Bunker to discuss this dark phenomenon.  • “When there’s a lot of free money going around, that’s going to attract a lot of people to exploit that.” – Erin Griffith • “The venture capital investors who are backing these companies are sophisticated… but there’s also an element of FOMO because there are only so many startups that might be the next Facebook.” – Erin Griffith • “I’m not sure anything is changing apart from some of these charges for fraud that are now being prosecuted in criminal court.” – Erin Griffith We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit Support us on Patreon. Written, presented and produced by Chris Jones. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Conservative Party was once a unified force, able to steadily maintain power. But today’s Tories are in constant turmoil. How did they become the party of chaos? Since Brexit there’s been a revolving door of leaders, the rise of tribalism within the party and a series of humiliating byelection losses. Alex Andreou is joined by professor of politics at Queen Mary University Tim Bale to try and understand this shift in conservative politics.     • “Everything that top Tories say needs to be considered as part of their future leadership contest.” – Tim Bale  • “Without Brexit, we wouldn't have seen the turmoil that we've seen over the last decade.”  – Tim Bale    We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.    Support us on Patreon.   Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.    Instagram | Twitter  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices