The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive

The assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme remains an unsolved mystery. How did a lone gunman manage to murder him during the height of the Cold War, and why? Ros Taylor welcomes Jan Stocklassa to the Bunker to discuss his documentary, The Man Who Played With Fire, which attempts to answer once and for all: who killed Olof Palme?

• “There is a 37 year long cover up at the root of this investigation.”
• “He was not a run of the mill Swede, he wasn’t afraid to provoke people around the globe.”
• “Sweden has never had a politician who was so hated.”

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

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Andy Street took a risk in leaving his role as managing director of John Lewis to become West Midlands mayor. He’s one of two Tory combined authority mayors, a role he describes as “trailblazing”. But despite his party loyalty, he hasn’t shied away from criticising Westminster – especially when it comes to Levelling-up. He sat down with Hannah Fearn in The Bunker to discuss his priorities and time in office. 

• “For me, it wasn’t about representing the party in Westminster. It was first and foremost about being an individual representative for the West Midlands.” – Andy Street
• “The truth is that Michael Gove and the Levelling-up Department have spent billions. But are we getting that message across? No.” – Andy Street
• “My relationship with Whitehall is positive, but immature. We make our proposals, and Whitehall will decide.” – Andy Street
• “Mayoral models are becoming popular because people want someone they can relate to, and with whom the buck stops.” – Andy Street

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Written and presented by Hannah Fearn. Producer & Audio production: Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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Sugar became a modern-day bogeyman during austerity. Why? And how did it come to represent personal responsibility? And who has been most instrumental in the fight against it? Hannah Fearn is joined by Karen Throsby, author of new book Sugar rush: Science, politics and the demonisation of fatness, to explore the disastrous consequences of the fight on sugar. 

• “Sugar became the perfect scapegoat for austerity.”
• “The war on obesity is a failure on its own terms.”
• “The language of conflict of foodstuffs always justifies quick, ill-thought-out measures.”

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Book link:

https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526151544/ 

Written and presented by Hannah Fearn. Producer: Kasia Tomasiewicz. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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George Soros is a holocaust survivor, one of the world’s richest people and the creator of the Open Society. He’s also given away $32 billion in his lifetime. So why is it that he incurs so much hate, not just from the American right but his own country, Hungary, too? Daniel Bessner is associate professor of international studies at Washington University and co-host of American Prestige podcast. He joins Gavin Esler in The Bunker to discuss.

• “He likes to repeat in his books that he has ‘an incredible ego’...“ – Daniel Bessner
• “The ultimate tragedy of Soros’ life is that capitalism has allowed him to become as rich as he has.” – Daniel Bessner
• “The world he wants is not possible in the economic world that made him.” – Daniel Bessner
• “The association of Soros the anti-communist just doesn’t fly anymore with the right in America.” – Daniel Bessner

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

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This week Johnson and Sunak play the blame game over the Covid inquiry. Will a trip to the USA help Rishi escape the shadow of the former PM? Plus, Labour is embroiled in infighting this week as the Jamie Driscoll drama plays out – can Starmer ignore it? Plus we’ve got the latest on the tragic train crash in India, updates from Ukraine and we ask the question, why is China drilling a hole to hell? Ros Taylor joins Jacob Jarvis to map out the week ahead.

• “Johnson is enjoying provoking Sunak.’ – Ros Taylor
• “Sunak’s popularity has gone down since local election results.” – Ros Taylor
• “Hanging out with Biden is good optics for Sunak, it makes him look like the world leader he isn’t.” – Ros Taylor

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Ros Taylor. Producers: Kasia Tomasiewicz and 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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The death penalty is supported by a large number of Brits. Why are so many people obsessed with it? And how does politics change how we see the role of the law? Seth Thévoz is joined by Lizzie Seal, professor of criminology at the University of Sussex to explore the fascination with this ultimate punishment. 

• “Popular support for the death penalty goes up following well-publicised social disorder.”
• “In the mid 20th century, the death penalty represented public order.”
• “Labour governments were more likely to be sympathetic to abolition.”



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Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producers: Kasia Tomasiewicz. and Alex Rees. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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The US isn’t delivering on its pledges to reverse climate change. The Willow Project in Alaska, labelled by some as a “carbon bomb”, is a key example of that. But with global energy supply chains so massively disrupted by the war in Ukraine, are these kinds of projects justified? Michael Gerrard is the founder of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School. He joined Arthur Snell in the Bunker to discuss why pushing through new climate laws is so difficult.

• “We ARE NOT on the trajectory that we want to be.” – Michael Gerrard
• “The US climate commitments are not really legally binding.” – Michael Gerrard
• “The Supreme Court has become somewhat of an impediment.” – Michael Gerrard.
• “In the US there have been efforts going back to 2004 to hold oil and gas responsible for climate change.” – Michael Gerrard.

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Written and presented by Arthur Snell 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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The ministerial code is a set of rules members of Government are expected to abide by. But they don’t all manage it. Is it fit for purpose? And have ministers become more unscrupulous – or do we just have higher expectations than we used to? Tim Durrant of the Institute for Government tells Ros Taylor that the system, tested to its limits during Boris Johnson’s premiership, works better than you might think.

• “We need to know that information coming from the government is honest and true.” – Tim Durrant
• “Ministers have a huge amount of power in public life and therefore it’s incumbent that they merit that.” – Time Durrant
• “I think you could almost argue that the removal of Boris Johnson was proof of the system working”. – Tim Durrant
• “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with expecting political leaders to be good people.” – Tim Durrant

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

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How secure do you feel in your job? From manufacturing plants to corporate boardrooms, the rise of artificial intelligence has sent shockwaves through the working population. Dr. Kasia Tomasiewicz sits down with Dr. Kate Devlin to talk about how our lives will change in an AI-driven economy.

• “If essays can be answered with AI, we’re not asking students the right questions.”
• “Who are we to say the best relationships are between two humans?”
• “The bigger question regarding AI is who gets to profit from it?” 

Support us on Pateron:

www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Kasia Tomasiewicz. 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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Tens of thousands of people are demanding an end to leasehold laws in England and Wales. They say they’re trapped by an avalanche of bills, whilst freeholders rake in the cash. Both Labour and the Tories (after A LOT hesitation) have vowed to reform leasehold laws. But how could they do it? It’s an issue that could turn many at the ballot box in next year’s general election. Harry Scoffin is a campaigner for Commonhold Now and joins Hannah Fearn in The Bunker.

• “Labour don’t think the Tories are being genuine on this issue.” – Harry Scoffin
• “How is it right that in this 21st century when you buy a flat you still don’t own it.” – Harry Scoffin
• “Being ripped off is being ripped off! Exploitation is wrong!” – Harry Scoffin
• “The way the Tories are going about this issue, they will be out of power for an entire generation.” – Harry Scoffin

www.patreon.com/bunkercast 

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

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