The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Around 12,000 people in England and Wales volunteer as magistrates. That means they can sentence people to up to a year in prison. Yet they have barely any training and no legal qualifications. Penelope Gibbs, the director of Transform Justice, tells Ros Taylor about the problems with relying on a self-selecting, middle-class magistracy who may never have seen inside a jail. They talk about the difficulties in trying to hold remote hearings during the pandemic and how a cash-strapped system struggles to deliver justice. “The training for magistrates is woeful, and I and others have been saying that for years.” – Penelope Gibbs “There used to be really feisty magistrates who would speak out but gradually their independence has been ground down.” – Penelope Gibbs “It’s an incredibly closed and untransparent system.” – Penelope Gibbs “What happens in magistrates court is pretty hidden most of the time.” – Penelope Gibbs Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Jade Bailey. 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

Can Sadiq Khan really clean up London? From the Met to the air, the Mayor of London has a tough road ahead of him. He speaks to Andrew Harrison to discuss his new book: Breathe and plans to tackle the climate crisis, the controversial ULEZ expansion and how a boy from Tooting ends up a fan of Liverpool FC.  “We don’t want money from the ULEZ. We want people walking, cycling or using public transport.”  “As Mayor I chose to tackle climate issues, Boris Johnson chose to bury his head in the sand.” “Cressida Dick didn't have a credible plan to address issues in the MET. ” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast You can purchase Sadiq's book here:https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/452035/breathe-by-khan-sadiq/9781529152784 Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Recorded at Spiritland Studios. 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

Sherine Tadros reported from war zones across the world. She joins Alex Andreou to discuss her new book Taking Sides: a memoir about love, war, and changing the world. How has she managed to stay hopeful after so much tragedy? And how can her story of personal strength inspire us to keep going against the odds?  “It is our instinct to survive that makes our story less believable.” “When you show strength in the face of great difficulty people often don’t believe you.” “I’m not saying that tragedies don’t hurt but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast BOOK LINK:https://scribepublications.co.uk/books-authors/books/taking-sides-9781914484254Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio editor: Alex Rees. 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

Following politics is tough, especially if you want to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level. So how can you keep a cool head? Ros Taylor speaks to The Guardian’s Rafael Behr about his new book: Politics: A Survivor’s Guide: How to Stay Engaged without Getting Enraged. Raf opens up about his own journey and shares how we can find hope amidst the chaos.  “Remain rallies were very twee, maybe they should have been more French?” “Post Brexit politics is like trench warfare where politics is the Western Front and nothing is moving.”  “Lee Anderson, what is he afraid of? That he's not being respected enough?” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast BOOK LINK: https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/politics-a-survivors-guide/ Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio producer: 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

Suella Braverman has had a busy week with speeding ticket drama. Can the Home Secretary outrun another controversy or is this the end of the track? And with the Northern Irish council election in favour of Sinn Féin, is the future of Éire up for grabs? Plus we’ve got the results from the Greek elections, the latest from Ukraine and rumours of Boris Johnson’s continued downfall. Alex Andreou joins Andrew Harrison to map out the week ahead. “Suella Braverman is a world champ at getting sacked and coming back 5 minutes later.” – Andrew Harrison  “The Conservative dream of a whole nation playing golf when nobody collects the bins is impossible.” – Alex Andreou  “We might be looking at Sinn Féin in the north and south of Ireland, which is extraordinary.”– Alex Andreou  Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Alex Andreou. Producers: Kasia Tomasiewicz and Liam Tait. Audio producer: 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

The Freemasons are often blamed when things go wrong. But are they behind a global conspiracy or are they just a glorified men’s drinking club? Siân Pattenden is joined by historian John Dickie, author of The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World, to discover the truth behind this secretive fraternal group who have been blamed for everything – from corrupting the police to the global financial crash. “They have nothing to do with stonemasons but still use their symbols as moral metaphors.” “The secrets are extraordinarily mundane.” “It’s not the content of the secrets, it's the rituals and sense of togetherness that matter.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Siân Pattenden. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. 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

America has a gun problem, and not just inside its own borders. Thousands of guns cross into Mexico every year, fuelling an epidemic of violence between drug cartels. Ioan Grillo is the author of ‘Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels’. He’s spent time with gun manufacturers, speaking to FBI agents and at murder scenes to decipher just how deep the issue lies. He joined Seth Thevoz in the Bunker from Mexico City. “Suddenly there were no longer just gang members with shaved heads and tattoos; these were paramilitary organisations with AK47s.” — Ioan Grillo “The level of destruction has increased exponentially.” — Ioan Grillo “For the Mexican cartels the easiest source of guns is the US, there’s a huge supply there and they’re relatively cheap.” — Ioan Grillo “The bloodshed they unleash down here with these weapons, it’s unbelievable.” — Ioan Grillo www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Seth Thevoz. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Alex Rees. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s time to celebrate the birthplace of democracy with a Greek election! With more than 30 parties and coalitions vying for votes, the stage is set for political chaos. Isn’t democracy wonderful? Alex Andreou speaks to journalist and correspondent for ERT, Evdoxia Lymperi, to try and understand one of the year’s most unpredictable elections.  “This is a mute election, nobody is willing to speak to the pollsters.” “Greeks are not Germans. They have no tradition of coalition governments.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Liam Tait and Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. 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 overnight Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 shocked the world. But who is behind the hardline regime running the country? After 20 years of insurgency against the US-backed government in Kabul, how have they changed since they were last in power? Doomsday Watch host Arthur Snell is joined by Hassan Abbas, author of The Return of the Taliban Afghanistan after the Americans Left, to explore the factions vying for power and which international countries have their eyes on Afghanistan.  “The US were spending billions of dollars on a state-building project.” “The Taliban are not one ‘thing’ but many different factions.” “The Pakistani military has influence over the Old Guard in Afghanistan.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. 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

How do we stop terrorists before they act? Are our security services operating with expert proficiency or is it just luck? The answer is unfortunately a mix of both, but that’s no reason to despair. Hannah Fearn speaks to The Independent's home affairs editor Lizzie Dearden about her book, Plotters: The UK Terrorists Who Failed, to get an insight into British terror attacks that were stopped in their tracks. “The pool of people susceptible to terrorism grew during the lockdown.” “Security services were so focused on stopping people from joining Isis that more attacks happened in the UK.” “So many terrorists receive a mental health diagnosis at the point of criminal conviction.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Book Link:https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Homegrown/Jeffrey-Toobin/9781668013571Written and presented by Hannah Fearn. Producer: Liam Tait. 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