We used to think that machines would only take over manual work. Now A.I. looks capable of anything. Will work become a luxury for a select few? Are there some jobs that can never be automated? Alex Andreou talks to Allison Pugh – author of The Last Human Job – about tech’s growing power and why our humanity depends on the connections that work fosters.   Buy The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected 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.   We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.   www.patreon.com/bunkercast   Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production   www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With its paranoid fantasies of Donald Trump at war with a secret, Satanic US government, the QAnon conspiracy wrought terrible damage on American politics. But spreading the word of Q exacts damage on believers too. Journalist Jesselyn Cook explored the broken lives and shattered relationships of Q believers for her new book The Quiet Damage: QAnon and the Destruction of the American Family. She tells Andrew Harrison what makes someone fall into the mirror world of QAnon – and whether they can be rescued.   We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.   Buy The Quiet Damage: QAnon and the Destruction of the American Family 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.   www.patreon.com/bunkercast   Written and presented by Podmasters Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production   www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A trove of Project 2025 videos have been leaked, giving unique insight into what Trump appointees might want to do if he wins the election. In this teaser for American Friction, Jacob Jarvis discusses leaked Project 2025 training videos, with ProPublica reporter Andy Kroll, one of the journalists who obtained and analysed them. Go here for the full episode.     Want to know more about the race for the White House? On American Friction, The Bunker’s very own Jacob Jarvis and Chris Jones are joined by Rolling Stone’s Nikki McCann Ramirez, to discuss the latest developments in American politics. Listen here.      We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.      Support us on Patreon. Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production      www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We know what happened the last time Donald Trump lost – and Joe Biden wants to make sure he’s prepared for more shenanigans this time out. If Trump doesn’t win “he is willing to cheat and steal it,'' writes today’s guest Adam Rawnsley, reporter for Rolling Stone magazine. He joins Jacob Jarvis in The Bunker to discuss how President Biden is preparing for an electoral tussle with the GOP. • “The one message we keep seeing from the polls is that no one is excited for this race.” – Adam Rawnsley • “We have a uniquely dim system … the electoral college.” – Adam Rawnsley We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Simon Williams. 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

From Modi’s India to Bolsonaro’s Brazil and Erdogan’s Turkey, the far right is on the rise around the world. Are we really on the brink of resurgent fascism? And if so, how do we fight it? Political journalist Paul Mason tells Dorian Lynskey about his radical blueprint for defeating the extreme right, outlined in his new book How to Stop Fascism. Why is trust in democracy collapsing around the world, and can what progressives do to win it back? “People like Trump and Bolsonaro don’t want to play the globalisation game and they don’t want to play the democracy game either” “We’re not dealing with a tribute band to Nazism. We’re dealing with a new form of Nazism” “Fascism is always violent. It’s now become obsessed with ethnicity rather than nation” “One in five people serving jail for terrorism in the UK are from the far-right. Soon that could be one in two” “Very little is taught about how the Nazis came to power. That is something we need to get our head around” Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cameron and Osborne’s “Golden Era” of cosying up to China turned out to be a golden error, as Beijing dug deep into British life, politics, and technology. Investigative journalist Sam Dunning tells Arthur Snell how the Conservatives’ strings-free get-rich-quick strategy turned into a trap for British business and academia. While the Tories trumpet free speech on campus, students who want talk about the Uyghurs are being silenced at Jesus College Cambridge. Is it too late to curb China’s disturbing influence at the highest levels of British life? “For Osborne, the Golden Era was seen a problem-free get-rich-quick-scheme for Britain after the economic crash.”  “How can a Chinese student in the UK contest what’s happening in Hong Kong when Chinese ambassadors are attending university events?” “Huawei is creating surveillance in China that’s beyond Orwellian. Jesus College just received money from them to publish a paper on global governance.” “Even if Johnson did have a roadmap for our relations with China, he’d probably steer off and crash into a tree.” Presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now that the pandemic may be abating, the Government decides that the best people to pay the bill are… those pesky, hard-up young people. Climate change and student activist Phoebe Hanson joins us to explain what it’s like to be mis-sold the student experience by universities that act like businesses but won’t treat you like a customer. Plus, how the planned changes to the Official Secrets Act will treat journalists like spies. And the truth behind those supply chain nightmares.  “It's hard to feel like part of your university when it is constantly working against you… ” – Phoebe Hanson “My lectures now are like glorified podcasts” – Phoebe Hanson “There’s a big difference between what young people think and what older people THINK they think.” – Phoebe Hanson https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Arthur Snell and Ahir Shah. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Produced by Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will bribes for Deliveroo and Uber be enough to persuade recalcitrant youth to get their jabs? Are we nearing herd immunity on COVID? Is Tony Blair to blame for food shortages because his university drive produced a generation of egghead boffins who can’t drive an HGV? And with thousands of kids catastrophically behind on their schooling, the Government has the solution: bring back Latin. Ros Taylor nobis narrat de septem praemisit.  “A Deliveroo voucher isn't going to turn a hardcore anti-vaxxer.”  “You should see Gavin Williamson's ratings. They are off the scale bad.” “The Government's Latin announcement is a bauble for fans of The History Boys.” Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if you discovered that your Dad was living a double life, and really worked in the CIA? Does managing The Police prepare you for advising the Pentagon? From his chateau in France, maverick music manager Miles Copeland chats to Dorian Lynskey about his memoirs Two Steps Forward, One Step Back, moving from the Middle East and London, and how his record label IRS launched the careers of The Go-Gos, The Bangles, and R.E.M. “I already knew my Dad was in the CIA when I was fourteen years old.” “If you don't LIKE the music, how can you really sell it?” “When I heard Roxanne, I knew it was a song that would change our lives.” “Most bands think once they've made it, then they’ve made it. But what goes up must come down.” “There are many Iraqi women who preferred life under Saddam Hussein.” Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The wrongful conviction of hundreds of subpostmasters for false accounting was so shocking that even Boris Johnson as called it one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in our history. Why did Post Office management cover up the truth about its flawed software, even after innocent people went to prison? As the Government sets aside £233m in interim compensation, criminal law expert Dr Hannah Quirk untangles a Kafkaesque nightmare that led innocent people to be ruined, jailed, shamed and pushed to suicide. Could anything stop something like this from happening again? https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast “Many innocent people pleaded guilty in the hope of avoiding prison.” “The Post Office knew there were flaws in its system. They hid that evidence from people they knew were wrongfully convicted.” “You can imagine the terror people felt of being imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.” “Somehow it didn’t occur to anyone that hundreds of corrupt subpostmasters were coming to light where previously there were none.” Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COVID is a paradise of hindsight – a world of self-appointed experts who tell us what should have happened – and sometimes rewriting what did happen to suit themselves. But what about those people who could see what was going to happen?  On March 10 2020, writer Tomas Pueyo posted an article called Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now – it made strong argument for rapid lockdowns at a time when Boris Johnson was still arguing that washing our hands was enough. 40 million views later, he joins Justin Quirk to discuss what he got right, what he got wrong – and where countries need to go next.  “Once you use the hammer, you can't use it over and over again.”  “Credentials are only one source of trustworthiness.”  “COVID has exposed how decision making in Western democracies is broken.” “You know the system is broken when every country failed.” “You can fulfil your needs for storytelling by watching Netflix.”  “The media's goal is to grab your attention, not to get your insights.” “There's more hours of work per word in a book, than a newspaper article.”  “The easiest thing is to remove the stimulus. If you don’t go on Facebook, you wouldn't fall into that black hole of content.” Presented by Justin Quirk. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s time for Parliament’s end of term report card. Does anyone at all get an A, or should everyone be forced to repeat the year in disgrace? Special guest Thangam Debbonaire MP, Shadow Leader of the Commons, joins us to explain the meaning of Dawn Butler calling Boris Johnson a liar in the House; whether Rees-Mogg actually casts a shadow; what Labour is doing right and wrong… and her as-yet unpublished novel ‘Murder In The Whip’s Office’. “People in space know that Boris Johnson tells lies. I know toddlers who are more honourable than the Prime Minister…” – Thangam Debbonaire “The Olympic committee is like a deeply inconsiderate flatmate hosting a house party at a deeply inconsiderate time.” – Ahir Shah “Johnson has managed to alienate all of his own MPs… and when you’ve rebelled once, it’s so much easier to do it again.” – Marie le Conte “Speaker-watchers will know that Lindsay’s been quite shirty with the Government lately…” – Thangam Debbonaire https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Alex Andreou with Marie le Conte and Ahir Shah. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Produced by Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New COVID infections are trending downwards. Has Johnson’s Freedom Day gamble paid off, or are we just in a moment of calm before a new wave breaks? Plus pingdemic panic, vaccine passports, the Government gives up on students (again), Lord Frost tries to bore the EU into submission, and why the Taliban probably won’t take all of Afghanistan. Arthur Snell joins Andrew Harrison to lay out what’s coming in the week ahead. • “Johnson no longer has a team in Number 10 to manage the political landscape for him.” • “Students are never going to vote Conservative. The Tories have given up on them.” • “It’s clear that Cummings was running the show, because Johnson himself isn't capable of running anything.”   Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With new technology, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you become part of the road. What are the big topics in tech that we should be talking about – for our own prosperity and survival? King’s College Professor Mischa Dohler tells Alex Andreou how a real plan for tech can use hyperfast Wi-Fi to create an “internet of skills”. Are there any insurmountable barriers between us and technological nirvana? And how close are we to building an actual working Iron Man? “We should use technology to automate jobs – but humanise work” “Building a kilometre of road costs lots of money – adding digital fibre cost pennies. So every infrastructure investment needs a digital dimension.”  “At some point we’ll hit a limit of, why do we actually need petabytes of data per second? Who’s watching this stuff?” Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vladimir Putin has a tight grip on information in Russia. How does he shape how his nation sees the rest of the world? And how does he actually perceive other countries? Chris Jones asks Dr. Ivan Grigoriev, lecturer in Russian politics at the King’s Russia Institute.     • “Propaganda in Russia is like a steamroller that keeps rolling over and over the population.” - Dr. Ivan Grigoriev  • “Russia’s election went just how we thought it would: It was an 87% landslide election for Vladimir Putin. And the primary goal of this election was to show that if Putin wants 87%, he will get 87%.” - Dr. Ivan Grigoriev      We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit    Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast     Written and presented by Chris Jones. 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

It’s astonishingly beautiful, fiercely independent, full of mystery and a crossroads of jaw-dropping historical events – so why do we still think of Romania as a backwater? Paul Kenyon, author of Children of the Night: The Strange and Epic Story of Modern Romania, tells Arthur Snell how this sensational state has survived multiple coups, fascist death cults, dictators, and Cold War spies…and why Dracula doesn’t enjoy such a bad rep among his fellow Romanians.  “Romania’s fascist movement was led by a rock star mystic who looked like Hugh Grant.”  “Romania’s fascist leader was so patriotic, he wore a sack of Romania’s blood-soaked earth around his neck.”  “Everybody thought that one in three members of their family were part of the Secret Police.”  “All the leading Romanian football clubs have seen their owners go in and out of prison.” Presented by Arthur Snell. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Produced by Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Paul-Kenyon/Children-of-the-Night--The-Strange-and-Epic-Story-of-Modern-Romania/25376753  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

India’s brutal second wave of COVID is now receding, leaving behind intensified poverty, economic carnage, a staggering estimated 400-700m infections and a death rate of approximately 2%. But things were already going catastrophically wrong in the world’s largest democracy thanks to the rule of science-denying populist Narendra Modi. Ros Taylor talks to journalist Debasish Roy Chowdhury and Professor John Keane about their latest book, To Kill A Democracy: India’s Passage To Despotism – and what Modi tells us about how democracies collapse.  “India is perceived as the world's largest democracy. But there are only grains of truth in this India Story.” – John Keane “It takes seven generations for the Indian to reach the average income level. In Denmark, it only takes one.” – Debasish Roy Chowdhury “The strongman in a state of demagogues.” – John Keane “In Delhi, you can inhale half a pack of cigarettes in air pollution on a good day.” – Debasish Roy Chowdhury “India is a warning to the rest of the democratic world.” – John Keane Presented and Ros Taylor. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Debasish-Roy-Chowdhury/To-Kill-A-Democracy--Indias-Passage-to-Despotism/26292160  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid roll the dice with the health of millions, healthcare commentator Roy Lilley takes us on a deep dive into what’s in store for the NHS. Plus, the Cuban uprising and the Labour Left, the Pegasus spyware scandal, and do universities really need a Free Speech Enforcer? (Spoiler: no). Plus… are you on a pilot scheme? If not, why not?  “I’ve been around politics for a long time, and this is the worst situation I’ve ever seen.” – Roy Lilley  “The problem with making irreversible promises is that when you have to reverse them, you look like a shambles even to people who agree with you.” – Yasmeen Serhan  “Two hours of Twitter and Johnson reverses himself. We appear to be governed by jellyfish.” – Gavin Esler  “The NHS is holding its breath… it’s high wire time.” – Roy Lilley https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Yasmeen Serhan, Gavin Esler and Arthur Snell. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Produced by Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Johnson opens “Freedom Day” with a classic one-rule-for-us flip-flop (hey, he was in a pilot scheme!) what does England’s first week without restrictions mean for ordinary people who aren’t in the Cabinet? Plus the NI protocol reaches crunch point, Keir Starmer prepares for war on Labour’s far Left, and what the Pegasus Spyware scandal means. Naomi Smith joins Andrew Harrison to set out the week ahead. • “The government is coming for immigrants, people seeking sanctuary and our democratic rights.” • “The so-called Sausage War wasn’t even handbags at dawn compared to what’s coming for Northern Ireland.” • “I get the temptation to escape Earth right now… but wouldn’t we just be taking Covid to the aliens?”   Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Neanderthal” is a common term of abuse but should we stop feeling so superior towards our close evolutionary relatives? Did they think like us, even at the abstract level? Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of the “insanely fascinating” Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death And Art tells Ian Dunt what we know about the astonishing sophistication of Neanderthal mind, manufacturing and material culture… and why there are traces of Neanderthal in us today.  “If we could scan a Neanderthal brain it’s very possible we’d see they didn’t think so differently from us.” “We assume we’re ‘better’ than Neanderthals because we dominated them… That doesn’t fit with the idea of different human groups meeting and interbreeding.”  “We shouldn’t be surprised that we could breed with Neanderthals. They are another kind of human” “Homo sapiens are weird in the evolutionary tree, with our big balloon heads.”  “Neanderthal women were highly muscled. You wouldn’t want to arm-wrestle them.”  Presented by Ian Dunt. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production C8muVeosxCVXdHDLSwLs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pandemic has stress-tested Britain’s tech sector for flaws and strengths. Does it have the capacity to overcome the damage caused by Brexit? Alex Andreou talks to Professor Richard A. L. Jones, Manchester University expert in Materials Physics and Innovation Policy, about whether COVID restored the value of experts, and what the NHS Digital health data sell-offs mean for our personal privacy… • “Science is a very international industry – but Brexit and COVID have damaged that.” • “The idea that we can visas for the superstars but nobody else doesn’t help anyone.” • “If you don’t have an industrial strategy on purpose, you get one by accident.”  • “Science isn’t a recipe for instant correct answers. It’s a start towards getting a better understanding.” • “People do trust UK biotech – but the government has done a lot to erode that trust.”  Presented and produced by Alex Andreou. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The video series Anywhere But Westminster by John Harris and John Domokos is one of the Guardian’s most acclaimed strands and now a winner of the Orwell Prize. What makes it work? The Two Johns tell Dorian Lynskey about why we need more reportage and fewer pundits, how they talk to real voters without falling into vox pop stereotypes, the value of uncertainty… and why we are all Walsall now.  “I cried on camera when a group of Liverpool mums described life without a Sure Start Centre.” – John Harris  “We ask people about their lives, not who they're going to vote for.” – John Domokos “The world is full of commentary and punditry. To increase knowledge, you have to report.” – John Harris “I can't remember what it was like to be certain of stuff… Making this series has  changed my mind and values.” – John Domokos “Although I’ll never vote Conservative in my life, now I understand why people do.” – John Harris Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Has the heroic, nearly-there performance of Gareth Southgate’s England team shown that politics and sport do mix – if the politics is about young players stand up for what’s right? Boris Johnson sets his sights on unlocking regardless of rising COVID figures. And which politicians could we stand to go on holiday with? And who would we avoid?  https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Marie le Conte, Ahir Shah and Yasmeen Serhan. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Produced by Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After all that, penalties again. England’s Euros end in defeat in the Final but how has this tournament changed the relationship between the team and the nation – and football itself? BBC and Premier League football journalist Lynsey Hooper of The Offside Rule podcast and Philippe Auclair, England correspondent for France Football magazine, join Andrew Harrison to commiserate and work out what it all means.   • “Why would you go to the pub at eight in the morning? I would want to be lucid for every single minute…” – Lynsey Hooper • “This country has a unique problem with toxic masculinity.” – Philippe Auclair   Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What has lockdown done to Britain’s £26bn fashion business? What will the post-pandemic High Street look like? Will we all wear posh pyjamas for the rest of our lives? And what on earth is “phygital” fashion – a mix of physical and digital shopping? Guardian fashion writer Lauren Cochrane, the author of The Ten: The Stories Behind The Fashion Classics, talks to Justin Quirk about how socio-political earthquakes shape what we wear – and why jeans, Breton shirts, stilettos and the colour black never seem to go out of fashion. “Fast fashion moves so fast now that we should call it sprint fashion.” “It’s astounding how much attention the Government will pay to the comparatively tiny fishing industry while ignoring the vastly bigger fashion business.” “Johnson and Trump are performatively badly dressed… Their populist base is as suspicious of fashion as they are.” “Economics play out in what we wear. Jeans were for poor people until the Depression – then Levi’s and Wranglers made them fashion items.” “The closest thing we’ve had to a political statement on fashion was Carrie Symonds renting her wedding dress.” Presented by Justin Quirk. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paris is like Marmite – you either love it or you hate it. But it’s changing. Physically, through massive expansions in social housing and transport and a €40bn shot of investment, but also politically and psychologically. People are even smiling in the streets these days. Ros Taylor talks to Simon Kuper, Financial Times columnist and author of Impossible City: Paris in the Twenty-First Century, about how the French capital is transforming in the lead up to this year’s Olympics.  • “One thing that globalisation does is it removes these weird localities – and in Paris, that locality was rudeness.” – Simon Kuper • “Paris is trying to become London with the bad bits left out.” - Simon Kuper  Buy Impossible City: Paris in the Twenty-First Century 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 Ros Taylor. 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 Operation Trojan Shield an FBI-led alliance of national security services used ANOM, a fake EncroChat-style communication network, to capture 800 criminals in possibly the biggest undercover cyber-sting ever. They netted over 32 tons of drugs and more than $148 million in cash. But why could this coup be a bit of an own goal for the authorities? International security expert Dr Binoy Kampmark of RMIT University in Melbourne tells Nina Schick what the sting means – and how US law enforcement tours the world for countries with “back doors” into private data.  “The problem is that these criminals will now go back to Apple – because Apple fights for privacy.”  “Governments want to control the tech companies – but they also like the way those companies act.”  Presented by Nina Schick. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The row over trees cut down for HS2 is trivial next to a far bigger crisis of deforestation that’s damaging Britain’s agriculture, destabilising our environment and making us vulnerable to extreme weather, says Phil Sturgeon, trustee of climate charity Protect Earth. He tells Ros Taylor about why it’s in our urgent self-interest to plant more trees, why deforestation literally means colder cows and less efficient farming… and why our fears around HS2 are wildly misplaced. “We need to double our woodland” “The things we farm and the way in which we farm them needs to change for the sake of the environment” “HS2 is removing just 0.01% of the UK’s ancient woodland. The figures quoted are wildly exaggerated” “We’re worried about 30-60 hectares being lost from HS2, yet 10-15 million hectares are lost worldwide each year” Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did the Batley and Spen result rescue Labour from a death spiral? The Independent’s political commentator John Rentoul joins us to ask whether Starmer really has pulled off a great escape. Meanwhile, as Sajid Javid loudly announces the end of COVID restrictions, will masks become the latest marker of the culture war? And why was that Princess Diana statue so bad? “Dominic Cummings' blog reads like the diary of a teenage girl scorned.” – Ayesha Hazarika “Boris Johnson seems like a clown on the outside but the surprise from Cummings is, he actually does have hidden depths.” – John Rentoul “The pandemic has shown up just how minging we were before. Nobody washed their hands!” – Ayesha Hazarika “Javid hasn’t said anything different from Hancock, he’s just said them in a different order.” – John Rentoul NOT FOR PATREON UPLOAD https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Arthur Snell and Ayesha Hazarika. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Produced by Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sajid Javid wants to “trust common sense” and tear up COVID restrictions just as we’re reaching the highest infections since January. Are Jo and Josephine Public being lined up as Third Wave fall-guys? Plus the school isolations mess, and why parasitical politicians can’t hitch themselves to the England team’s success. Alex Andreou sets out the week ahead with Andrew Harrison.   • “The England football team are very easy to love but difficult for politicians to claim.” • “The Government may try to individualise responsibility for COVID. But when things go wrong, the blame will lie with them.”   Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the heatwave in the Pacific North West puts climate change into even sharper focus, it’s easy to feel powerless before the enormity of global warming. But should we? Do ordinary people have the tools to fix this? Climate campaigner Dr Alice Bell is the author of Our Biggest Experiment: A History of the Climate Crisis. She talks to Justin Quirk about the hidden story of climate science, how we’ve been ignoring climate warnings since the 1850s… and why you need to know about heat pumps, electric ships and electric planes.  “We’ve been left an almighty climate mess by our ancestors. But it doesn’t mean it’s a disaster and there’s nothing we can do.” “Renewable energy has outperformed even the most optimistic predictions – and that’s heartening.” “Frightening people doesn’t work. We have to think hard about when we use fear and when we use hope.” “All the big discoveries about climate science were already known in the 1970s. That’s when we knew we should be worried.”  Presented by Justin Quirk. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

No one looks back and remembers the nights they got plenty of sleep. But beyond a mere boogie, nightclubs play a vital role in shaping our collective and individual identity. Alex Andreou assembles an all-star spinning a-roundtable to chew on how COVID closures have impacted nighttime industries, why the pandemic has deprived us from more than a good party, and how culture goes beyond theatres and museums… Mairi Mackenzie is a cultural historian and consultant curator for the V&A Dundee exhibition Night Fever: Designing Club Culture. Bay Sisouphanh is Head of Event Sales at London’s Village Underground. Mark Wood is one half of the London Readers Wifes who DJ at Vauxhall institution Duckie.  “You find your tribe at nightclubs.” – Mark Wood  “People will always find an outlet for that need for pleasure.” – Mairi Mackenzie “Forget about children going back to school. When can we send the gays back to nightclubs?” – Mark Wood  “There's a lack of perception around the value of nightclubs to the gaiety and the mental health of the nation.” – Mark Wood  Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/exhibitions/night-fever-designing-club-culture  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Words shape the world – but typefaces shape the words. In a world where fonts subtly engineer how we think, should we be more conscious of the lore of the letter? Andrew Harrison talks to giant of typography Gail Anderson – graphic designer, former Rolling Stone art director and co-author of Type Speaks: A Lexicon Of Expressive, Emotional, And Symbolic Typefaces – about the politics and hidden powers of fonts, how digital media is making designers of us all, and her merciless war on widows, orphans and rivers. (It’s not as cruel as it sounds).  “Type has been democratised, even if people don't make the best choices with it.” “Look at the Hillary and Obama campaigns – they just had classier fonts than Trump.” Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pity about Matt Hancock. He was a real hands-on Minister. But the story isn’t the hapless ex-Health Secretary’s office affair, it’s the serious implications of leaked CCTV, off-books emails to “collaborators” and Boris Johnson’s self-serving role in this mess. Plus: How do we future-proof the economy? Lib Dem treasury spokesperson Christine Jardine is our special guest. • “You can't be a Health Secretary in a pandemic if everyone's making knob jokes about you.” – Marie le Conte • “You cannot level on up on the cheap.” – Miatta Fahnbulleh • “This government keeps coming up with sticking plasters, not long-term solutions to get away from low wages and fossil fuels.” – Christine Jardine https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Miatta Fahnbulleh and Marie le Concte. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Produced by Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we clear away the bunting and empty bottles after Hancock Humiliation Weekend, how will the story — of leaked CCTV, secret email addresses and backhanders — develop? What sort of Health Sec will Sajid Javid be, and will he give Dido Harding the NHS job? And the small matter of England vs Germany. Ros Taylor joins Andrew Harrison to set out the week ahead.  • “Boris Johnson doesn’t have to pretend to have moral standards. He doesn’t have them, and lots of voters like him for that.” • “Hancock said he was resigning to focus on his family life, after leaving his wife and kids in the middle of the night.” • “Whoever wins Batley and Spen, nobody is going to be happy with the result.”   Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your opponents are lower than vermin. Politics is a righteous battle of absolute good against absolute evil. A secret cabal controls everything. And only a return to a past Eden can solve our problems. Why do these simplistic myths grip the Left so strongly, and can Labour ever free itself from them? Nick Cohen talks to Chris Clarke, author of The Dark Knight And The Puppet Master, about these fantasies of hidden power and betrayal are not just a Corbynist trait, how they lead Labour zealots to look for traitors not converts, and what the paranoid style on the Left shares with the populist far Right.  “The Dark Knight myth stops you understanding other people. The Puppet Master myth stops you understanding power. And the Golden Age myth stops you understanding change.” “Both right- and left-wing populists depend on these myths of golden ages and puppet masters.” “The idea of a glorious socialist past of banners and brass bands that was usurped by evil men in shiny suits is just not true.”  “When you talk about never kissing a Tory, you’re writing off huge swathes of the voters you need.” Presented by Nick Cohen. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Political drama can be tedious but we can all enjoy watching a bitter rivalry unfold. What have been the greatest personal beefs in British politics? Before Starmer and Sunak there was Thatcher and Heath, Blair and Brown, Cameron and Johnson. Seth Thévoz talks Andrew Harrison through some of the ultimate Westminster head-to-heads.   • “When the personal overrides the principle, that’s when it becomes a problem. It’s a weak spot if you’re trying to bring down a person and not forward a cause.”   • “There are tales of Brown yelling at Blair, ‘You ruined my life!’”   We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit . Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast   Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. 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

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband has reinvented himself since 2015 as a podcaster with his hit series Reasons To Be Cheerful, and re-entered frontbencher politics as Shadow Business Secretary. But he has big ideas. He talks to Dorian Lynskey about his new book Go Big: How To Fix Our World, why the real issues that shape the future are bigger than Westminster, plus the “Preston Revolution”, the future roads that Labour should take… and his encyclopaedic knowledge of (wait for it) Dallas.  “COVID showed that our institutions and the way our country is run is so at odds with who we are as a people.” “As Labour leader you’re constantly thinking, is what I say going to blow up into a story? I think I was too cautious.”  “Brexit was a big idea. You can say it wasn’t the RIGHT idea. But people responded to it. People do want big change.”  Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Press freedom is under attack from Priti Patel’s draconian plans to tighten the Official Secrets Act, which would criminalise the “onward disclosure” of leaked material, putting journalists at increased risk of imprisonment. Meanwhile the Government routinely stonewalls Freedom of Information requests – making it harder to hold them to account.  How did our rights to freedom of information become so eroded, with government able to skirt the law by simply blacklisting journalists? Former BBC journalist and FOI expert Martin Rosenbaum tells Alex Andreou about the need for strong FOI rights, the infamous ‘Clearing House’ where FoI requests go to die – and the dangers of “outsourcing” scrutiny of government to hard-up pressure groups. “Blair introduced the FOI Act and later said he was a complete idiot for doing so.” “There's no enthusiasm for Freedom of Information in central government at all.”  “There's no law saying you have to appear on the Today Programme. But there is a law that you have to respond to an FOI request.” Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joe Biden’s frosty first summit with Putin was designed to put the Russian leader on notice that the days of manipulating America are over. But are they? Special guest Luke Harding – former Guardian Moscow Correspondent and author of Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem and Russia’s Remaking of the West – tells us what Bad Vlad really wants and if Biden can stop him getting it. Plus as we get deeper into the Euros, how will the results shape politics in England, Scotland and Wales? And why we should ensure that everyone lives no more than 15 minutes away from the things they need.  Luke Harding from today’s podcast:  • “Whatever Biden says, Putin will do what he’s always done: meddling, hacking, and sometimes murdering his enemies.”  • “We’ve been in a new cold war since 2008… Russia has effectively chewed up a chunk of Eastern Europe.”  • “Putin is now this venerated figure with the Republican base, simply because he was Trump’s buddy.”  https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Yasmeen Serhan and Arthur Snell. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Produced by Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the fallout from the Lib Dems’ victory in Chesham and Amersham continues to descend, is Boris Johnson about to get mugged by the newly liberal shires – or old school nimby Toryism? Is the Sunak-Johnson confrontation over the PM’s free spending finally on? Plus more Classic Dom internet fan exclusives, the DUP in a mess, and how will England and Scotland’s final Euro group games shape politics? Naomi Smith joins Andrew Harrison to set out the week ahead.  • “The test for Sunak will be when he has to stop spending.” • “At every door I knocked in Chesham, they mentioned HS2…” • “The Lib Dems are good at winning by-elections, but not necessarily holding them”  Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When people end up in a job or position they love, was it because they worked hard in school, or did they just get lucky? Why is the idea of progressing on merit under threat? Is there a way we can modernise it for the 21st century? Should we we even try? Adrian Wooldridge, Political Editor of the Economist and author of its Bagehot column, talks to Ros Taylor about his new book The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World, why Britain is becoming less meritocratic… and how we can make meritocracy work in today’s world.  “While America claims to be the ultimate meritocracy, they are fascinated by our own aristocracy” “You need competent people to do the work of the world, and aristocrats are quite often born stupid and lazy” “The Davos class of people at the top are divorced from the rest of society, floating above our meritocratic mechanisms” Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As footballers take the knee and culture warriors try to whip up a minority to boo, and the Tokyo Olympics teeter on the edge of cancellation, should we just accept that sport has always been inherently political? Jules Boykoff, former footballer, politics lecturer at Pacific University in Oregon and author of four books on the history of the Olympics, talks to Alex Andreou about the politics of sport’s showpiece event, whether the Tokyo Games will happen… and if it’s right to contact out politics to inexperience sportspeople. “Rule 50 outlaws expressions of politics at the Olympics… it’s a rule rooted in both power and hypocrisy” “The IOC are totally happy to have a made-for-TV event with no fans, as long as money heads into their coffers” “In major sports leagues 45-60% of the revenues to go to the athletes. At the Olympics it’s just 4.1%” “I don’t believe that every athlete should be an activist… but when it comes to athlete activism, now is a really exciting time to be alive” “The Olympic Committee is a profit-gobbling cartel… and one of the least accountable sports bodies in the world. Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Repairing the damage of war and cementing peace is a huge challenge for countries and international organisations. So why are big players so bad at fixing the consequences of civil and national strife? Award-winning academic Séverine Autesserre has worked as a “peacebuilder” in Kosovo, Afghanistan and the DR Congo. She talks to Arthur Snell about her book The Frontlines of Peace, why the typical “trickle-down” approach to repairing war damage doesn’t work – and how lasting peace comes from thinking outside the box.  “Handshakes between presidents and abstract peace agreements make no difference on the ground.”  “I started reading my first book about the Balkans on my flight to Kosovo.”  “I was the outsider, so I was in charge.”  “I found pockets of peace in even the most violent places.”  “In post-conflict zones only 2.1% of aid goes to local organisations who know the area.”  Presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A bonus Daily… The Met Police was “institutionally corrupt” and failed the family of Daniel Morgan, the private investigator killed with an axe outside a South London pub in 1987, an independent panel found today. In a follow-up to our podcast on the case from May, David Allen Green talks Alex Andreou through what the report means for the police force, Morgan’s family, and Priti Patel’s autocratic policies.  • “The Met did everything it could to make this report as slow and as painful as possible for the panel.”  • “The report mentions the word ’corruption’ over 700 times. It cannot be argued that this was one or two bad police officers.” Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew Neil’s GB News launches in a blaze of technical problems. Is Britain really ready to watch Channel Brillo? Plus Northern Ireland and the Sausage Wars overshadow the G7, NHS Digital is about to sell your health data to private concerns… and how old does an offensive tweet have to be before we can write it off as “youthful indiscretion”? • “Johnson having a good old row with the EU over the Great British Banger won’t do him any harm with the public at all.” – Ayesha Hazarika • “Trolling just doesn't work when everyone agrees with you.” – Justin Quirk • “Slag off Megan Markle, tick. Slag off BLM, tick. For something new, GB News is awfully predictable.” – Ayesha Hazarika https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Ayesha Hazarika, Justin Quirk and Ahir Shah. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Produced by Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whatever the triumphalist G7 headlines, the “Sausage War” fiasco left Global Britain looking as shifty, isolated and untrustworthy as its Prime Minister. How will the intractable Northern Ireland Protocol issue shake out? Plus unlocking gets put back (to nobody’s surprise), birth pangs for new regimes in Israel and Northern Ireland, and what will Friday’s England-Scotland fixture in the Euros mean for both countries’ nationalist leaders? Alex Andreou lays it all out.  • “The EU will create some sort of fudge on Northern Ireland where it gets 99% of what it wants. And Britain will claim that as a victory.” • “The sceptics think that ‘learning to live with COVID’ means going back to exactly the way things were before. And it doesn’t.” • “Football is the only occasion where it is universally okay to be nationalist.”   Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All eyes remain on the Middle East after Iran’s drone attacks on Israel. How will Netanyahu respond? And how are Britain and the US going to react? In the UK, Parliament returns – what is on the agenda? Plus, we look at other flashpoints across the globe – and round-up the rest of the domestic news. Alex Andreou and Hannah Fearn talk through the week ahead.     • “Perhaps it is a poor choice of timing for Iran, but it feels like a febrile time for the entire region.” – Hannah Fearn  • “It feels like both sides are looking for a forever war.” – Alex Andreou  • “The attack crystallised the partnership between Israel, the US and the UK.” – Hannah Fearn  We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit  Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/bunkercast     Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Producer: Liam Tait. 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

From public transport to plastic and even the vinyl in your record collection, petrochemicals don’t just pervade our daily life. They’ve shaped our national culture. James Marriott, co-author of Crude Britannia: How Oil Shaped a Nation, tells Alex Andreou about the pipelines, people, and pop culture behind Britain’s petro-obsession – and how it impacted politics from Benn to Blair to Brexit.   • “The UK oil industry was a kind of offshore colony in the North Sea.” • “If we hadn't had the IMF crisis in the 1970s, we would have kept strong state control over oil.”  • “As soon as Thatcher came in, the game was over and the oil companies won.” • “£26 million in oil is being pumped from Aberdeen as we speak, but the tax income for the state is minimal.” • “You see Nicola Sturgeon being photographed more in front of windfarms than oil distilleries.”  Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The European Championships begin this week against a backdrop of more political turmoil than the game has seen in years, from taking the knee to fans booing England’s own black players to the reverberations of the Super League. Clive Tyldesley, ITV’s lead football commentator for over 20 years, talks to Andrew Harrison about football at the crossroads, and brushes with legends from Dalglish to Ferguson in his new book Not For Me, Clive: Stories From the Voice of Football. “Football is the greatest meritocracy in the world. You can buy a football club. But you can’t buy your way into a team” “The famous Fergie hairdryer just doesn’t work on modern-day footballers” “If a political party could harness what we see in football every Saturday, they could take over Europe” Produced and presented by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices