The Bunker – News without the nonsense

With Covid cases on the rise in Britain, how worried should we be about its resurgence? Tom Chivers, science writer for the i, joins Ros Taylor to discuss the latest uptick in coronavirus cases, what we know about the new variants and the role Covid could play in our lives in the years ahead. “Vaccines are significant when protecting against severe disease, but not reinfection.” “The virus doesn’t have to change very much to avoid your antibody immunity.” “We’ll still get the virus periodically, but our body will become better at fighting it off.” “We’ve only had two winters of covid so far, by 2030 it may well become part of the normal cycle.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented by Ros Taylor. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. 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

As Truss and Sunak set out their economic plans, we discuss the viability of ‘Trussonomics’ and ‘Hedge Fund socialism’. Plus, what will the next Prime Minister mean for Britain’s standing on the world stage? And ten years after the London 2012 opening ceremony, our panellists look back on the last time the UK felt like a place to be proud of. “Every time they talk about tax cuts, that’s less money for public services.” - Miatta Fahnbulleh “Sunak talks a more credible game, whereas Liz is away with the fairies.” - Miatta Fahnbulleh “Tory politicians don’t care what they do with power, they just want to get their hands on it.” - Tom Peck “The only hope for the country now is Tory defeat in two years time.” - Tom Peck “I can imagine the international reaction to Sunak and Truss is ‘who?’.” - Arthur Snell “The opening ceremony projected Britain at its best. We’ve now fallen so foul of that.” - Miatta Fahnbulleh https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastProduced and presented by Andrew Harrison with Arthur Snell, Miatta Fahnbulleh and Tom Peck. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Tory leadership contest rumbles on as Sunak and Truss go head-to-head on TV. Who is destined to win out, and who is on the ropes? Plus, transport logjams at Dover and Folkestone look likely to repeat over the summer, a tentative deal to release Ukrainian grain is reached, and Monkeypox vaccines are rolled out across the UK. Justin Quirk and Alex Andreou set out the days ahead.Support us on Patreon for early ad-free editions, merch and more: www.patreon.com/bunkercast “Tory members are risk-averse after the Johnson period of chaos, so my sense is they’ll go for Sunak.” – Alex Andreou “The whole Government has checked out… They all know their jobs won’t last past 5th September and none of them care any more.” – Alex Andreou “If you're planning on travelling, take a large lunch and a bottle to urinate into.” – Justin Quirk “Everyone’s assessing the consequences of sanctions for Europe. Nobody’s assessing them for Russia – which are penury.” – Alex Andreou Presented by Justin Quirk and Alex Andreou. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic 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

What are young people talking about these days? And what do the unusual words they say mean? In a bid to understand Gen Z, Jacob Jarvis speaks with Olive Pometsey and Jade Wickes of The Face magazine to decipher the latest slang, and to ask how it comes about and why it’s so popular. “What sets us apart is that we’re the first generation to grow up with smartphones.” – Jade Wickes “Nothing is that serious, it’s all just self-deprecating humour.” – Jade Wickes “At its core slang is just like a shorthand and it takes on a life of its own.” – Jade Wickes “Everyone's blending together and that’s a very Gen Z thing, you want to be a bit of everything.” – Olive Pometsey “The Gen Z humour is very ironic and dry and self-referential which is reflected in the slang.” – Olive Pometsey Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Assistant Producer: Elina Ganatra. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Jade Bailey. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paper Cuts: How I Destroyed the British Music Press and Nige Tassell’s surprisingly warmhearted indie odyssey Whatever Happened To The C86 Kids? Plus we bathe in the glow of euphoric 90s comedown music with ‘Fell From The Sun: Downtempo And After Hours 1990-91’.  Hear all the music on our rolling playlists.Spotify: https://bit.ly/CultBunkTidal: https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/1aea7525-7891-4a88-8474-a08c45ea064bPresented and produced by Andrew Harrison 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

Listen back to an edition from our archives with The Bunker Gold. This week, after Britain recorded its highest temperatures on record, we’ve chosen Will We Be OK? Facing the Climate Emergency, first released in September 2020…Could there be cause for optimism on climate change? Do individuals have power over our planet’s future? Paul Behrens, author of The Best Of Times The Worst Of Times, tells Ros Taylor about the best and worst climate scenarios, why women’s rights are the key to a manageable future, meat, flying, renewables… and how to avoid falling into impotent despair about tomorrow.  “We might have been able to save ourselves with minor changes once. Now we need a complete overhaul in the way we live our lives.” “The carrying capacity of a planet of carnivores is very different from a planet of vegetarians.” “There’s a clear path from eco-anxiety to hope, through action.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented by Ros Taylor. 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

As Nicola Sturgeon’s fight for indyref2 continues, will she get the vote she wants or is she running out of road? What will Boris Johnson’s departure mean for Scotland’s First Minister? Gavin Esler unpacks these issues with journalist Iain Macwhirter, author of Disunited Kingdom: How Westminster Won a Referendum But Lost Scotland.   “Nicola Sturgeon has real problems in the party.” “Sturgeon is going to turn the next election into a de-facto referendum.” “Boris Johnson is the one Englishman you are allowed to hate, he’s extremely unpopular in Scotland - but of course he is gone now, and this poses a problem for the SNP.” “Boris Johnson has been the SNP’s greatest recruiting sergeant.” “Sturgeon is using this theatre of the courts to create more controversy in the run up to the next general election.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented by Gavin Esler. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic, Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Jade Bailey. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Uber has transformed how we travel around cities – what do newly leaked documents tell us about its meteoric rise? The explosive ‘Uber Files’ give an insight into the tactics the taxi giant used to become a household name. Justin Quirk unpacks what these reveal with lecturer Dr. Jimena Valdez, who is working on the project Über-State: The Political Economy of Platform Capitalism.  “The three most striking things are: the utter disregard for the law, the connections to political power, and the very little value they attach to drivers - that they call them ‘supply’.” "Suddenly, we feel like we can't live without our Ubers."  "Uber has become this tag for everything that is wrong, but it's tech companies more widely."  "Politicians and consumers thought that Uber was so cool, that it should be treated differently."  “This is part of the servant economy.”  https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented by Justin Quirk. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic, Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Jade Bailey. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a heat-defying lo-fi edition, we discuss the latest blue-on-blue clashes as the race to replace Johnson comes to a head. Did a least-worst candidate emerge? We talk to guest Jamie Susskind, author of The Digital Republic: On Freedom and Democracy in the 21st Century about how to regulate the internet. And did those cosmic images from the Webb Telescope make us feel tiny and insignificant… or pretty damn important? “The debates gave me a sinking feeling of despair… It’s just a bunch of angry people talking over each other” – Jamie Susskind  “The country’s entering a time of great crisis and the one thing we’re going to need is a Prime Minister with a grip.” – Jamie Susskind  “We don’t count or matter in the Conservative Party leadership elections.” – Gavin Esler “It’s not a tenable position to be against net zero. Human-induced climate change is impossible to ignore.” – Yasmeen Serhan Presented by Ros Taylor with Gavin Esler and Yasmeen Serhan. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The heat is on in the Tory leadership contest. Two finalists are expected this week but could we even have a new PM by Friday? Plus, we look at what will happen in Parliament in the last days before recess. And, we brace for what could be the hottest day on record in Britain. Alex Andreou joins Andrew Harrison to chart the days ahead.  "The more I see the more depressing it gets.” – Alex Andreou  “I suspect Johnson will find a way to get out of his last PMQs.” – Alex Andreou  “It says a lot about Johnson’s fall from grace that nobody wants to be associated with him.” – Alex Andreou  “The momentum is now with Sunak, ironically the least ‘fresh start’ candidate available.” – Alex Andreou  “There’s a Tory hustings at 2pm in an unventilated room. Good luck with that.” – Alex Andreou  www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Alex Andreou. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic 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