The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Are we witnessing the death of Silicon Valley as big tech shifts from physical products to services? And has the time of California being the promised land for budding tech bros gone? Dr. Kate Devlin is joined in The Bunker by Joel Kotkin, fellow in urban studies at Chapman University, to find out. “One of the dirty little secrets of Silicon Valley is that it was largely created by federal spending.”  “I have never met a group who are less conscious of their social impact than Silicon Valley people.“ "Today Silicon Valley is a series of oligarchic companies with 80-90 per cent market shares and no desire to improve."  www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Kate Devlin. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Simon Williams. 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

MPs have collectively earned millions of pounds from side hustles in the last few years. From the ‘cash for access’ scandal to the resignation of Owen Paterson, the public is fascinated by extra work carried out by politicians. But how much does this impact their day jobs? Marie Le Conte sits down with Dr. Simon Weschle, assistant professor in the political science department at Syracuse University, to find out if second jobs truly are the scourge of British politics.  “Having a second job means MPs are more likely to attend the commons.”  “An MP working as a dentist doesn’t change their voting behaviour.“ "If an MP has a city job they spend more time in London but they’re less often in their constituency."  www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Marie Le Conte. Producer: Liam Tait and Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio editor: Alex Rees. 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

Buying a house in the UK is almost impossible for many people. But house prices could fall by 10 per cent over the next 2 years. Is that a good thing? Peter Apps is the deputy editor of Inside Housing magazine, he joins Hannah Fearn in The Bunker. “There’s so much demand in the UK and there’s such a shortage of houses.” – Peter Apps. “It’s very difficult to predict where we’re going to be for the next couple of years.” – Peter Apps. “If people start losing money on Help to Buy deals, the government immediately starts to take notice. Private renters are basically on their own.” – Peter Apps “Private landlords aren’t asking themselves difficult questions about what people can actually afford.” – Peter Apps. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Hannah Fearn. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer are both on manoeuvres after the by-elections – but what are their tangible plans? As the Labour leader asks Sadiq Khan to “reflect” on ULEZ, the Tory PM is doubling down on just being horrid. Plus, we have the latest on the climate crisis in Greece, an update on elections in Spain, and news from Ukraine. Alex Andreou joins Jacob Jarvis to map out the week ahead.  “Rishi Sunak will fail on all of his five promises.” – Alex Andreou “Labour have relied on Sadiq Khan’s popularity instead of making a case for ULEZ.” – Alex Andreou “We haven’t had a proper silly season in ages, and I suspect Boris Johnson will cause mischief.” – Alex Andreou www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Alex Andreou. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio editor: Simon Williams. 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

From the Hague to Westminster, buildings shape the politics that happens within them. Does the design of the Chamber in Westminster encourage bad behaviour? How does Britain compare with the rest of Europe? Exploring the benefits of horseshoes, circles and semicircles are historian Seth Thévoz and Sophia Psarra, professor at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. Her forthcoming edited collection Parliament Buildings The architecture of politics in Europe comes out in October. “Buildings are institutions which help our thinking.” “If you are going to build buildings, do it properly or deal with the consequences.” “When people become MPs in England they don’t know how to use the building.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Book Link: https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/223070 Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Assistant producer: Adam Wright. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time in 63 years, Hollywood has a double strike on its hands. Actors have joined writers on the picket lines – in an effort to take on the tech giants who have disrupted TV and cinemas in recent years. Alex Andreou sits down with screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick to discuss streaming platforms, the threat of AI on creativity and Chicken Run 2.  “Every industry is scrambling with regulations around AI. This isn’t just a Hollywood problem.”  “If you want to be a professional writer at the highest levels, you must be in these guilds.“ "Tech companies don’t understand how Hollywood works."  www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Liam Tait. Assistant Producer: Adam Wright. Audio editor: Simon Williams. 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

The first debate in the race to be the GOP’s presidential nominee for 2024 is a month away. What should we watch out for – and how will the party split? Former President Trump is dominating the opinion polls, but a crowded field of other candidates has emerged – including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Vice-President Mike Pence. Jacob Jarvis is joined by Politico’s senior campaigns and elections editor Steven Shepard, to discuss the latest clashes.  “It doesn’t seem that Republican primary voters are willing to turn on Trump, even after everything.” – Steven Shepard  “Donald Trump’s decision on whether or not to take part in these debates is crucial to how this race goes” – Steven Shepard Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Assistant producer: Adam Wright. 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

This week on Bunker Global: As horror heat consumes the earth – is climate chaos the new normal? Plus, we pick apart the extent of China’s spy operations. And, as Giorgia Meloni’s tenure as Italian PM looks increasingly concerning, we pick apart her actions so far.Laura Makin-Isherwood, former London bureau chief of Feature Story News, and Kai Strittmatter, former China correspondent for German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, join Jacob Jarvis to get you up to speed on what you need to know about news and politics from across the world.  “It looks like we’re only going to see significant movement on carbon neutral tech once it becomes profitable.” - Jacob Jarvis “Imagine an episode of Black Mirror, that’s what it’s like living in the dystopian China of today.” - Kai Strittmatter “Italy was anti EU in the past, but now it feels like Meloni is moving more towards Brussels and changing it from within.” - Laura Makin-Isherwood www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Laura Makin-Isherwood. Producer: Liam Tait. Assistant Producer: Adam Wright. Audio editor: Simon Williams. 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

Social media fuels many emotions, especially anger. And if you’ve followed UK politics for any length of time, you’ll be used to that feeling. Author of Outrage Machine, Tobias Rose-Stockwell, says tech companies know this and have tailored their algorithms to maximise the amount we consume. But how does this translate to real life? Does it alter the way we vote? And does it damage democracy? He joins Hannah Fearn in The Bunker. Book: https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/tobias-rose-stockwell/outrage-machine/9780349427386/  “We have a tremendous propensity to look to others when we’re trying to figure out what to feel.” – Tobias Rose-Stockwell. “Social media does a really good job of serving us things that make us angry.” – Tobias Rose-Stockwell. “Social media is not working with different materials… it’s just gotten better at extracting our attention.” – Tobias Rose-Stockwell. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Hannah Fearn Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Robin Leeburn Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Libel laws have been around for centuries in England – yet the public and the papers keep falling foul of them. The witch hunt for the then-unnamed BBC presenter in early July is the latest example. The anonymity of that presenter, now revealed to be Huw Edwards, meant people began publicly accusing other BBC presenters of being involved. At least one Twitter user has now been sued over this. So what are our libel laws? And why do they catch so many people out? Journalist and media consultant David Banks joins Seth Thévoz in The Bunker.  “Whether the Sun’s in trouble remains to be seen, but those who dived in after the Sun now find themselves in hot water.” – David Banks “Your right to a reputation is a very ancient concept in England and Wales.” – David Banks “Way back when if you slandered someone you could have your tongue cut out.” – David Banks Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producers: Kasia Tomasiewicz & Chris Jones. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices