The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Public trust in the Met Police is at a nadir – with a raft of scandals and crimes involving serving officers having shook faith in the force. What’s gone wrong and can it ever win back the confidence of those it is meant to serve? Ros Taylor spoke to Kathryn Farrow, a doctoral student at Oxford University, who has studied the way British police forces work, to find out. “Officers do need to have a certain amount of discretion but the flip side of that is there’s often a lack of accountability.” “Especially in frontline policing, it’s not rare for officers to be off with stress.”  “I'm not sure to what point they will be able to recover that trust, they will have to show that they’ve changed.”  www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Chris Jones. 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

The NHS reels from crisis to crisis, with a waiting list of seven million and chronic workforce shortages. Why is it so hard to change a service that clearly isn’t working? David Haslam, a former GP who has chaired NICE and the BMA and is the author of Side Effects, tells Ros Taylor that a focus on hospital treatment means that public health and end-of-life care are shamefully neglected.  “It’s almost as if we’ve designed the health service based on the interests of specialists.’ “If you stay with the same GP over many years you have fewer hospital admissions, reduced out of hours care and a lower rate of early death. If that was a drug, we’d have invested in it massively.” “I find it completely extraordinary that hospices are generally funded as charities. We’d be up in arms if our maternity units were only funded by charity shops.” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer and audio editor: Jade Bailey. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. 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

The Kremlin has convinced many of Russia’s young people that its invasion of Ukraine is just. In fact, about 62 percent of Russians between the ages of 18 and 24 have shown approval, according to the Levada Center. But how has Putin curated this young generation of fascists? Dr Ian Garner, author of Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia's Fascist Youth, speaks to Arthur Snell to dig into exactly that.  “What you’re going to find is that you have a generation of children that believe violence is normal.” “These are teenagers, like what you may know at home, who are just teeangers who want to fit in.”  “What the state does is punt out certain materials into the social media world and then just lets people run with them.”  www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Producer: Chris Jones. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dominic Raab finally resigned (definitely all his own choice) – what does it mean next for Sunak’s clown car Government? In Labour, Diane Abbott has had the whip removed – will she stand as an independent? Plus we bring international news from Sudan and Ukraine. Jacob Jarvis is joined by Arthur Snell to give you the stories to look out for this week. “Johnson didn’t believe in any standards, whereas you could argue Sunak has a miniscule level.” “The Tories are quickly resembling a clown car.” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Jacob Jarvis with Arthur Snell. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Luke Turner, author of "Men at War: Loving, Lusting, Fighting, Remembering 1939-1945," joins Kasia Tomasiewicz to discuss the sexual revolution during WWII. They explore the overlooked experiences of queer men and the importance of understanding the complexities of love and sexuality during wartime. They also touch on the repression of sexuality in Britain and the need to embrace historical figures in their depth and complexity.

Lobbying is a key way in which politicians and pieces of legislation are influenced in the United States. But who exactly are these mysterious figures trying to manipulate people in power? How do they work – and what do they want? Jacob Jarvis joined by Amy McKay, associate professor of political science at the University of Exeter, whose work focuses on the influence of outside interests on public policy.www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented and produced by Jacob Jarvis. Music by Jade Bailey. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BONUS EPISODE KLAXON: Fox News paid out almost $1 billion dollars to Dominion – but despite that, did Murdoch dodge a bullet? Or is the financial blow, sparked by the networks voting machine misinformation, a catastrophe? Jacob Jarvis was joined by Dan Cassino, political scientist and author of Fox News and American Politics How One Channel Shapes American Politics and Society, to unpack what this payout means for Fox News.  “This really is an admission that they knew what they were doing was false but they thought that they had to or they’d lose their audience.”  “The question is are they going to change their behaviour over this – and I think the answer is absolutely not.” “It seems very unlikely that anyone will lose their jobs over this, the reason is Fox News isn’t acknowledging this at all.” “I’d say you could replace someone like Tucker Carlson with Gonzo the Muppet and still get the same audience.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis Producer: Chris Jones. 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

Saudi Arabia is experiencing a once in a lifetime moment of transformation, funded by their control over the world's oil supply. The nation is taking risks on a global scale like never before – and the ‘maverick’ prince Mohammed bin Salman, stands at the forefront of this change of strategy. Arthur Snell sits down with Bradley Hope, co-author of Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power to try and understand the ruler of Saudi Arabia.  “He went from completely unknown with no power or authority to the ruler of Saudiu Arabia through some cavalier and cunning activity.” “Business people of the world who had a moral objection to MBS are now back in the country cap in hand asking for investment.” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast BOOK LINKhttps://www.johnmurraypress.co.uk/titles/bradley-hope-2/blood-and-oil/9781529347890/Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Liam Tait. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. 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

The Net Zero Scrutiny Group shares ties with the likes of the late Nigel Lawson and his network of “climate deniers”. They like fracking and have tried to link the cost-of-living crisis to the government’s net zero goals. But exactly who are they? What do they stand for? And who funds them? Andrew Harrison is joined by Sam Alvis, head of economy at The Green Alliance, to unpack exactly that. “They are no longer denying that climate change is a thing, but what they are saying is that actually the cost of it is much more of an issue.” “Often with these groups, and particularly with the net zero group, it's easier to understand what they don't like; the one thing we know they do like is fracking.” “It’s murky, we don’t really know where the money comes from to support the Net Zero Scrutiny Group.” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Chris Jones. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production,Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Investment zones have been hailed by some politicians as the solution to our economic woes. But what are the risks of economic gated communities? By existing outside of the usual rules of the state, do they undermine democracy? Alex Andreou is joined by historian Quinn Slobodian, author of Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World Without Democracy, to unpack why these zones are increasingly appearing across the globe and why politicians like Kwasi Kwarteng are so keen to back them.  “London has come to see the presence of the super-wealthy as a sign of urban health.” “Thatcher’s biggest legacy wasn’t creating democratic free markets, but creating sites for wealth hoarding for non-democratic forms of capitalism.”  Book Link:https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/316685/crack-up-capitalism-by-slobodian-quinn/9780241460245https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Alex Andreou. Audio production by Alex Rees. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices