The Bunker – News without the nonsense

What will China do in 2022? Cindy Yu, The Spectator’s broadcast editor and host of the Chinese Whispers podcast, joins Alex Andreou to take a look at the direction of travel for the world’s most populous nation. What does a policy of ‘zero-covid’ mean for China? How will relations with America and Russia turn out? And is Xi Jinping lumbering up for conflict with Taiwan? “Sport has always been a good way for a controversial government in China to build bridges.” “Zero-covid is another barrier between China and the rest of the world.” “Putin and Xi share values when it come to how they run their countries.” “If China is going to invade Taiwan, what’s happening in Ukraine will not affect that.” “The idea of China overtaking America is too simplistic. Very rarely do you have a unipolar world.” “The more the West bashes China, the more the Chinese media whip that up into an anti-China narrative.” Presented by Alex Andreou. The Group Editor is Andrew Harrison. The Lead Producer is Jacob Jarvis. The producers are Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Audio production by Jade Bailey. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hear all the music on our rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunkLakeland poets of “high church rock’n’roll” Sea Power play songs from their magnificent new album Everything Was Forever and explain how it felt when they dropped the word “British” from their name, to the ire of GB News. And Mojo magazine’s Ian Harrison joins us to discuss new waxings from Half Man Half Biscuit and Metronomy plus new Apple TV+ series Severance – what The Office would be like if created by Aldous Huxley.  “People are pretty sceptical of any band that puts too much thinking into their lyrics…” – Yan from Sea Power Written and presented by Siân Pattenden and Andrew Harrison. Producer 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. Our rolling playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/CultBunkAnd now Tidal too: https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/1aea7525-7891-4a88-8474-a08c45ea064b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did a Christian movement, founded at the turn of the century, become the fastest growing religion today? Pentecostal Christianity has 600 million followers, with 35,000 new adherents a day. So what’s behind the remarkable rise of this religious movement? Elle Hardy, author of Beyond Belief, tells Arthur Snell about her mission to report its rise across twelve different countries, from South America to Africa and Australia, how Pentecostalism provides community to the rootless and marginalised in a fragmenting world…and its toxic connection to populist authoritarianism. “There will be more Pentecostals than Catholics in Brazil in the next ten years.” “Anyone can become a prophet in Pentecostalism.” “You can fit six Vaticans in the biggest Pentecostal church in Nigeria.” “Pentecostalism is the ideology of the new right in America.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Arthur Snell. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Productionhttps://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/beyond-belief/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A strong accent can lead us to make many assumptions about a person. We ask why, and the impact of these judgements. Linguistics experts Dr. Alex Baratta and Dr. Dominic Watt join Jelena Sofronijevic to explore whether RP has been replaced with a new “standard” accent, why some professions are still demanding flat accents…and if the Queen’s English is really dead.  “Your accent is a flag or badge of your social standing." - Dominic Watt  "We exist in an accentist society." - Dominic Watt “Right at the top of the social pinnacle we have people who more or less speak the same as each other. - Dominic Watt “Accent bias is more of an issue in certain professions, the reason is it goes back to certain perceptions.” - Alex Baratta “I think there’ll always be a perceived need to have a standard accent.” - Alex Baratta https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented and produced by Jelena Sofronijevic. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russia’s threatening moves on the borders of Ukraine have led to a frantic diplomacy blitz. Can Vladimir Putin be urged back from the brink? Plus, as COVID rules are due to be ditched in England, is that the right call? Or simply a distraction for Boris Johnson? And, with Futurama returning to and Neighbours leaving our screens, we choose the TV shows we’d like to resurrect and others to scrap. Financial Times journalist and author of Britain Alone: The Path from Suez to Brexit Philip Stephens joins our weekly panel. “Nobody knows what Putin wants.” – Arthur Snell “The City is well-known as the London Laundry, and the Russians are the best users of that.” – Philip Stephens “There aren't many big beasts left prowling in the Tory forest.” – Philip Stephens “More Brits have been vaccinated than watched the Euros final.” – Yasmeen Serhan Support The Bunker on Patreon for early, ad-free episodes and more: https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented by Andrew Harrison with Arthur Snell and Yasmeen Serhan. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Following Cressida Dick’s resignation, we look at the looming clashes over who will become the next Met police chief. What are the priorities for whoever gets the role? Plus, the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine persists. Is war imminent? And after Boris Johnson was handed a police questionnaire over Partygate, what can we expect next? Justin Quirk is joined by Naomi Smith to discuss the week ahead.  “The fish rots from the head and a bad leader… is one that will mean that awful culture pervades and that cascade happens through an organisation.”  “We’ve got to hope and pray that we can have a force we can be proud of.” “Changing the culture within an organisation can take years, and the Met will be no exception.”  “After Brexit and Trump, Putin knows that the West isn’t as united as it has been.”  “Much of the left in Western politics have a blind spot when it comes to Russian imperialism.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Justin Quirk with Naomi Smith. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: 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

We all want control over our lives. But as we make more decisions digitally, the impact of algorithms on our choices grows. They help to sort the information presented to us and limit the options we see – shaping the products we buy, films we watch and even the partners we end up with. Andrew Harrison discusses the future of such technology with Kartik Hosanagar, author of A Human's Guide to Machine Intelligence: How Algorithms Are Shaping Our Lives and How We Can Stay in Control.  “Many people believe that algorithms are just providing us information and we comb through that and make our own choices… research shows otherwise.” – Kartik Hosanagar “They are not just helping us make the decisions that we would have anyway made… they are also influencing the decisions themselves.” – Kartik Hosanagar “These algorithms could be making choices in more personal and more important aspects of our lives, and also they could be making them autonomously.” – Kartik Hosanagar “Let’s make sure that for high stakes decisions, they are made by human beings.” – Kartik Hosanagar “Individually, it’s hard for us to stop this algorithmic tsunami.” – Kartik Hosanagar https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hear all the music on our rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunkWriter, director, actor, singer, dancer - THE NOTORIOUS RBB Rikki Beadle-Blair joins us to talk Riot Act, LGBT+ History Month, and a lifetime of activist art. Jelena, Alex, and Siân don their scrubs for This is Going to Hurt, the BBC’s new med-drama with Ben Wishaw. And the meat goes on with Pam and Tommy on Disney, and two new mega-shows - Francis Bacon and Louise Bourgeois – for this week’s Art Corner special on BEASTS. “Equality means equality of opportunity to be idiots.” - Rikki Beadle-Blair “The constant self-portraiture on Instagram is irritating.” - Rikki Beadle-Blair “This is Going to Hurt makes the NHS feel so fragile. It made me ask what I can do to help the Adam Kays of this world.” – Siân Pattenden “The talking penis in Pam and Tommy felt weirdly Disney to me, like something out of Beauty in the Beast!” – Alex Andreou Written and presented by Alex Andreou, 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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With environmental destruction threatening our oceans, what might a fresh plan to protect them look like? Chris Armstrong, political theory professor at the University of Southampton, joins Ros Taylor to discuss his new book A Blue New Deal, which outlines a manifesto for protecting our seas. “Our reliance on the ocean has diminished, before air travel we had to use it to get to the other side of the world.” “Although the ocean absorbs most the carbon we emit, it has limits and we are reaching them.” “We need to engage in radical thinking in order to save our oceans.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented by Ros Taylor. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christine Lee’s recent designation as a Chinese agent of influence by MI5 has breathed new life into calls to reassess the country’s influence in Westminster. Yet as the world’s second-largest economy, China is widening its reach across the globe – and democratic nations are complicit. Journalist Joanna Chiu, author of China Unbound, tells Arthur Snell about its murky “United Front” and New Silk Road projects, whether Western ignorance equals wilful involvement in China’s authoritarian regime…and why Chinese immigrants should be better protected overseas. “Chinese politicians are expected to self-report.” “You have to feel sympathy for anyone trying to work within the Chinese legal system.” “China has designed laws to make its businesses complicit in its security regime.” “Western leaders created a narrative to justify and excuse their engagement with a foreign, authoritarian power.” “Chinese immigrants aren't welcomed for their expertise. They're treated with suspicion.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Arthur Snell. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Productionhttps://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/china-unbound/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices