The Bunker – News without the nonsense

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 to more people.” “She is woman, but she isn’t a feminist. This isn’t a victory for women.”  “The right are holding power because they are a coalition, but the Italian left is totally fragmented.”  www.patreon.com/bunkercast Tickets to Doomsday Watch Live: https://www.tickettext.co.uk/etmejHAubaWritten and presented by Alex Andreou. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 we are seeing the disastrous effects.”  “Orbán is stronger than he was a year ago, and is only getting stronger.”  “Orbán put in an enormous amount of money to change how people inside and outside of Hungary think.”   Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastTickets to Doomsday Watch Live:https://www.tickettext.co.uk/etmejHAubaWritten and presented by Arthur Snell. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 it. They've just fucked it up." – Tom Peck “The economics announcement left the pundit gang confused that WE didn’t know what the government was doing, but they had no idea the whole time.” – Tom Peck “Every Tory leader thinks they’re a Phoenix, but the Tories have been in power for twelve years. It’s like shitting yourself, getting a haircut and blaming it on someone else.” – Ahir Shah Starmer's problem is that he's facing young people who see radical solutions as the only solution." – Tom Peck https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Tickets to Doomsday Watch Live: https://www.tickettext.co.uk/etmejHAubaPresented by Jacob Jarvis with Ahir Shah, Justin Quirk and Tom Peck. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Assistant producer Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Lead producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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, market reaction to this budget has been bad.” – Alex Andreou “The one thing that stimulates growth is faith in the Government, and the markets don’t have it.” – Alex Andreou  “”The Ukrainian army has gained more equipment from Russia in the last week than from the West in the last six months.” – Alex Andreou  “When a vast majority turn against you in an autocracy, you tend to lose your head.” – Alex Andreou  Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Tickets to Doomsday Watch Live: https://www.tickettext.co.uk/etmejHAubaPresented by Jacob Jarvis with Alex Andreou. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 not fit all.” – Professor Russell Foster “The tired brain remembers the bad experiences, but not the good ones.” – Professor Russell Foster “Some leaders think sleep is for wimps.” – Professor Russell Foster “In China, sleep has been politicised. Some people are sleeping on the streets as a form of protest.” – Professor Russell Foster Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Jelena Sofronijevic. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Alex Rees. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Time-Science-Revolutionize-Health/dp/0241529301https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep-Deprived-Teen-Teenagers-Parents-Schools/dp/1642507911  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 such faith in language and told me ‘You need to read, it’ll change your life’.” – David Keenan  “Making a film about Bowie without mentioning his prodigious intake of cocaine is a bit like mentioning Maradona without mentioning the football.” – Andrew Harrison “Moonage Daydream doesn’t feel like a sellout or a museum piece. It’s designed to feel as real as it felt at the time, not set in amber.” – Sian Pattenden “You should walk through art into life on the other side.” – David Keenan Hear all the music on our rolling playlists.Spotify: https://bit.ly/CultBunkTidal: https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/77075591-255c-47eb-9062-815c4dd469efListen to five years of our past incarnation Bigmouth on Apple Podcasts or Spotify – or wherever you get your podcasts. Our Autumn Almanack:Jelena:Alvvays new album ‘Blue Rev’ coming soon. Los Bitchos on tour. Triangle Of Sadness movie. The Story Of Art Without Men book.Andrew:Plaid new album Feorm Falorx coming in November.Star Wars: Andor is streaming on Disney+ now.As is the mind-blowing Marvel psychedelic epic Legion. And the spectacular Aussie comedy drama about crime and single dadhood, Mr Inbetween. Neil Gaiman completes his Miracleman story for Marvel in October.Siân:Gilla Band new album ‘Most Normal’ coming on Oct 7 – and lots of it is here.Movies: Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling.Michael Flatley’s unmissable Blackbird.Synthgeek documentary A Film About Studio Electrophonique.And the underrated Atlanta with Donald Glover is on, yes, Disney+.Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison, Siân Pattenden and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Theme music: ‘Bunker Theme (Juntos Mix)’ by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. The Culture Bunker is a Podmasters production. Thanks for listening.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Taylor to chew on how we can change perceptions about insects in the West, how health clinics are battling for cricket powder, and why Welsh schools are already using mealworm mince in their insect bolognaise….plus Ros and Tilly snack on crickets live in the studio. “With big animals, we only eat a bit of them. With insects, you eat the whole thing…” – Tilly Collins “Insects are the glue that holds the world together… If we could introduce the Bacon Bug, everyone would love it.” – Brian Fisher “Do you eat prawns? Why not eat a woodlouse?” – Tilly Collins https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 the United States, Japan and Europe, the only way now is down.” “We have kicked out oil from the power sector, something we have worked towards since the oil shocks of the 1970s.” “The growth in oil pre-pandemic was petrochemicals and aviation, but now aviation has changed completely.” “The war has changed everything, Europe is decoupling from Russia – shocks that will be felt for many years.”  Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Arthur Snell. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 market.    “We are seeing a supply-demand perfect storm.” “With house prices rising, most people really are trapped. They have no option but to rent at extortionate rates.” “The private rental sector isn’t some fringe part of the economy only used by students, it's the main way that many house themselves.” Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Ahir Shah. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 company – what’s that all about? “The focus on growth seems completely mad. We’ve had growth – but that didn’t lead to people being better off.” – Miatta Fahnbulleh “The public has high expectations but the government is going to experiment with something that has been tried and failed.” – Miatta Fahnbulleh  “They think leaving money sloshing at the top will have a halo effect on the rest of the economy.” – Alex Andreou “I wouldn’t go as far as saying this is the wrong time, but I’m not saying it is the right time to protest either.” – Alex Andreou  https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Alex Andreou, Gavin Esler and Miatta Fahnbulleh. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Assistant producer Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Lead producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices