The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive

On our latest panel edition: What does centrism in politics even mean? And why is the government still so worried about newspapers? Then finally, why do politicians have such weird taste in music?

We’ve assembled a supergroup of Podmasters all stars, Rock & Roll Politics hall of famer Steve Richards, the chanteuse of Paper Cuts, Miranda Sawyer and Podmasters virtuoso Jacob Jarvis join frontman Andrew Harrison in the latest edition of The Bunker Panel.

• “Centrism is deeply subjective, that’s the danger of it.“ – Steve Richards
• “The most common response when they ask for people’s political ideology is: I don’t know.” – Jacob Jarvis
• “When politicians try to control the media they get it wrong. They need journalists to get the message out for them.” – Miranda Sawyer

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Produced by Alex Rees and Liam Tait. Production Assistant: Adam Wright. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is leading calls to impeach President Joe Biden. Irrespective of whether that’s realistic or not (spoiler alert: it isn’t) what does it really mean to impeach a president? Professor of history and classical studies at McGill University, Jason Opal, takes us back to the origins of impeachment to understand how it’s become a common tactic of American political warfare. He joins Seth Thévoz in The Bunker.

• “Since the 80s impeachment has gone from nearly unthinkable to a fairly conventional form of political warfare.” – Prof. Jason Opal
• “When it became obvious Nixon was abusing his power in office, a lot of Republican support dissolved overnight.” – Prof. Jason Opal
• “If you look at impeachments overall, I don’t think you would see a real pattern.” – Prof. Jason Opal

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Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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In Afghanistan, women and girls have been banned from schools and universities – but underground networks have sprung up to maintain their education. This week on Bunker Global, Chris Jones is joined by Pashtana Durrani, educator and founder of LEARN Afghan and winner of a 2023 Global Citizen Award, to discuss the schools that defy Taliban rule and educate girls across the country. 

• "Our future was stolen. Our present is stolen. We are the victims of a political agenda.” 
• "Despite everything, I’m a hopeless optimist when it comes to Afghanistan.“

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This week's sponsor is the Disorder Podcast - listen here: https://linktr.ee/disorderpod

Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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AI is disrupting systems across the world – and is beginning to completely change global manufacturing. What are the pros and cons of this new era of technological advancement? Industrialisation led to a period of growth never before seen but could the next industrial revolution do more harm than good? 

Dr. Kate Devlin is joined by Dr. Jostein Hauge, author of The Future of the Factory: How Megatrends are Changing Industrialization to discuss global trends and the future of industry.

• "Corporations don't plan to get to the top of the podium, they strategise as to how they can stay on top of the podium.” 
• "There is an obvious link between ecological breakdown and our economic growth.” 
• "Development, productivity and growth have become synonymous with industrialisation.” 

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BOOK LINK

https://www.josteinhauge.com/book

Written and presented by Kate Devlin. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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For a few years now the Tory party has been drifting further and further right and it’s not gone well… at all. David Gauke is the former Justice Secretary under Theresa May and has edited a book titled The Case for the Centre Right which highlights the desperate need to reverse the direction of his party back to the centre. But is there a real case for the centre right anymore? Marie Le Conte sits down with him in The Bunker to listen to his argument.

The case for the centre right: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Case+for+the+Centre+Right-p-9781509560837 

• “Arguably this is a case that should’ve been made much earlier.” – David Gauke
• “Now I think is the time to say let’s not go further down the line of pursuing populism.” – David Gauke.
• “I think when you look at it Boris Johnson should not have been facilitated by the Conservative Party… they knew what they were getting.” – David Gauke

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Written and presented by Marie Le Conte. Producer: Chris Jones. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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The war on drugs has been going on for decades, yet the use of cocaine has continued to rise – especially in the UK. Why is that? Who are the international paramilitary groups playing a role in keeping supplies going? And is the problem being tackled by our government correctly? Genevieve Kotarska is a research fellow in the Organised Crime and Policing Team at the Royal United Services Institute. She joins Ros Taylor in The Bunker. 

• “I don’t think legalisation is the magic solution it’s sometimes suggested to be.” – Genevieve Kotarska
• “The problem is that politics likes simple answers, and in the case of cocaine there just isn’t one.” – Genevieve Kotarska
• “I don’t think someone wanting a good time on a Saturday night is going to listen to Rishi Sunak? I doubt it.” – Genevieve Kotarska

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Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Producer: Chris Jones. Assistant Producer: Adam Wright. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Rishi Sunak is set to ditch HS2 plans – how will he handle enraging a huge chunk of the country and a load of fellow Tories? This comes amid a raft of Government uncertainty over policies – with pensions and inheritance tax debates rolling on. Plus, there is more Met police controversy with a number of officers turning in their firearms. Ros Taylor and Hannah Fearn discuss the news you need to look out for in the week ahead.

• “It’s obvious to me when you’ve made such a commitment, you don’t back away when things get tough.” – Hannah Fearn 
• “There’s definitely anger within the Conservative Party as well.” – Hannah Fearn 
• “On the world stage this makes us look really stupid.” – Hannah Fearn

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Written and presented by Ros Taylor and Hannah Fearn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Animal Farm is one of the 20th century’s most iconic books. So why make a sequel? Dorian Lynskey is joined by Adam Biles, literary director at Shakespeare and Company and author of the new book Beast of England, to explore how Manor Farm provides the perfect imaginary landscape for assessing our fraught and fractured politics. 

• “Watching UK politics from afar gave the impression of a frog slowly being boiled.”
• “My feeling became: a plague on all of your houses.” 
• “When you romanticise a group of people you flatten their experiences.”

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Book link: https://www.galleybeggar.co.uk/paperback-shop/beasts-of-england 

Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leeburn and Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Bellwether and swing states are often the battlegrounds upon which the US presidential race is won. Historically, Ohio has been one of the most important - but that is changing. So which states matter the most for the upcoming 2024 election? And how will Trump or Biden (or anyone else) win them over? Kyle Kondik is the Author of ‘The Bellwether: Why Ohio Picks the president”. He joins Alex Andreou in The Bunker.

• “We’re seeing a shift in the key states in the electoral college, partially due to Trump.” - Kyle Kondik.
• “Both Trump and Biden have over 50% unfavorability, these voters tend to skew to the right but were not a fan of what happened on January 6th. These voters are likely to decide the next election” - Kyle Kondik. 
• “Both Biden and Trump’s ability to tell a story defines the ground they are battling over” - Alex Andreou.

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Book Link:

https://www.ohioswallow.com/book/The+Bellwether

Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Chris Jones. Assistant Producer: Adam Wright Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Robin Leeburn        . Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau has claimed agents of the government of India orchestrated an assassination on Canadian soil. The killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar has led to a terse back and forth between the two nations. Plus, we take a look at the latest chapter in the Azerbaijan and Armenia conflict. And, why are so many former French colonies revolting across Africa? 

Chris Jones is joined by Dipo Faloyin, senior editor at Vice and author of ‘Africa is not a country’ and Laurence Broers, associate fellow at Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia Programme, to get you up to speed on the biggest stories from around the world.

• "Canada wouldn’t make an allegation like this if they didn’t have solid proof.” — Dipo Faloyin
• "The Ukraine conflict has provided Azerbaijan with perfect cover for these military operations.” — Laurence Broers
• "Macron and the French government ignored the warning signs of civil unrest in their former colonies.” — Dipo Faloyin

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This week's sponsor is the Disorder Podcast - listen here: https://linktr.ee/disorderpod

Written and presented by Chris Jones with Dipo Faloyin. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Production assistant: Adam Wright. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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