The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Listen back to an edition from our archives with The Bunker Gold. This week we’ve chosen an episode from April, 2020. It’s the end of the world as we know it and… some people are quite into that, it seems. Why are so many people so keen on the end of everything? What do doomsday preppers, alt.right catastrophists and billionaire plutocrat antidemocrats like Peter Thiel have in common? And is the communal response to COVID proving their worst ambitions wrong? We talk to Mark O’Connell – author of book Notes From An Apocalypse: A Personal Journey to the End of the World and Back – about the dark fantasy of the End Times. https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Electric cars have been sold as an answer to green, clean travel. But is the reality that clear-cut? Henry Sanderson, author of Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green, joins Ahir Shah to discuss whether they’re really a climate-friendly solution, resource mining and de-coupling energy reliance from China. “A lot of green products mask dirty supply chains.” – Henry Sanderson “China is present at all stages of the supply chains: from mine to processing.” – Henry Sanderson “With mining resources - nothing comes for free.” – Henry Sanderson “The DRC is the Saudi Arabia of cobalt – they know they have one chance to get this right.” – Henry Sanderson https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Ahir Shah. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. 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

After replacing Angela Merkel at the end of last year, how is German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s tenure going? Alex Andreou discusses the problems he faces with German author and journalist Annette Dittert.  “Scholz has come to power by imitating Merkel, by promising no surprises.”  “Scholz doesn’t seem to be able to make decisions when they need to be done.”  “He is coming from this old school, appeasement policy towards Russia.”  “People are still missing Merkel, Scholz cannot pull the EU together the way she could.” “In such a time of crisis, there is just not room for populism.”  https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Alex Andreou. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Alex Rees. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All work and no play makes… the basis of Truss’s Thatcherite utopia. We unpack the likely PM-to-be’s “graft” remarks. Plus, six months since the invasion of Ukraine, how is the conflict shaping up? And, with the end of the £10 flight inbound, award-winning transport journalist John Walton joins us to discuss the future of the aviation industry. “On Brexit, Truss will always be the great political half-and-half scarf.” – Tom Peck “It doesn’t really matter what Truss believes in, because the main thing she believes in is herself.” – Tom Peck “The dystopian leadership contest nightmare has been so bad that voters might even remember it in two years!” – Tom Peck https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Justin Quirk with Arthur Snell, Marie Le Conte and Tom Peck. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic . Assistant producer Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by 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

How will Russia react after the car bomb killing of a key Putin ally’s daughter? Is Ukraine set for intensified attacks, despite denying involvement? Plus, sewage spewed across beaches dirties the Government’s record further as the Tory leadership contest dribbles on. Is it too late for them to clean up their act and the country – even slightly? Gavin Esler lays out the week ahead with Andrew Harrison. "Just because you don't want to sound like Russian state media, doesn't mean there aren't conspiracies involved."  "You could do a decline of man cartoon from David Cameron to Boris Johnson."  "It's Armando Iannucci I feel sorry for. How do you satirise this lot?" “The Conservatives seem to be keen on finding someone they think is even worse than Boris Johnson.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Gavin Esler. Producers: Jacob Archbold, 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

Apparently, all you need is love – but why? What makes it fundamental to our survival, and why doesn’t heartbreak put us off it? Jacob Jarvis speaks to Dr. Anna Machin, an evolutionary anthropologist and author of Why We Love: The New Science Behind Our Closest Relationships.  “The reason we crave love is that it fulfils a fundamental survival need which is to meet other people.”  “Humans are the most cooperative species on the planet. That’s the basis of love.”  “To love at the cost of somebody else, while damaging for them, doesn’t harm you.”  “In the first weeks of a relationship, your brain can’t notice a bad partner. Love is blind.” “There has to be an unpredictable nature to keep us on our toes.”  https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Alex Rees. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your pop culture update: We are joined by the rhyme-nocerous himself, one half of Flight of the Conchords, Bret McKenzie! New Zealand’s finest joins us to talk about making music with the Muppets and the Simpsons, and his debut solo album 'Songs Without Jokes'. Justin Quirk joins to chew on Hot Chip’s new album, FREAKOUT/RELEASE and Bolton’s answer to Black Mirror, Red Rose, out now on BBC Three.   “I like the juxtaposition between sweet melodies, and saying the world is screwed.” - Bret McKenzie “Winning the Academy Award was the one night that Hollywood felt glamorous and not depressing.” - Bret McKenzie “FOTC was a student film production that just ended up on HBO.” - Bret McKenzie “The Simpsons is almost the fabric of television.” - Bret McKenzie “There’s always something about Hot Chip that feels a bit like an academic exercise to me.” – Justin Quirk “Red Rose captured the duality between our lives online and our lives offline.” - Bret McKenzie Hear all the music on our rolling playlists.Spotify: https://bit.ly/CultBunkTidal: https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/77075591-255c-47eb-9062-815c4dd469efPresented and produced by Jelena Sofronijevic and Siân Pattenden. Audio production by Alex Rees. Theme music: ‘Bunker Theme (Juntos Mix)’ by Kenny Dickinson. Co-produced by Jelena Sofronijevic. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. The Culture Bunker is a Podmasters production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week’s Bunker Gold, listen back to Arthur Snell’s discussion with one of his contacts in Afghanistan in the aftermath of Kabul’s fall in August 2021. Originally released a year ago today, the pair discussed what the situation was like after the Taliban’s astonishingly swift takeover–while the person, who we chose not to identify, was in hiding.  https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast  “Kabul has been left without anything.” “Everything is closed down. You would think it is the Stone Age in Kabul. You wouldn't have seen this a week ago.”  “This was a win-win for Russia.” “The Taliban have made fake promises to the international community. Of course they have not changed.” Presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Greensill Capital collapsed it brought down a multi-billion dollar empire and exposed David Cameron's greed. Alex Andreou talks to financial journalist Duncan Mavin about the failed project, which is covered in his new book The Pyramid of Lies. Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a Bunker t-shirt: https://bit.ly/3zFSySB “Lex Greensill was very good at understanding what motivated politicians.” “Greensill Capital was trying to be disruptive.” “David Cameron brought huge credibility to Greensill Capital.”  https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Jacob Archbold. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by 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

As tensions between ethnic Serbs and Albanians rise in Kosovo – how will this situation develop? With fears over an escalating conflict in the Balkans, journalist Una Hajdari joins Jelena Sofronijevic to discuss the latest. "Poisonous nationalist rhetoric is being spread by political leaders in Serbia, Croatia, and Kosovo." "Putin is Serbia's ally, but he's accidentally advocating for Kosovo." "Comparing past events to ethnic cleansing now leads to deadly incidents." “Rhetoric can lead to isolated but deadly incidents.” “Any time you hear a leader talking about expanding a country’s territory outside of its borders, you know that’s bad news.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Jelena Sofronijevic. Producer: Jacob Archbold. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by 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