The Bunker – News without the nonsense

For many he’s the great leader that Labour should have had. Now that he’s left frontline politics, Alan Johnson is trying his hand at writing fiction with his debut thriller The Late Train to Gipsy Hill out now. In a wide-ranging interview, he talks to Andrew Harrison about his love of suspense novels, whether the book’s plot alludes to the Litvinenko murder, Starmer’s first year in charge, Labour’s Brexit turmoil… and that infamous election night monologue against Jon Lansman. Also featuring mod talk, with a special playlist chosen by Alan. •  “I never wanted to be Labour leader… neither did Corbyn and it showed”•  “I was part of the history of the Labour Party. 2010 was not my time”•  “The public are still unsure if we’re in the Corbyn mould. Keir needs to assure them that we’re not”•  “If Theresa May’s deal had gone through the Tory Party would’ve torn themselves apart”•  “Nobody should go into politics without some real-life experience under their belt” 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 Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3q8577kzcw3HVN6XvabFtw?si=4BNgYsoTQTWzVSeRGDfirg&dl_branch=1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

British-Turkish novelist and academic Elif Shafak is an international feminist icon followed by legions of passionate readers. She tells Dorian Lynskey about her latest novel The Island of Missing Trees, a story of identity, belonging and love that takes place between Cyprus and London – and how she too finds comfort in two places, her home city of Istanbul and her adopted home in the UK. Listen for a fascinating exploration of the power of fictional escapism and what it means to a citizen of the world. •  “Cyprus is a place where the wounds of division are still not healed.”•  “Putting yourself in the shoes of another person is a humbling experience, even if just for a few hours.”•  “Fiction was my way of belonging, of tasting a sense of freedom.”•  “Emotionally I’m very attached to Turkey, but it’s a difficult place to exist when you need freedom to make fun of those in power.”•  “I would like to see myself as a citizen of the world, of humanity. That doesn’t make me a citizen of nowhere.” 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

Does the year we were born really shape us people? Are Gen X Snowflakes really battling Baby Boomers in an intergenerational war? Friend of the podcast Professor Bobby Duffy returns with Ros Taylor to discuss his latest book Generations, why age cohorts aren’t so consistent, and how COVID has changed Gen Z forever… “The cliches around generations are presented as cohort characteristics. But Gen Z are more materialistic just because they’re young.” “It’s simply a myth that Gen Z are more risk averse.”  “Gen Z are probably having less sex because they're drinking less.” “Intergenerational separation - not conflict - is the problem.” “Gen X got a cool name, and some cool bands and films. That's about all we have going for us.” 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

If we stopped trying to do everything, would we finally get chance to do what counts? Do to-do lists create anything but meaningless pressure? Can we ever really get everything done? Journalist Oliver Burkeman talks to Dorian Lynskey about how to answer the ultimate time management problem – the question of how best to use our brief moment on the planet – in his new book Four Thousand Weeks.  “We’re all drawn to things that we struggle with.”  “There shouldn't be anything embarrassing about the concept of self-help. It has developed a bad reputation on the basis of bad approaches.” “The action of clearing the decks just adds to the decks." “Time used to be a medium, not a resource.”  Presented by Dorian Lynskey. 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 https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Oliver-Burkeman/Four-Thousand-Weeks--Time-and-How-to-Use-it/25942066 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What sort of psychological shock with the fall of Afghanistan cause to the British establishment’s self-image? Will the country again became an incubator of terrorism? And how the hell is Dominic “Sun Lounger” Raab still in a job? Special guest SHIRAZ MAHER is the world authority on militant jihadism. He joins us to explain what the Taliban conquest of Afghanistan means.  “We have a culture from the top down where nothing is a resignable offence.” – Justin Quirk “A belief set in that the US was the head of the snake. That is when jihad goes global.” – Shiraz Maher “America is edging away. We have burnt our bridges with Europe. There is no rabbit to pull out of a hat.” – Justin Quirk https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented by Andrew Harrison with Marie Le Conte 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

Recriminations worsen over the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the UK’s indolent response to the refugee crisis. Can Dominic Raab survive as Foreign Secretary – and what does the debacle mean for Joe Biden’s presidency? Plus, get ready for COVID at the centre of healthcare forever. And does the Brexit-COVID logistics crisis mean that Christmas is already cancelled? Naomi Smith starts your week.  “Johnson doesn't want to hold Raab to any standards that he might have to face himself.” “Afghanistan is an enormous dent in Biden's ability to hold the anti-Trump coalition together.” “A quick glance at Farage's Twitter feed shows he's thrilled with the refugee situation.” 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

Journalist, filmmaker and author Sarfraz Manzoor grew up in two worlds, a son of working-class Pakistani immigrants who told him he’d never be accepted by the white English – yet he immersed himself in Western pop culture and built a life in it. By 2016 he’d become anxious that the multicultural Britain that made him was falling apart. He talks to Alex Andreou about his powerful new book THEY: What Muslims and Non-Muslims Get Wrong About Each Other, and how to dispel the fears that divide us. “I was expected to have an arranged marriage and stay in Luton. I didn’t end up doing either of those things” “I don’t want my kids to feel relaxed with their white mum’s heritage but uncomfortable with their Muslim dad’s heritage.” “In 2016 I got really low. I thought, this doesn’t feel like the country I want to live in.”  “If dating apps existed, I might have married someone that didn’t mean my family boycotted my wedding” “I might not live like a working class Muslim now, but it will never stop being part of me” Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Intern: Nat Amos. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Productionhttps://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Sarfraz-Manzoor/They--What-Muslims-and-Non-Muslims-Get-Wrong-About-Each-Other/25681127 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is the situation really like on the ground in Afghanistan, after the Taliban’s astonishingly swift takeover? Our panelist Arthur Snell talks to one of his contacts, presently in hiding in Kabul. We have chosen not identify them for their own safety. https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast “Kabul has been left without anything.”  “Everything is closed down. You would think it is the Stone Age in Kabul. You wouldn't have seen this a week ago.” “This was a win-win for Russia.”  “The Taliban have made fake promises to the international community. Of course they have not changed.” Presented by Arthur Snell. 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

World War II seemed to mark the end of American conservatism, and a new liberal age. Then Reagan came along – and we’re still living with the consequences. What explains the dominance of conservatism in modern American politics? Historian Rick Perlstein talks to Dorian Lynskey about his new book, Reaganland, the finale of a three-part saga about the cutthroat strategies of the conservatives behind America’s rightwards shift… “Reagan’s inauguration was a hinge in American history.” “Before Reagan, conservatism was seen as irrelevant in America.”  1970s America was looking for a hero. They were looking for Superman, not moral ambiguity.”  “Reagan wanted to write a book about how he fought the Reds of Hollywood…he was living a fantasy in his own head.” “It’s the difference between the dog whistle and the train whistle.” Presented by Dorian Lynskey. 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 https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Rick-Perlstein/Reaganland--Americas-Right-Turn-1976-1980/25991906 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The fall of Kabul to the Taliban has placed thousands of people in mortal danger and traumatised the entire Western security establishment. How did we get it so wrong, and what happens next? Also, the future of COVID: Leeds University Global Health Professor Garrett W. Brown joins us to set out the next pandemic and why the “Pasteurian Paradigm” won’t save us. Plus Labour expels Ken Loach, what would Immanuel Kant make of Brexit Britain… and should we stop referring to curry as “curry”? Apologies for the all-male panel this week, which is down to late changes of circumstance. We do all we can to avoid the “manel” and will restore a more reasonable gender ratio next time.  “There’s a 100% chance we’ll see another pandemic in the next ten to twenty years.” – Prof. Garrett Brown “It’s as black and white as ‘These people helped us and if we don’t help them they will be killed’.” – Ahir Shah “Afghanistan shows what happens when we concentrate on the wrong things… We’ve poured all our energy into self-made disputes.” – Justin Quirk “The selfish nature of the international order today will be its own demise.” – Prof. Garrett Brown “As an Englishman, they can prise my mild korma from my cold dead hands.” – Justin Quirk Presented by Alex Andreou with 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. Produced by Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices