The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Charles Dickens wrote that Christmas is a time when Want is keenly felt, with that in mind we focus on three organisations helping people in need. Arthur Snell explains why he’s supporting the Ukrainian charity Smart Medical Aid and its CEO Iryna Rybinkina tells us about her work on the frontline. Ros Taylor hears from Honeypot’s Anthony Cummings and two of the young carers it’s helped. And Joe Bookbinder tells us how Christmas can be the loneliest time — and that the Samaritans are there to listen 24/7. “Honeypot gives you a chance to be free and stop worrying about things. I worry a lot.” - Holly “I left my children who are three and 10. My husband is a single father these days — I cannot bring them to Ukraine as it is not safe… As a mother I struggle with that thought every day. But there are children in Ukraine who do need help.” - Iryna Rybinkina, CEO of Smart Medical Aid “Don’t feel ashamed if you are struggling at Christmas.” - Joe Bookbinder, Samaritans All the advertising revenue from this episode will be donated to the charities featured.smartmedicalaid.org/honeypot.org.ukSamaritans.orgWritten and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer and audio editor: Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do veganism, Donald Trump and Brussels sprouts have in common? They’re all points of contention at Christmas time. But how do you deal with the terrible opinions of family and friends? Marie Le Conte is joined by Christmas elves Tom Peck and Seth Thévoz to discuss navigating conversations with Brexit-y uncles and Corbynista cousins. “Everyone talks to me about politics, and it's so boring.” –Tom Peck My dad is France’s last remaining Emmanuel Macron fan.” – Marie Le Conte “Communists to the left of me, Nazis to the right, here I am – the only liberal – stuck in the middle with you.” – Seth Thévoz Presented by Marie Le Conte with Tom Peck and Seth Thévoz. Producers: Jet Gerbertson and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leburn. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine, thousands signed up to support Ukrainian refugees and put them up in their own homes. Nearly a year on, is our government still doing enough to support those fleeing the war? Stan Beneš, a trustee of Opora, a charity which helps Ukrainians to settle in the UK, joins Ros Taylor to explore what we can do to help those displaced by the conflict in Ukraine. https://opora.uk/ “Instead of government support, it became the job of charities to match people.” “There is no one cohesive process of matching Ukrainian refugees with sponsors.”  “People were finding hosts on Facebook.” Support us on Patreonwww.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Ros Taylor. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The strikes are biting with more workforces walking out across the economy. Will the Government blink? Meanwhile, the worst Brexit goes the louder the Brexit Party AKA Reform UK rattles its cage. Do we need to steel ourselves for another year of Brexity self-sabotage? Plus, the Qatar aftermath, Sunak orders an audit of Britain’s support for Ukraine, and a mini-crystal ball look at 2023. Gavin Esler takes Alex Andreou through the week ahead.  “We just don’t spend enough on healthcare… You don’t see a winter health crisis in Germany.”  “It’s just like listening to the old Marxists: ‘If only we tried Brexit properly, it’d all be fine.”  “2022 has been a year of self-harm for Britain.”  Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Alex Andreou. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Producer: Jet Gebertson. Lead producer: 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

Treasury “orthodoxy” is the Tory punchbag – but it only acts the way it does because it’s already been colonised by free marketeers, says Aeron Davis, author of Bankruptcy, Bubbles and Bailouts: The Inside History of the Treasury since 1976. He tells Ahir Shah why Britain now has two Chancellors and no real Prime Minister; why our economic fate is determined by people who’ve never worked in a real business… and how deregulation ended up outsourcing the entire British economy to the City. “Rishi Sunak is our first investment banker PM. We’ve finally reached that peak.” “Every review of financial governance was filled with financiers – and what they did was serve the share price.” Written and presented by Ahir Shah. 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 Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In an age of social media soundbites, the art of public speaking is changing – especially for women. Viv Groskop, journalist and author of How To Own The Room, joins Ros Taylor to explore the speaking superpowers of women from Michelle Obama to Greta Thunberg, how to feel more confident when making speeches, why some women make their voices sound lower, and how new technologies are changing the way we speak. “Margaret Thatcher’s speeches were trapped in a gendered stereotype.” “We have a cacophony of voices now which is changing what power looks like.” “The debating culture style is losing out to social media soundbites.” Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producers: Jet Gerburtson, Alex Rees. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The interviews behind Nelson Mandela’s epic memoir The Long Walk To Freedom are out now as the podcast Mandela: The Lost Tapes. Here, South Africa’s first Black president explains himself in his own words – always inspiring, often funny too. Co-writer Richard Stengel, former Time editor and Obama Undersecretary of State, tells Alex Andreou of his affection for Mandela, how they came to collaborate on books and more, the charm of Mandela’s secretly oversized ego, and what it’s like to work with a giant of history. Hear Mandela: The Lost Tapes exclusively on Audible: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Mandela-The-Lost-Tapes-Podcast/B0BKMQ8GX8 “This took me back 30 years. I felt like I was back in the room with Mandela again.”  “Mandela was very good at flattery. And people who are good at it are susceptible to it…” “He was an incredibly charming, sunny man and the listener can now feel a little of that.” Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer Jet Gerburtson. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Boris Johnson’s endgame was a gripping spectacle of hubris, betrayal, power struggles and bare-faced self-interest. But what went down behind the scenes? Sebastian Payne lays out the drama in his new book The Fall of Boris Johnson: The Full Story. The former Financial Times’s Whitehall Editor tells Ros Taylor about the contradictions that drove Johnson’s career, the truth about his relationship with Zelenskyy… and how parties at No.10 helped bring down a man who doesn’t even like parties.  “Johnson is gone but his domestic policies still shape Westminster.”  “In Kyiv they can’t understand why we got rid of Johnson.” “Johnson never had the right people around him.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Alex Rees and Jet Gerbertson. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amazon’s cheap products and one-click purchasing has changed how we shop forever. But just how did the shopping behemoth alter shopper’s minds? From Black Friday to Cyber Monday and Christmas the opportunities to spend money on the internet are never ending. Consumer psychologist Dr Gareth Harvey joins Ahir Shah in the Bunker to tell us the ways Amazon influences our decision making. “You may not buy through Amazon, but their algorithms influence what’s ‘hot or not’. All of those things will influence your purchasing habits even though you’re never using it.”  “When we look at what people buy in a bricks and mortar store, 70% of people buy the leading product. When you’re buying it online, 70% of people go for the own brand. You don’t want to look cheap” “Social consciousness, awareness of ethical issues are really on the up, but when we look at sustainable products it doesn’t balance out.”  Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented by Ahir Shah. 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 Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Iron Curtain marked the Cold War divide in Europe. What is its legacy and how does this split remain today? Timothy Philips discusses his book The Curtain and the Wall: A Modern Journey Along Europe's Cold War Border with Ros Taylor. After travelling along the border, he explains what it represented and how it is remembered by those who lived along it.  “It was a border developed to stop people in the east from leaving. It got stronger because regimes in the east were frightened young people would flee if they could to the west.”  “People didn’t expect the societies they lived in to collapse so quickly… people were promised a lot of things that perhaps didn’t come true.” Support us on Patreon:www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Ros Taylor. Producers: Jelena Sofronijevic 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 Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices