The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Charlotte Raven was in her mid-30s when she discovered her father was suffering from Huntington’s disease. For her and her family, life would never be the same again. Joined by her doctor Ed Wild, Charlotte talks to Nick Cohen about her memoir Patient 1: Forgetting and Finding Myself, a candid account of her coming to terms with an inherited neurodegenerative disease, how it changed her as a person, and the hope that one day we can eliminate it altogether. “Everyone in my family insulated me from the brutal reality of Huntington’s”- Charlotte Raven “I felt like facing this head on would minimise it’s impact later” - Charlotte Raven “I was exploited by a culture that wanted me to be a controversialist” - Charlotte Raven “Huntington’s comes on so slowly the first symptoms are often unnoticed” - Ed Wild “My children have become a recognisable anchor for me” - Charlotte Raven 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hear all the music on our podcasts in full on our rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunkIn this week’s show, Madness frontman SUGGS joins us to talk about everything Nutty Boys. Journalist MICHAEL MORAN gives their take on Get Back, the Peter Jackson’s new epic on The Beatles’ Twickenham sessions, and Marvel’s latest series, Hawkeye. Plus THE ITALIAN JOB – film critic LINDA MARRIC unwraps Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci, the new release with Adam Driver, Lady Gaga and Al Pacino. “We liked dressing up, but when it becomes your full time job, it loses its novelty.” - Suggs “Property has become a commodity, not somewhere to live. It has damaged the soul of London.” - Suggs “The two things I love in the world are Marvel Comics and Christmas, so Hawkeye was made for me.” - Michael Moran “House of Gucci's script isn't up to the story. It feels like a telenovela.” - Linda Marric Presented by Siân Pattenden and Alex Andreou. Assistant producer Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Theme music: ‘Bunker Theme (Juntos Mix)’ by Kenny Dickinson. The Culture Bunker is a Podmasters production. Rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over 130,000 people were killed in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s, with most deaths concentrated in Bosnia. But 26 years after the Dayton Peace Agreement, nationalist tensions are re-emerging between Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik and Bosniak President Bakir Izetbegovic. So are we on the brink of another war in the Balkans - and did it ever end in the first place? Jelena Sofronijevic talks to journalist Una Hajdari and Professor James Ker-Lindsay about what we get wrong on ethnicity, peacekeeping, and Serbia’s “strongman” siblingship with Vladimir Putin.  “The ethnic differences that are taken into account by Bosnia's constitution are the same ones that will cause its downfall.” – Una Hajdari “Russia is playing a spoiling tactic in the Balkans.” - James Ker-Lindsay  “Dodik is clever enough to know an overt declaration of independence would fail. He'd need to rely on Serbia - but they'd avoid supporting him outright.” - James Ker-Lindsay “This is Bosnia's curse - all levels of its government have an ethnic quota, so it's hard to stray from any politics outside of that path.” - Una Hajdari “Both Bosnian Serbs and Bosniaks see each other as a fundamental threat to each other's existence.” - James Ker-Lindsay Written and presented by 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

Around the world democratic values have been in decline, with Hong Kong’s struggle against Beijing one of the clearest examples. Pro-democracy activist Nathan Law was Hong Kong’s youngest legislative councillor, until he was arrested for speaking his mind. Now living in exile here in Britain, he talks to Arthur Snell about his new book Freedom: How we lose it, and how we fight back, the reasons for our recent democratic recession, and how he’s fighting for Hong Kong from afar. “The 2019 protests saw over 2 million people marching, over a quarter of Hong Kong’s population” “When mainland China wanted Hong Kong back in 1997, people were fearful of a return to autocracy” “I had to continue to speak up for Hong Kong, which meant I had to leave the place I consider home” “Hong Kong is just one example is the democratic recession we’ve seen across the world” 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

This week’s panel show out early for Patreon people… And you can hear our new series DOOMSDAY WATCH here: https://kite.link/doomsday The sleaze revelations may be ebbing, but the PM is still under sustained attack from his own MPs. Will a bouncing new Johnson baby save Christmas for the Conservatives? Jelena Sofronijevic joins to discuss what it’s like to graduate into a post-COVID job market and generational tensions in the workplace. Plus, the panel unpack the phenomenon of lockdown pets - vital for our mental health or a CAT-astrophe for the planet?Hear our new series DOOMSDAY WATCH here: https://kite.link/doomsday “If I was a member of the Conservative Party at the moment, I'd be keeping my nose dry between factions.” - Marie le Conte “Can you imagine if Tony Blair had sent his dad on Newsnight to explain on his behalf?” - Justin Quirk “We make 17 year olds enter extraordinary financial commitments. No wonder they expect a job at the end of it.” - Ahir Shah “This generation is acutely aware of the power, and the value, of their identity.” - Justin Quirk https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Ros Taylor with Marie le Conte, Ahir Shah and 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Northern Powerhouse trains might be derailed, but as the CBI convenes across the country, levelling up is back on the agenda. Could Keir Starmer be on track to dismantle the Government’s shoddy Integrated Rail Plan? And Austria returns to COVID lockdown, what will this mean for booster shots and mandatory vaccination at home? Plus Priti Patel faces pressure over the rise in dinghys in Dover, and do English Channel crossings really constitute a migrant crisis? Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou take you through the week ahead. “Johnson hasn't got Brexit done, and he hasn't levelled up the country.” - Naomi Smith “We needed an Integrated Rail Plan. We got a failure.” - Naomi Smith “Johnson has done a lot to push people away. Starmer has to try and pull them.” - Alex Andreou “You're always one step ahead of the next variant if you're not vaccinating the world.” - Naomi Smith “If you construct a crisis that isn't actually there, it becomes quite difficult to solve.” - Alex Andreou Presented by Alex Andreou with Naomi Smith. 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

Running a marathon is no easy feat, but to run one in under 3 hours puts you in the top 5% of runners worldwide. Comedian Paul Tonkinson details his gruelling yet moving journey to break the 3-hour mark in his book 26.2 Miles to Happiness: A Comedian’s Tale of Running, Red Wine and Redemption. He sits down with fellow runner Nick Cohen to talk about the trials and tribulations of beating one of running’s milestone times. “I wanted to be as honest as possible about the process of running a marathon” “Running a marathon runs nicely along the line of being really difficult, but also achievable”  Presented by Nick Cohen. 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

Hear all the music on our podcasts in full on our rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunkWhat a difference Adele makes. As Adele’s new album 30 comes out, music journalist EAMONN FORDE joins us to discuss “daydreamers” and “divorce, babes”. Plus film critic ANNA SMITH on THE POWER OF THE DOG, GRUNGE music doc FREAKSCENE, the story of Dinosaur Jr. - and with the re-release of SLADE IN FLAME on deluxe vinyl, we return to the 1974 film. “Adele is my musical football. Enormously popular, but something I will never ever fathom.” - Eamonn Forde “Power of the Dog is one of those films where you are absolutely gripped from start to finish.” - Anna Smith “Slade got famous, but they never wanted to be.” - Eamonn Forde “Glam rock is as British as boiled meat.” – Alex Andreou Presented by Siân Pattenden and Alex Andreou. Assistant producer Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Robin Leeburn and Alex Rees. Theme music: ‘Bunker Theme (Juntos Mix)’ by Kenny Dickinson. The Culture Bunker is a Podmasters production.Rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

COVID may have suspended parliamentary debate, but important decisions were still being taken behind the scenes. So how did we do politics during the pandemic, and how can we do better? Ros Taylor talks to Aveek Bhattacharya, chief economist of the Social Market Foundation, about co-editing his new book, Political Philosophy in a Pandemic, “zombie governments,” and whether COVID shaming is ever acceptable. “Even if you think you know the COVID guidelines, you might not know the rules around a particular case.” “We have a zombie government, but we have had no option to vote it out.” “Democracy isn't just about voting. It's about experience and debating.” “The rise in tuition fees is a tax on younger people.” “The boom has only benefitted those who got on the property market in time.” “We normally think of children as the most vulnerable. But COVID has shown that that isn't always the case.” “We haven't seen economies behave like this before, so we've have to take calculated risks.” 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

The Republican Party might be the party of Donald Trump, but how did it get to this place of uncompromising groups with irreconcilable demands? And is something similar about to hit the Democrats? Professor Samuel L. Popkin, academic, consulting analyst in five Democratic Presidential campaigns and author of Crackup: The Republican Implosion and the Future of Presidential Politics, chats to Dorian Lynskey about the rise of Trump, and what it means for the future of American politics. “The great divide between the two parties is caused by failures of leaders to curb the extremes of their party.” “It was made clear to John McCain that he wouldn’t get any money until he changed his position on global warming.” “If Ted Cruz had acted differently, we might never had seen the emergence of Donald Trump.” 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices