The Bunker – News without the nonsense

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

Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside. Don’t we? Places like Blackpool, Jaywick and Skegness are among the poorest areas of the UK. Yet other resorts are so desirable that property-owners can afford to keep them empty for most of the year and rake in the profit from renting them out in summer. Madeleine Bunting, author of The Seaside: England’s Love Affair, tells Ros Taylor about her odyssey around the English coast, the threat posed by sewage discharges, and the special affection she holds for Brighton — a town where anything can seem possible. “There are still huge reserves of affection for seaside towns.” “People flock to seaside towns because they think that is where they can start again.” “There’s a hedonism to the seaside. It has always been about indulging fantasy.’ “The Essex coastline is fascinating, and often gets overlooked.” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Producer and audio editor: Jade Bailey. 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

Labour’s attack ads against Sunak put targeted political advertising back in the spotlight. But the Tories have done more than their fair share of online attack ads too – not least to win over the public to *cough* Brexit. Have they gone too far? And how do we moderate what goes online? Alex Andreou talks to Kyle Taylor, founder of Fair Vote UK and author of The Little Black Book of Data and Democracy. “When social media emerged we thought it would be this public town square. The reason it’s been so successful is because it’s the exact opposite.” - Kyle Taylor “The thing about political ads is you do want more people to vote for you, but you only want to tell each box what they want to hear.” - Kyle Taylor “Taking things for granted in the digital age is a fool's errand.” - Kyle Taylor. Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou Producer: 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

It’s been a bit of a week over in the US. First, after Fox News paid out almost $1 billion to Dominion, Tucker Carlson left the network. After that Biden announced he’d be running for president again, albeit slowly. And then if that wasn’t enough, Carlson released a pretty profound statement about his departure on Twitter. Hoping to unpack it all is Julie Norman, co-director of UCL’s Centre on US Politics. She joined Jacob Jarvis in the Bunker. “Tucker Carlson has been controversial for a while but through all of that his viewings were super high, the highest in cable news.” “One person that would maybe challenge Trump would be Tucker Carlson.” “Biden knows he’s going to get hit from the right as a big spender.” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis Producer: Chris Jones. Music and Audio production: Jade Bailey. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

China’s relationship with Europe is…difficult. But some leaders, like Emmanuel Macron, see China as a conduit for peace in Ukraine. But can Europe really trust China to negotiate with Russia? Philippe Le Corre, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, sat down with Alex Andreou to discuss just that.  “The current situation, which is close to a cold war you might say, will not bring China closer to the West.”  “Whenever you talk to Chinese officials they will tell you that China is growing; you better get used to it.”  “It’s unacceptable for China to say this is not our war, we have nothing to do with this.”  Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producers: Liam Tait and Chris Jones. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. 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