The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive

The worse Russia’s invasion of Ukraine goes, the more Putin doubles down. Is he truly unhinged? And could his citizens turn on him? Marc Berenson, senior lecturer at the Russia Institute at King’s College London and the author of Taxes and Trust: From Coercion to Compliance in Poland, Russia and Ukraine, talks to Justin Quirk about Putin’s changing worldview, why the President sees Eastern Europe as a “massive DMZ”, and if the Russian people really support his regime. 

• “The truth is that Putin is rational – but with completely different preferences to ours in the West.” 
• “The best outcome for Putin from this war would be him going to jail.”
• “The West needs to help Russia. If we don’t, we’ll pay for it in the long run.”

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Written and presented by Justin Quirk. 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. 

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Could nuclear power be the answer to our doomed energy sector? It remains controversial – but why? Ahir Shah talks to Francis Livens, professor of radiochemistry at the University of Manchester and academic director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute about how nuclear works, how the sector has changed, and how hitting net zero carbon by 2050 might be impossible without it. 

• “Without nuclear energy, hitting net zero will be impossible.”
• “Patronising scientists haven’t created a dialogue with the public about nuclear energy.”
• “Thinking about old nuclear factories is like comparing cars from today with those from the 1970s.”

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Written and presented by Ahir Shah. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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The Home Secretary plays fast and loose with her email security. The former PM’s phone is so compromised that it’s been locked in a secure location. Interest rates are about to go up and the Chancellor is about to tax everything. But hey, at least Bolsonaro lost in Brazil! Yasmeen Serhan fills Ros Taylor in on the events of the coming week.

• “Twitter was already a hellscape but it looks like it’s going to become an even worse one.”
• “You have to ask, why are ministers using private phones to conduct government business?”
• “The silence you hear is Bolsonaro mulling his options.”

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Written and presented by Ros Taylor and Yasmeen Serhan. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Lead producer: Jacob Archbold. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Brazil’s presidential elections go to round two today. Ahead of Latin America’s most consequential vote in decades, what should we be looking out for? Dr. Christopher Sabatini, senior fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, talks to Alex Andreou about how Bolsonaro broke Brazilian politics, Lula’s prospects and the environmental impact on the Amazon.

• “The last four years can be seen as a triumph of institutions. Brazilian institutions are strong and they've survived, despite Bolsonaro.”
• “Lula's campaign is all about beating Bolsonaro. That's not a long-term winning bet.” 
• “Bolsonaro's election strategy is Bible, beef and bullets.”
• “For Brazilians, the Amazon is their crown jewel.”

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Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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After being banned from Twitter, Donald Trump set up Truth Social, his own social media platform. What can you expect to find on the site? Is it just a mouthpiece for the former President? Kayla Gogarty, associate research director at Media Matters America, joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss Trump’s online echo chamber.

• “Truth Social is a way for Trump to get back online and to avoid moderation.”
• “It’s an echo chamber of conspiracy theories and harmful rhetoric.”
• “As the midterms approach we’re seeing election misinformation ramp up.”

Support us on Patreon:

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production and Music by Jade Bailey. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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When university fees shot up to £9,000 in 2012 they triggered violent protests. Now Britain’s universities are expecting redundancies and even bankruptcy – and they’re hooked on lucrative foreign students. Can we carry on funding education from fees, or is it time for a graduate tax? And do we need to rethink what students get for their money? Ros Taylor talks to Nick Hillman, Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute think tank.

• “Lifelong learning was hit hardest by the increase in fees.”
• “The fee cap hasn’t gone up in a decade. Universities are losing money on home students.”
• “Despite how big the fees seem, university staff are being hit hard.” 

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Assistant Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Like The Bunker? You’ll love Doomsday Watch – and there’s a brand new series out right now. Hear former diplomat and Bunker regular Arthur Snell explore more faultlines and danger zones that threaten global stability. From the balance of power after the Ukraine invasion to the scattered conflicts that spawn bigger confrontations to American’s democratic death spiral, these are the flashpoints of the future.

Hear Ep.1 right now here, plus Patreon supporters get every episode a week early. Visit doomsdaywatch.co.uk and sign up to get Episodes 1 and 2 immediately, and subsequent editions a full week early.

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The Conservative psychodrama has given us a new PM, a new cabinet and a whole lot more restive MPs. So what should we expect from the party’s latest iteration? Commentator and former Tory MP Matthew Parris talks to Ros Taylor about the “pleasant” Prime Minister Sunak, “appalling” Suella Braverman and what we can expect from his premiership. 

• “The Conservative Party has a sense of burnout.”
• “Beyond the commentariat, people don’t want a general election.”
• “Without Sunak’s patronage, Suella would be more or less finished.”
• “The Home Office destroys everybody. Let’s hope it destroys Suella in a few months.”
• “I wouldn’t be surprised if Sunak doesn’t surprise us at all, but plods on in a sensible way.” 

Support us on Patreon:

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Ros Taylor. 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. 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Rishi Sunak keeping Jeremy Hunt in post as Chancellor, the prospect of a new era of austerity looms. But what is left to cut? From hospitals, to prisons and schools – public sector services are at breaking point. And with workers across struggling institutions already threatening strikes, how much worse can it get? Nick Davies from The Institute for Government think tank talks to Justin Quirk about where the government will make cuts and how to assess the damage.

• “We are looking at a lost generation of public services.”
• “Now is a very bad time to be unwell.”

Written and presented by Justin Quirk. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Assistant producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Ukraine’s stunning battlefield successes, Putin responds with missile attacks on civilians, power and transport infrastructure – adding to his toll of war crimes. How is Ukrainian morale eight months into the war? And what happens next? Andrew Harrison talks to Ukrainian journalist, Reuters Institute fellow and disinformation expert Olga Tokariuk about life in Kyiv, Western democracies’ role in the struggle, and whether a cornered Putin would really use a nuclear weapon. 

“Russia is deliberately and clearly attacking civilian targets.”

“Putin is threatening nuclear weapons as blackmail tactics.”

“You don’t have to be ethnically Ukrainian to feel close to Ukraine.”

Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Assistant producer Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.