The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Swearing is a part of life. But is there a place for it in politics? Would Parliament function better if politicians were allowed to use a bit more profanity? Alex Andreou discusses this with Philip Seargeant, senior lecturer in applied linguistics at The Open University and author of The Art of Political Storytelling.• “Swearing always has a purpose.” – Philip Seargeant• “The idea that language can be particularly harmful has come more from the younger generation.” – Philip Seargeant We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.www.patreon.com/bunkercast   Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Starmer’s referencing of Thatcher has enraged the left – but is it anything beyond symbolic politicking? And is he really Thatcherite at all? Andrew Harrison speaks to Robert Saunders, a reader in modern British history at Queen Mary University of London, about the legacy of Thatcher and how it ties in with modern Labour policy. • “It’s worth remembering that Margaret Thatcher herself borrowed ideas from the left.” – Robert Saunders• “I think Thatcher would be quite alarmed by what she would see in a Reeves-Starmer manifesto.” – Robert Saunders • “Truss and Sunak were giving two different memories of Margaret Thatcher in the last Tory leadership contest… it was like two branches of the same religion.” – Robert Saunders • “Margaret Thatcher has become a myth. And the nature of myths means every generation can give different tales about them.” – Robert SaundersWe are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.Support us on Patreon.Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rishi Sunak is trying to spin his local election trouncing as best as he can – what bluster should we ignore this week? Plus, the latest from Gaza as Israel strikes Rafah. And, the Trump trial rolls on – while Xi visits Europe for the first time in five years. Alex Andreou talks Jacob Jarvis through the week ahead.   • “There’s a sort of electoral ruthlessness to the Labour Party at the moment.” – Alex Andreou • “Sunak should call an election, he won’t, but he should.” – Alex Andreou  • “If Sunak should do something then that usually suggests he won’t do it.” – Jacob Jarvis • “This is a critical moment for Netenyahu.” – Alex Andreou  • “There is a weird mix of entitlement and scattergun strategy going on from Trump in his court case.” – Jacob Jarvis  Want to hear more about the American election? Then listen to our new podcast, hosted by Jacob Jarvis, ‘American Friction’ – out every Friday in the run up to November’s vote.   We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  Support us on Patreon. Written and Presented by Jacob Jarvis with Alex Andreou. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is “fandom” one of the drives behind our dysfunctional politics? That’s the thesis of Dr Phoenix Andrews new book I Heart Politics – who writes about how people power is behind a series of quake moments in recent political history. He joins Andrew Harrison to discuss whether the phenomenon and power of fandom is overlooked in contemporary politics, and how the fandoms of politicians like Trump, Farage and Thatcher affect the cultural zeitgeist.• “The world feels mad, but finding people with a common passion is uplifting.” – Dr Phoenix Andrews• “Political fandom is basically Eurovision with consequences.” – Dr Phoenix AndrewsWe are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.Buy Phoenix Andrew’s book I Heart Politics: How People Power Took Over the World through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and Presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Adam Wright and Liam Tait. Audio Production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Artwork: James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The brand new podcast from the makers of The Bunker. Bewildered by the US Presidential Election? Don’t worry, American Friction has got you. Every Friday Chris Jones, Jacob Jarvis and Nikki McCann Ramírez of Rolling Stone join expert special guests to count down to America’s most rancorous election in generations. Get the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major platforms. Follow us on social media: TwitterInstagram TikTokWritten and presented by Chris Jones, Jacob Jarvis and Nikki McCann Ramírez. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fox News is regularly criticised for being sensationalist, full of conspiracies and obsessed with Trump. But, what’s it like if you really watch it for hours on end? Jacob Jarvis did just that and he talked to Dan Cassino, a political scientist at Fairleigh Dickinson University and author of: Fox News and American Politics: How One Channel Shapes American Politics and Society, about what he saw. What is the channel, which has been America’s most watched cable news station for twenty years, really all about?   • “What’s happened over the years to Fox News is it’s turned into something akin to a celebrity gossip magazine.” – Dan Cassino • “If you come to the US Fox News is on wherever you are and that’s how it’s meant to be consumed… with about 30% of your brain.” – Dan Cassino • “We’re still living in the world that Fox News Created.” – Dan Cassino  We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.   Support us on Patreon. Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by Jim Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump’s followers are often described as cult-like. But how much does the former president actually act like a cult leader? Does he employ the same coercive control tactics utilised by infamous infamous figureheads of the past – like Jim Jones and Sun Myung Moon? The Cult of Trump author and leading mind control expert Steven Hassan tells Rafael Behr how perceiving Trump as a cult leader might let us better understand the current political climate. • “People don’t care that Trump has ninety-one criminal charges against him, that he has over 40,000 documented lies. They refuse to believe he lost the election. Their minds have been hacked.” – Steven Hassan• “There are a lot of different cults in the cult of trump.” – Steven HassanWe are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.www.patreon.com/bunkercast     Written and presented by Rafael Behr. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Satire has been pronounced dead more times than disco. As the political world has lurched into chaos, satirists have struggled to match the absurdity of the figures they mock. But what happens if politics gets boring? Andrew Harrison is joined by Jan Ravens to find out how satire can survive beyond the next general election.   • “Liz Truss’s tragic flaw is that she hasn't grown up. She is still a little girl expecting approval.”  – Jan Ravens • “Satire can't bring down the government, but it can attach an idea to people that they can never shake off.”  – Andrew Harrison • “I'm very happy to do without my Liz Truss impression if it means we can do without her in any position of power whatsoever.” – Jan Ravens  We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  Support us on Patreon. Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by Jim Parrett. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Instagram | Twitter  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We live in a world of borders – and often take them for granted. But they’ve shaped the world in myriad ways over the centuries. Our politicians go to extreme lengths to secure them and in some cases build giant walls to protect them. So what can we learn from examining their history?   Andrew Harrison is joined by Jonn Elledge, author of A History of the World in 47 Borders: The Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps, as we talk about the weird and wonderful history of the lines on our maps.   • “Open borders aren’t inherently progressive, Genghis Khan was in favour of them!”  – Jonn Elledge  • “When you look back through history, You have empires, you have cities but there aren’t many borders.” – Jonn Elledge • “Borders in Europe only really started settling down in the 17th and 18th centuries.”  – Jonn Elledge   We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  Support us on Patreon. Buy Jonn Elledge’s book A History of the World in 47 Borders: The Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the local elections this week – just how bad does it look for Rishi Sunak? As general election rumours swirl, he’s going to be crossing everything in the coming days… And there was the no confidence vote in Scotland lined up – but it’s been reported Humza Yousaf will quit before it happens. Plus, Trump’s trial continues – will he contain his rage as it rolls on? Then finally we turn to Gaza and look at the latest in terms of ceasefire talks. All that and more in Start Your Week, with Ros Taylor and Jacob Jarvis.   • “Sunak wants to give the impression that the Rwanda deportations will happen and that no legal issues will get in the way” – Ros Taylor  • “Calling an election for July might actually be advantageous for Sunak.” – Ros Taylor  We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  Support us on Patreon. Written and Presented by Jacob Jarvis with Ros Taylor. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. ENDS  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices