The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Antisocial behaviour is constantly put under the spotlight by politicians. But what really causes it? Nick Pettigrew, author of Anti-Social, talks to Ros Taylor about what pushes it, how politicians try to shift responsibility for them onto individuals – and why shaming punishments don’t work. “Young people are as likely to be victims of antisocial behaviour as they are the causes of it.” “The safety net is more important than enforcement, someone with an investment in where you live is less likely to offend.” “Cleaning off graffiti in orange jumpsuits only isolates offenders further — it’s the modern stocks.” “If you deal with entrenched poverty antisocial behaviour will disappear overnight.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producers and audio editors: Robin Leeburn and 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

Police came out in force for the Coronation. Can the Met ride out accusations of heavy handedness? And the Tories are still reeling from their local elections trouncing, how worried should they be? Plus, there's news from the US, Ukraine and the Home Office’s handling of refugees from Sudan. Hannah Fearn joins Jacob Jarvis to map out the news for the week ahead.  “Labour most feared Penny Mordaunt, and the coronation proves she is one to watch.” – Hannah Fearn “Labour can’t rest on their laurels, council elections show general mood rather than voting intention.” – Hannah Fearn “The Bring Back Boris thing could have troubled Sunak for longer if not for the coronation shifting focus.” – Hannah Fearn www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Jacob Jarvis with Hannah Fearn. Produced by Kasia Tomasiewicz with Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

King Charles III has just been crowned. What kind of king has he become? How has he handled the rift with Harry, and the Andrew problem? And has he managed to control his quick temper? Former Guardian royal correspondent Stephen Bates tells Ros Taylor that predictions Charles would ‘meddle’ in politics have been wide of the mark. They talk about whether the royal family will shrink further in the coming years, and if its remaining working members are now content to be dutiful but unexciting.QUOTES‘The one thing that kills off the institution is the loss of a sense of public spirit and duty. You can get away an awful lot with an awful lot if you’re conscientious, reliable and smile for the cameras. Catherine and William have discovered that.’‘The British monarchy has a different place in the constitution than the Scandinavian monarchies do, and that’s perhaps one reason why they’re slower to adapt.’‘I doubt very much Charles would use a biro. He’s more of a fountain pen man.’www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer and 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

Many anticipated a subdued Victory Day – and that was before the Kremlin claimed Ukraine attempted to assassinate Vladimir Putin. With this leading to even more cities scaling back their festivities, Arthur Snell asks Professor Stefan Wolff what exactly does Russia have to celebrate in 2023?  “Putin is trying to link Ukraine to a larger narrative that Russia is always being on the right side of history.” “The drone incident may be a way to downscale the victory day events.” “This is a narrative you can feed to a population deprived of a balance feed of news”  www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Liam Tait. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marjorie Taylor Greene is one of the most controversial and extreme figures in US politics. Why is she the way she is? She’s a GOP member of Congress for Georgia’s 14th District, a role steeped in responsibility. And someone really should tell MTG that. She often spouts unproven conspiracy theories; has called President Biden the real enemy of the state and most recently backed Tucker Carlson after he was given the boot by FOX. Jay Bookman is a columnist for the Georgia Recorder – and he thinks she’s an idiot. He told Jacob Jarvis why. “She’s, if arrogance went on a blind date with stupidity, Marjorie Taylor Greene would be the result of that pairing.” - Jay Bookman  “Speaker McCarthy has said that he would be with her no matter what happens and that's a boundary that she’s willing to test.” - Jay Bookman “There’s a long long string of amazingly irresponsible statements and rhetorics by Marjorie.” Jay Bookman “She’s looking for attention and she’ll say and do whatever it takes to get that attention.” Jay Bookman “I don’t think she has an agenda other than her own celebrity, her own power.” - Jay Bookman www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis Producer: Chris Jones. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alastair Campbell has a plan to fix the crisis in our politics. Andrew Harrison talks to one of politics’ most controversial figures about where our democracies are going wrong, the poison of populism, the long shadow of Iraq, why Boris Johnson was so dangerous, and his new book But What Can I Do? Why Politics Has Gone So Wrong And How Can You Help Fix It.  “In my lifetime, most politicians have genuinely been trying to wrestle with problems. Populists try to exploit those problems.”  “You can’t be a leader without some moral compass. Johnson was chaotic, he didn’t manage people, he didn’t really care. He is not a serious person.”  “I was aggressive at times and I wanted the media to understand that if they stepped over a line, I was going to call them out.” “There are some people that will never accept what I say is true.”  www.patreon.com/bunkercastBOOK LINK: https://linktr.ee/alastaircampbellbook Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Simon Williams. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everyone predicted it would fall apart immediately, but it didn’t. Six months later, Twitter seems to be chugging along but how long can it last? Kasia Tomasiewicz speaks with head of digital at iNews, Luke Bailey, to discuss Elon’s grand plan for the bird app.  “Musk is asking people to pay to see poor quality tweets and have people yell at them.”  “He’s pulled everything apart to find out just why Twitter made the decision in the first place.” “The twitter files exposed that there was a left wing bias but they were trying really hard to keep the platform balanced.” www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Kasia Tomasiewicz. Produced by Liam Tait. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GB News positions itself as a noble endeavour to widen the voices in Britain’s national debate. Which is fantastic in theory, but over the last two years the output of the channel has proved ungovernable. Alex Andreou sits down with broadcaster, and future national treasure, Dr. Matthew Sweet to ask the question, how do you control a news channel that’s like no other? “If you are part of the conspiracist culture - then you understand the coded language they use on GB News”  “If you go on GB news you’re endorsing them. I don’t want to sit with them and make them equals.” “Why doesn’t GB news have a science editor? Because nobody with the qualifications would do the job!” www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Liam Tait. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Local elections (for local people) are coming up this week. What would mark a good night for Starmer? And what will a bad one mean for Sunak, amid the cost of living crisis and strikes? Plus, as the coronation brings the role of the royals into the spotlight, we get ready to pledge allegiance… And war in Sudan and Ukraine rumbles on – what is the latest from these conflicts? Gavin Esler joins Alex Andreou to explore the news to look out for. “We have got the talent in this country to do things – but we tend not to have that talent in Government.” – Gavin Esler  “Most of us take local elections for granted.” – Gavin Esler “Cost of living might have become greedflation: costs falling and companies profiteering.” – Alex Andreou  “It seems like in Britain we are living in the pageantry of the past.” – Gavin Esler www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Alex Andreou and Gavin Esler. Produced by Jacob Jarvis and Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ukraine War is reshaping the world. Arthur Snell writes the first draft of its history. In this excerpt from Ep.1 of our new series: How Russia’s febrile history, Putin’s paranoid resentment and Western complacency led to an historic crime against a peaceful nation, the largest European land action since the Second World War… and a conflict of unprecedented brutality.Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War is out now. Hear it wherever you listen to podcasts.Get every edition a week early and ad-free when you support the show on Patreon.Photo by Paul Conroy.Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices