The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive

Britain’s prisons are under the spotlight following Daniel Khalife’s escape from HMP Wandsworth. Alex Chalk did the damage control rounds over the weekend – but does the justice secretary have more problems than this high profile debacle?

Meanwhile, a parliamentary researcher was arrested under suspicion of sharing official secrets with China. What does this mean for the UK’s relationship with Beijing? Plus we look back at the key developments from the G20 conference, the latest on Ukraine — and we examine the international aid efforts following the devastating earthquake in Morocco.

Jacob Jarvis is joined in The Bunker by Alex Andreou to get you prepped for the week ahead. 

• “Wandsworth prison is built to hold 900 inmates and it currently hosts 1600. What did they think was going to happen?” – Alex Andreou
• “The government is managing the country like I tidy my bedroom, putting things vaguely out of sight and not actually dealing with them.” – Jacob Jarvis 
• “The government is just warehousing people, whether they’re asylum seekers, students or prisoners.” – Alex Andreou

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis and Alex Andreou. 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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Following Brexit, performers are consistently losing out on opportunities to perform. How has it gotten so bad – and can the situation be resolved? Alex Andreou is joined in The Bunker by Deborah Annetts, the CEO of the Independent Society of Musicians to find out how the government could save the music industry and why they have no desire to do so.

• “Various select committees have begged the government to sort this mess out.” 
• “We won't see the results immediately but in five years time, are we going to have a thriving music industry? I very much doubt it.”
• "I’ve heard off the record: Why should we help you? Musicians don’t vote Tory." 

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www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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One of Tucker Carlson’s recent interviews is with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán. In the interview Orbán called for Trump to return to the U.S. presidency, among numerous other inflammatory statements. Why is Tucker so obsessed with Hungarian politics – and how does Orbán use the media to bolster his narrative? Chris Jones is joined by journalist for 24.HU, Zsolt Kerner.

• “It’s ironic to see Orbán, who often says other nations shouldn’t comment on domestic politics, calling for a change in U.S. President” – Zsolt Kerner
• “It’s a usual play in hungarian politics, to play with preconceptions about the U.S.” – Zsolt Kerner

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written, presented and produced by Chris Jones, with special thanks to Balint Bardi. Assistant Producer: Adam Wright. 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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Joe Biden is 80 and his main Republican rival Donald Trump is 77. Opponents of each are ready to use their ages against them – but will this debate matter come 2024? Writer for Vanity Fair and host of the Fast Politics podcast, Molly Jong-Fast says the age argument is a classic GOP tactic, but questions how well it will work. She joins Gavin Esler in the Bunker.

• “One of the things we’re not talking about enough is the power of incumbency.” – Molly Jong-Fast.
• “I don’t think Biden would’ve run again if he didn’t know he was the person most likely to win.” – Molly Jong-Fast.
• “This could be the last ever American election – can you see Trump ever leaving?” –Molly Jong-Fast.

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

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This week on Bunker Global: The G20 is assembling in India this weekend, what can we expect from this year’s summit? Plus, we take a look at Victor Orbán’s interview with Tucker Carlson and the UAE is looking to loosen ‘gaming’ laws in their country. Could Dubai become the Las Vegas of the middle east? 

Chris Jones is joined by associate professor of politics and international relations at UCL, Julie Norman, and Hungary-based journalist Zsolt Kerner, to get you up to speed on the biggest stories from around the world.

• "A large proportion of the UAE's population are not citizens. The teachings of the Quran aren’t a priority to them.” —Julie Norman
• "Most Hungarians believe that the US can do whatever it wants for its own gain.” — Zsolt Kerner
• "India is uniquely placed to bring other countries in the G20 together.” — Chris Jones 



www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Chris Jones with Julie Norman and Zsolt Kerner. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Production Assistant: Adam Wright. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Special thanks to Balint Bardi. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Inflation is one of the hot political topics at the moment. Jeremy Hunt says that keeping inflation at five per cent is putting money in the pocket of the average Brit... So we figured it was time to provide a cheat-sheet on inflation knowledge, just in case the Chancellor of the Exchequer needs a judgement-free refresher. 

Alex Andreou sits down with Giles Wilkes, senior fellow at the Institute for Government, to explain everything you need to know about inflation.

• “High inflation is the clearest sign that you've got something really wrong.”
• “The BoE thinks they need to raise interest rates in order to cut purchasing power.”
• “Inflation is all of the prices going up at once rather than some for their own idiosyncratic reasons.”

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Alex Andreou. 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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Being the leader of the opposition is a thankless task, often described as the worst job in politics. Those that don’t go on to be PM are often completely forgotten, rarely to be spoken of again. So what makes a good leader of the opposition? And how has the role changed through history? Dr. Nigel Fletcher is the Author of The Not Quite Prime Ministers: Leaders of the Opposition 1783–2020. He joins Marie Le Conte in The Bunker.

https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/the-not-quite-prime-ministers 

• “It’s the best apprenticeship you can have outside of being deputy Prime Minister.” – Nigel Fletcher
• “There are a few that you can look at and say that was a really bad period of opposition.” – Nigel Fletcher

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

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

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We have some of the worst river health standards in Europe – in large part due to raw sewage being pumped into our vital waterways. Is it too easy for water companies to get away with this? And does the Government have a plan to fix the issue? Jamie Woodward is a professor of physical geography at the University of Manchester. He joins Laura Makin-Isherwood in the Bunker to discuss.

• “The water companies have ruthlessly exploited an under regulated system.” – Prof. Jamie Woodward
• “The dumping of sewage has become routine, and there’s been a public outrage against water companies who have made huge profits.” – Prof. Jamie Woodward
• Dumping sewage is incredibly profitable and there’s no sufficient deterrent to get them to clear up their act.” – Prof. Jamie Woodward

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

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

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School’s out indefinitely across the country as many deal with a concrete crisis. But how much did the government know about this looming fiasco? Meanwhile, parliament is back in session — inflation, small boats and green energy are on the agenda for the Conservatives. Meanwhile, Starmer looks towards the general election with a shadow cabinet reshuffle. Plus a preview of the G20 conference, the latest on Ukraine — and it’s been one year since the Queen died. How does this new era of Britain stack up to the last? 

Ros Taylor is joined in The Bunker by Alex Andreou to get you prepped for the week ahead.  

• “The metaphor of crumbling schools is a little too on the nose.” – Alex Andreou
• “Cameron once said Labour failed to fix the roof when the sun was shining. How ironic.” – Ros Taylor
• “Braverman has failed on every single metric, to an almost farcical level.” – Alex Andreou

Support us on on Patreon:

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Written and presented by Ros Taylor and Alex Andreou. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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You are what you buy, but how does shopping shape our politics? Can brands be agents of social change? Bobby Friction is joined by Marcus Collins, author of For the Culture: The Power Behind the World's Most Successful Brands, from Apple to Beyoncé, to explore how companies tailor their brands to different personal politics. 

• “How we make our identity is unbelievably powerful.”
• “Nike is far more than just a sneaker company, it is an agent of social change.”
• “It all goes wrong when brands don’t fully commit to particular politics.”

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

Book link:

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/marcus-collins/for-the-culture/9781035020010 

Presented by Bobby Friction. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Assistant producer: Adam Wright. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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