The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive

Uncovering the personal stories of people who died from COVID-19, Sirin Kale’s Guardian series Lost To The Virus has become one of the most moving reporting feats of the year. She tells Dorian Lynskey about the truth behind the biggest human story of our generation, the special challenges of reporting at a distance, why the “carnage” in our care homes still isn’t understood, and why so many COVID deaths were avoidable.

• “I hadn’t expected just how callous some decision-making from central government could be.”
• “A clear decision was made that some lives were worth saving and some weren’t.”
• “The only way you can make sense of the pandemic is through the individual”
• “I get to tell these stories with the depth and humanity that they deserve.”
• “111 is going to be one of the scandals of this pandemic. It was nakedly obvious that it was not fit for purpose.”
• “I hope there won’t be a need for Lost To The Virus part 2 – but I’m not optimistic”

Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Arbitrary Coronavirus regulations and the Government’s brinkmanship over international law are putting the justice system under unprecedented strain. Criminal barrister JOANNA HARDY tells Nina Schick about the impact of COVID on our justice system, the future of the judiciary in a post-pandemic world, and what breaking international law would mean for Britain’s standing on the global stage.

• “It’s a very interesting time to be a lawyer, but perhaps not the best time”
• “For the justice system, coronavirus has been a spotlight rather than a dam breaking”
• “Coronavirus has exposed how out-of-date our court system is with technology”
• “It damages Britain’s standing, it damages our ability to criticise other countries and it damages this Government”
• “The first role of a government must be to keep order and a sense of justice”

Presented by Nina Schick. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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As The New York Times exposes Donald Trump’s microscopic tax returns, will the revelations have any impact on November’s election? With barmy conspiracy theory QAnon making inroads into the UK, will Britain have to get used to a future of totally irrational politics? And if University has been reduced to a distance learning battery farm, will 2020 warp the very notion of youth itself out of shape?

• “If you’re a part-time childminder, you paid more tax than the President.” – Justin Quirk
• “America is culturally very hard on losers.” – Justin Quirk
• “If you hate Trump, this’ll make you hate him more. If you love him, you’ll justify it.” – Ayesha Hazarika
• “If you’re looking for normality, a theory of massive paedophile ring is a strange place to look…” – Dorian Lynskey on QAnon



Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Ayesha Hazarika, Arthur Snell and Justin Quirk. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickenson. Logo and branding by Mark Taylor. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters production

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Although it’s over 50 years since most colonies achieved their independence from Britain, on these shores we still seem to living in the shadows of the Empire. Dr SAMIR PURI, author of ’The Great Imperial Hangover: How Empires Have Shaped the World’ talks to Arthur Snell about why Britain is so obsessed with its imperial past, what the ‘Anglosphere’ is, and whether the EU is the modern day empire.

"For all the talk of globalisation, it's what we inherit from our immediate past that still has the greatest traction in setting us in motion."

"Arguing for and against the benefits of empire is a circle that cannot be squared"

"The imperial age is over, but its influence hangs over us, and sometimes threatens to darken our future"

Presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Britain might enjoy a (worsening) love-hate relationship with Germany but the UK still can’t understand why they’re so much better than us in industry, political debate and social cohesion. Former BBC, FT and Telegraph reporter JOHN KAMPFNER’s new book is entitled Why The Germans Do It Better: Notes From A Grown-Up Country. He talks to Andrew Harrison about the German political miracle, life after Merkel… and whether Britain will ever get over winning the War.  

Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Whatever else they argue about, most politicians agree on one thing: competition just makes everything better. But does it? In her new book Competition is Killing Us: How Big Business is Harming Our Society and Planet, Michelle Meagher describes why she quit a job as a market regulator – literally promoting competition – to argue that companies should be made to stop offloading their costs on society, give up obsessing over shareholder value, and make capitalism work for people and the planet. 

Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Could there be cause for optimism on climate change? Do individuals have power over our planet’s future? Paul Behrens, author of new book 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.”

Presented 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.

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As COVID cases are back on the rise another lockdown looks likely, but has the Government blown its pandemic response? And how will Britain react to an autumn trapped indoors? Plus, following a scathing report by the Public Accounts Committee, is the Home Office ever going to change its nasty ways? And after Priti Patel called on the nation to dob-in their neighbours for breaking lockdown rules, we ask the panel if they’re likely to snitch anytime soon.

• “Every school and workplace is implementing different measures because there is no clarity” - Minnie Rahman

• “Johnson has lost the country and I’m not sure there is a way of fixing it” - Alex Andreou

• “I don’t think anyone has anything positive to say about the Home Office” - Minnie Rahman

• “We’re going to deter people from coming to Britain who we badly need here” - Naomi Smith

Produced and presented by Andrew Harrison with Naomi Smith, Alex Andreou and Minnie Rahman. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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COVID has developed from a short-term emergency into a public health crisis that could define the next half century. As Lockdown II looms, Conservative MP Daniel Poulter, former junior Health Minister and chair of the the All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health, explains the long-term outlook to Naomi Smith – his own experience of fatigue from COVID – and what Brexit might mean for our battle against the pandemic. 

Presented by Naomi Smith. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Rage Against The Machine’s TOM MORELLO is one of the most charismatic and energising figures in rock’n’roll and politics. He tells Dorian Lynskey about the role of radicalism in rock, protofascism, AOC, Trump, the Presidential Election, cancel culture, and his political journey from a super-progressive childhood – via arguing with teenage Trotskyists at Harvard and working for a US Senator – to spearheading rock’n’roll’s most righteous band.  

Tom Morello’s photo memoir Whatever It Takes is available to pre-order now at www.TomMorelloBook.com. 

• “There’s only two positions when it comes to free speech. You’re either for ALL of it or you’re against ANY of it.”
• “If I was in a job where I couldn’t call a damn racist a damn racist, I knew I was in the wrong job.”
• “Injustice met me head on in the playground when I was three or four years old.”
• “Taking anyone’s ideas off the board is very dangerous – because I know there are people in office who would like to take MY ideas off the board, permanently.”
• “Everything is at stake right now. So someone better be singing or rapping about it.”
• “Trump vs Biden is not the lesser of two evils. It’s the evil of two lessers.”
• “Why do I vote? Because THEY don’t want me to.” 

Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producer Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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