The Bunker – News without the nonsense

As the Government's handling of strikes gets worse, it tries another tack: make strikes and protests impossible in certain industries. Can the Tories pull it off? Plus, Westminster vs Holyrood on gender recognition, the Brexit beast rears its head again, and has Joe Biden’s cache of documents in his garage offered the Republicans an open goal? Alex Andreou sets out the week ahead with Jacob Jarvis.  “The Government’s problem is that they went into the strikes with no exit strategy.”  “The Government picked this fight with the unions to show off their economic competence – and it hasn’t worked out for them at all.” “Stopping a protest that hasn’t happened yet sounds a bit thought-crimey.” Written and presented by Alex Andreou and Jacob Jarvis. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Producer: Jet Gerbertson. Lead producer: Jacob Jarvis. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Finland is the happiest country on earth. What can we learn from this Nordic nation? How is its education, health care and housing systems different to ours? Ros Taylor speaks to Danny Dorling, professor of human geography at the University of Oxford and author of Finntopia: What We Can Learn from the World's Happiest Country, to work out what makes it such a well-functioning state. “Finland has ended up doing remarkably well, if you’re trying to show people what is possible and what is different, let’s look there.” “Government ministers in Finland resign upon immediately making the smallest of mistakes, they simply go, no questions asked.” “There aren’t good schools and bad schools, there are just good schools. Teachers have a lot of autonomy.” Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer Jet Gerbertson. Assistant producer Kasia Tomasiewicz. Lead producer Jacob Jarvis. Bunker music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The QAnon conspiracy theory has run rampant throughout America’s far-right. Why won’t it die? Could it ever disappear? Jacob Jarvis speaks to Mike Rothschild, author of The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything, to discuss the state of the cult-like belief structure, how it has evolved over time and what might replace it should it ever go away.  “Q is very good at taking the events of the day and reinterpreting them through the lens of the conspiracy.” “It’s really turned into a choose your own adventure version of conspiracy theories.” “Now that all of this stuff is so mainstream and all of these beliefs have infiltrated every part of politics from the national to the hyper local - it is millions and millions of people who believe in some aspect of QAnon.”  www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jet Gerbertson and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Alex Rees. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NHS is in a worse position than during the height of the Covid pandemic. What can the Government do to remedy its woes? From bed capacity to oxygen supply, to staff shortages, where does the solution begin? As NHS staff strike en masse, Roy Lilley, writer of the NHS Managers Network newsletter, and former vice-chair of West Surrey and North East Hampshire Health Authority joins Alex Andreou to find out.  “This was eminently settleable when it started. Now of course everyone has dug a great big hole for themselves.” “At the moment because we can’t get people home they’re on the wards, because we can’t get them off the wards they’re queuing up in A&E, because they’re in A&E ambulances are queuing up outside, and because the ambulances are queuing when you call up you can’t get an ambulance.” Presented by Alex Andreou. Producers: Jet Gerbertson and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Benjamin Netanyahu is back in power at the head of the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. By allying himself with religious extremists including the Jewish Power Party, has the great escape artist of Israeli politics put his country’s democracy in the hands of theocrats? What do the new far-right ministers want? And will Netanyahu protect the rights of Arab Israelis, women and LGBTQ+ citizens the way he claims he will? Anshel Pfeffer, writer for Haaretz and Israel correspondent for the Economist, tells Andrew Harrison about the meaning of a dark new phase in Israeli politics.  “The centrist and centre left parties refused to sit in a government with Netanyahu≥ Now he’s fully reliant on the far right and the ultra orthodox parties”. “The ultra orthodox are at most 20% of the population, but they’re the ones shoring up Netanyahu’s administration”. “Netayahu says he’s the one who is safeguarding the freedoms of the Israeli public, rather than them being protected by the Government and the law” Read Anshel Pfeffer in Haaretz: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-01-06/ty-article/.highlight/the-end-of-israeli-democracy-its-real-but-can-still-be-prevented/00000185-8265-d4ba-add5-aaf74d660000www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Jet Gerbertson. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Lead producer: Jacob Jarvis. Bunker music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Life in the UK Test is the ultimate barrier to becoming a British citizen. But is it working – and how could we change it? Since its launch in 2001 the test has been criticised for failing to achieve its goal of integration, and making it harder for people to become citizens. Thom Brooks, author of Reforming the UK’s Citizenship Test: Building Bridges, Not Barriers, joins Yasmeen Serhan in the Bunker to ask: is it time for a new approach? “It’s not so much about building bridges, it’s about creating barriers on the arbitrary basis of a memory test.” “Other countries do not require a knowledge test like this to be a resident of a country.” “Americans and Australians - mostly native English speakers - have a pass rate of 97%. When it comes to Turkey, Iraq you see pass rates of less than 50%. There’s a big difference in different nationalities.” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Yasmeen Serhan. Producer: Jet Gerbertson. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Lead producer: Jacob Jarvis. Bunker music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Levelling Up was a key policy after the Conservatives swept the Red Wall in 2019. Three years later and Tory chaos has the policy to bring greater equity between the North and the South floundering by the roadside. Rob Parsons, editor of The Northern Agenda joins Jacob Jarvis to find out if there’s still reason to be optimistic.  “Restoring pride to people’s places is definitely a good thing to do. Whether it will address these massive inequalities in skills and jobs and transport, is a different thing.” “A lot of people spent a lot of time and money bidding for this money, and they didn’t get it. There were places in the North where their bid was unsuccessful but the neighbouring town did. That did create bitterness, and it did create cynicism towards the criteria.” “There needs to be more to the conversation not just about giving pots of money, but power to raise their own money.” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Jet Gerbertson. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Lead producer: Jacob Jarvis. Bunker music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Artwork by James Parrett. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Sunak squirms under questioning, will anti-union legislation save his bacon? Plus, Brazil’s far-right storms the country’s congress – what can we expect next? And we discuss the latest from the US, plus as the family feud of the century as Prince Harry causes a royal furore. Hannah Fearn, columnist and reporter for The I and Independent, joins Andrew Harrison to discuss the week ahead.  “If Sunak continues a hardline stance on these strikes, he creates an atmosphere where a general strike is a possibility.”  “The length of time everything’s taken has made Sunak’s position more difficult, splintered the party and hurt the country.” “Angry supporters of Bolsonaro are seeing a playbook in the US they are wanting to try and emulate.”  Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Hannah Fearn. Producers: Jet Gerbertson and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comparisons to the Winter of Discontent are everywhere. But are these accurate, or even helpful? With an autumn and winter of strikes, high levels of inflation and maxed out energy prices it’s an easy reference to make, but is it lazy? Colin Hay, professor of political sciences at Sciences Po in Paris, joins Andrew Harrison to discuss.  “It’s not really the story of a coordinated campaign by union leaders. It was the rank and file rejecting the advice of the union leaders and withdrawing their labour.” I’ve been asked throughout my career if THIS is a return to the Winter of Discontent. This is the first time I haven’t just blanketly said ‘no.’” “Labour has had the ghost of the Winter of Discontent dancing over its corpse in the intervening time.” “It’s quite impressive how much industrial and public sector disruption is currently in place at the moment when you consider how difficult it is to get a legal strike organised.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer Jet Gerbertson. Assistant producer Kasia Tomasiewicz. Lead producer Jacob Jarvis. Bunker music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Republican Party is in a state of turmoil with Kevin McCarthy’s Speaker stalemate having sparked scenes not witnessed for a century. What is going on, where can it go next, and what does this mean for the GOP? Jacob Jarvis speaks to Julie Normal, co-director of UCL’s Centre on US Politics to discuss the chaos in the Capitol and what 2023 holds for American politics. Oh, and Donald Trump, unfortunately…  “For some it’s key policy differences, for some it’s personal differences - not liking Kevin McCarthy. For some it’s just a power play.” “Whichever way it goes it’s definitely not the way you want your party starting out their term in office, especially in the run up to an election. “The ironic thing with Trump is that a conviction or an indictment… would in some ways galvanise him even more. He loves to portray himself as a victim of the Deep State.” “Some Democrats were literally bringing popcorn to the House this week. Biden has basically said. ‘This is embarrassing, but it’s not my problem.’” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jet Gerbertson and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music and Audio production: Jade Bailey. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Artwork by James Parrett. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters ProductionInstagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices