The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Boris Johnson wants to blow up the Brexit talks with an Internal Market Bill that shatters international law. Will it blow up in his face?And on the six-month anniversary of Britain locking down for the first time, we’re joined by Miatta Fahnbulleh of the New Economics Foundation to discuss how the Government got COVID so very wrong.Presented by Andrew Harrison with Ros Taylor and Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. 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

Digital disinformation from hostile powers is attacking our democracies, but do our politicians even want to stop it? Disinformation expert, security specialist and former US intelligence officer MATTHEW FERRARO talks to Nina Schick about the evolving threat of information pollution, who’s next on the fakers’ hitlists, and why Russia hates 5G.“To fight back against Russian propaganda, you need to think like a spy”Presented by Nina Schick. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer 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 can you do when your society is responsible for racist atrocities? What should you do? One country trying to atone for their past is Germany. Susan Neiman, moral philosopher and author of ‘Learning from the Germans’, told Ros Taylor about what the U.S. can learn from the way Germany deals with its past, and why the English have been even slower than America in facing up to their national crimes.  “The Germans saw themselves as the worst victims of the war” “No two pieces of history are exactly alike” “Every nation would like to see its people as heroes” Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer 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

According to recent polls, half of Britain would not trust a COVID vaccine, and a majority of Republican voters in the US believe in the bizarre QAnon theory. So why are these crazy notions becoming so widespread? Political communications specialist AMIL KHAN told Arthur Snell all about how these theories start, the role social media plays in making them mainstream, and the psychology of those behind them. “It’s a brave new world but it’s not entirely new” “Social media platforms are designed to push content out which is nasty and divisive” Presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer 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 Government tears up its own promises on Northern Ireland with its Internal Markets Bill, the don of legal experts David Allen Green explains the enormity of this breach of international law, why the Government has provoked constitutional crisis on not one but four fronts… and how it could play out. Spoiler: “This will not end well.”Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer 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

After a summer filled with u-turns and policy failures galore, and with the road to 2021 looking incredibly treacherous, will Boris survive the Autumn? Plus, did Extinction Rebellion undermine their cause by blocking everyone’s Saturday papers being delivered? And will we see ‘Mock The Weak’ on our screens as the new BBC Director General Tim Davie promises more right-wing comedy? “The Government is failing us on health and on wealth” - Naomi Smith “The Government is only comfortable with people meeting in closed spaces if they’re fuelling the economy” - Ros Taylor Produced and presented by Andrew Harrison with Naomi Smith, Ros Taylor and Nina Schick. Assistant producer 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 vaccine is seen as the primary route out of the COVID19 crisis, but only half of Brits surveyed by Kings College London say they would be likely to get one. Professor HEIDI LARSON, director of The Vaccine Confidence Project, tells Ros Taylor the reasons people give for not wanting a vaccine, and how we can build public trust in health interventions. “If Facebook closed their doors tomorrow, these sentiments would not go away” “We need a more diverse group of entities to embrace vaccines” “I’m constantly struck at how little people really understand vaccines” Presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer 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

Britain’s woeful electoral system wastes millions of votes and consistently enables minority rule. KLINA JORDAN, joint CEO of the ‘Make Votes Matter’ campaign, tells Naomi Smith why Labour should make implementing proportional representation their first priority in Government, and offers some key rebuttals to common PR myths.“People have been campaigning on this issue for 130 years”“Labour have only gotten into power when there was electoral coordination going on”“There’s no reason why coalition deals should be done in smoked-filled rooms”Presented by Naomi Smith. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer 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

Coronavirus has changed life as we know it, especially for those who work in our health service. Dr Dominic Pimenta resigned from the NHS over Dominic Cummings’ lockdown trip to Durham, and his new book ‘Duty of Care’, describes the brutal experience of working on the COVID-19 frontline. Dominic tells Alex Andreou about his work in the NHS during the pandemic, from the initial murmurings coming out of China to full-throated lockdown here in Britain. His story, along with many others in the NHS, is one of heroism and sacrifice. “Everyone was doing double time and taking on duty after duty.”“When needs must, the NHS was there.”“How do we get people to believe in the same facts?”“As a doctor, you’re not taught particularly well how to deal with your patient’s grief, or your own.”Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer 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

Last week the Government introduced legislation aiming to curb the ruinous practice of deforestation, but how will this fit in with Brexit trade policy? What more should the Government be doing on environmental matters? And how damaging have populists Trump and Bolsonaro been in the battle against climate change? UCL professor of global change science SIMON LEWIS talks to Justin Quirk about the future of our planet. “It’s good that the Government is talking about this, but the devil is in the detail” “We need much bigger action to get to net zero” “Trump has been incredibly damaging to evidence-based policy over the last four years” “The Conservatives would not be so fast and loose with the facts if it weren’t for Trump” “The impact of Bolsonaro will be felt for a long time” Presented by Justin Quirk. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer 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