The Bunker – News without the nonsense

The UK is no stranger to getting political decisions wrong – especially in foreign policy. Broadcaster and author Steve Richards, of Rock & Roll Politics, writes in his new book Turning Points that the decisions made by post-war leaders are often bewildering but also intensely complicated. He joins Gavin Esler in The Bunker for a very honest discussion on why that is. “It seems to me with Britain – it reaches turning points and fails to turn.” – Steve Richards “Eden went mad almost over Suez… the attacks he got were far more intense than Blair over Iraq.” – Steve Richards “The UK is in as much of a mess now as it was post-Suez… it’s deeply depressing.” – Steve Richards Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Gavin Esler. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. 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

The infected blood scandal of the 1970s and 80s saw almost 5,000 people in the UK contract HIV or hepatitis C due to contaminated NHS blood products. Over 2,800 have died and tens of thousands of lives have been affected, yet no organisation or individual has ever been held to account. Ros Taylor is joined by Caroline Wheeler, the political editor of the Sunday Times and author of the new book Death in the Blood: The inside story of the NHS infected blood scandal.Death in the Blood: https://www.hachette.com.au/caroline-wheeler/death-in-the-blood-the-most-shocking-scandal-in-nhs-history-from-the-journalist-who-has-followed-the-story-for-over-two-decades “This all happened at a time when HIV was poorly understood, there was no effective treatment. It was extremely taboo.” – Ros Taylor “At the very moment this family needed all the support and all the care they deserved, they only received ridicule and mockery.” – Caroline Wheeler “It wasn’t until the late 80s until the general public were educated about how AIDS was spread.” – Caroline Wheeler “People are still dying, at the rate of one every four days. Two of the ten characters in this book died as it was being written.” – Caroline Wheeler Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Liam Tait. Assistant Producer: Adam Wright. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rishi Sunak is having a grim time up north as the Tories gather in Manchester for their annual conference. As the PM attempts to put crowd pleasing policies forward (and not mention HS2), the race to replace him has already started. In world news, we look at the U.S. after it narrowly avoided a government shutdown, the latest on Ukraine — and finally, a slow burning financial crisis in China. Jacob Jarvis is joined in The Bunker by Alex Andreou to get you prepped for the week ahead.   “Sunak was chancellor for two years before he was PM, he only looked at HS2 now?” – Alex Andreou “Labour basically have to look a bit less shi*t than the Tories to win conference season.” – Jacob Jarvis  Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis and Alex Andreou. 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

Count Binface, resistance against Tories and advocate for electoral reform, joins the podcast to discuss standing against Theresa May and Boris Johnson, junking First Past the Post for PR, and reusing the best policies from across the galaxy.

A panel of experts discuss the concept and relevance of centrism in politics and why politicians fear newspapers despite declining readership. They also delve into the evolution and vague definition of centrism, as well as the power and influence of newspapers in shaping politics and public opinion. Additionally, they explore politicians' musical tastes and the role of music in projecting a political image.

A discussion with Professor Jason Opal on the history and evolution of impeachment in American politics, highlighting its shift from an unthinkable act to a common political weapon. They explore the impact of Nixon's pardon, the lack of patterns in impeachment cases, and the current impeachment calls against President Biden. The chapter also touches on the influence of Barbados on US and UK history.

Pashtana Durrani, founder of LEARN Afghan, talks about secret schools that educate girls in Afghanistan, defying the Taliban. They discuss the consequences of limited education for women, lack of recognition for the crisis, impact of sanctions, and hopes for a better future.

Dr. Jostein Hauge, author of The Future of the Factory: How Megatrends are Changing Industrialization, joins Dr. Kate Devlin to discuss the pros and cons of AI in global manufacturing, the link between economic growth and ecological breakdown, and the need for alternatives to international organizations and trade agreements.

Former Justice Secretary David Gauke discusses the need to reverse Tory populism in his book 'The Case for the Centre Right'. He highlights the dangers of pursuing further populism, questions the facilitation of Boris Johnson by the conservative party, and explores the challenges in finding a space as a centrist centre right party.

Genevieve Kotarska, Research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, discusses the rise of cocaine use despite the war on drugs. She explores the role of international paramilitary groups in the drug trade and questions the effectiveness of government policies. Kotarska debates the moral responsibility of cocaine users and suggests that legalisation may not be a simple solution. She also highlights the complex relationship between drug trade and violence, emphasizing the need for alternative approaches to drug control.