The Bunker Podmasters

Vladimir Putin has surrounded himself with loyalists who have kept him in power for 20 years. Earlier this week, Russian defence minister and close ally of Putin, Sergei Shoigu, was removed from his post. But the author of The New Politics of Russia, Andrew Monaghan, says Shoigu’s removal was less of a sacking, as Western media suggests, and more of a promotion. He joins Chris Jones to discuss how Putin’s inner circle operates. 
 
Buy The New Politics of Russia through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 
 
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Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard and Chris Jones. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Britain has a spy problem, with a significant surge in threats from China, Russia and Iran in recent months. What kind of covert operations are they running? Gavin Esler sits down with former MI6 director of operations and intelligence and director of transnational threats and political risk at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Nigel Inkster, to find out just how concerned we should be.  
 
• “We’re seeing a significant upsurge in espionage and other forms of covert activity directed at western countries.” – Nigel Inkster 
• “At the end of the day, there is always going to be a role for the human source, for secret agents, because you need to know what is going on in the minds of key decision makers… you can’t interrogate a tape recorder or a satellite.” – Nigel Inkster 
 
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Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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You might have seen a flurry of alarming headlines and articles about bird flu in recent weeks. Some reports are comparing it to COVID-19, and positioning it as the next potential worldwide pandemic. How concerned should we be? Alex Andreou asks Devi Sridhar, Professor and Personal Chair in Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh. 

• “Previously, you’d have to be in very close proximity with an infected bird. That is changing. For the first time, we have now confirmed cow to human transmission – that is a signal that something is different here.” – Devi Sridhar 
• “It’s like a lottery. There are millions of viruses circulating among animals.” – Devi Sridhar

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Written and presented by Alex Andreou. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Brits have a bad reputation abroad – but what about Britain as a whole? To discuss how other countries look at Britain, Rafael Behr speaks to FT journalist Michael Peel, author of What Everyone Knows About Britain (*Except the British). 
• “Looking at Britain from overseas made Brexit easier to see coming.” – Michael Peel 
Buy What Everyone Knows About Britain (*Except the British) through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.
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Written and presented by Rafael Behr. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson and artwork by James Parrett. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | Twitter  
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In your round-up of the week ahead… Rishi Sunak warns that the UK is about to face its most dangerous years ever. The Israeli assault on the Gazan city of Rafah is imminent. And, what does Russia’s new incursion into Ukraine north of Kharkiv mean? Plus, the Trump trial continues with testimonies scheduled from his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. And why were EU flags banned from the Eurovision finale?   
 
• “Rishi Sunak says the challenges of the next few years are so enormous and so scary that only Conservative innovation and Sunak’s own bold ideas can help us face it.”  – Ros Taylor   
• “Sunak is undoubtedly trying to distract attention from the state that the country is in. If you look at what’s going on in Russia, the NHS will look less depressing.” – Ros Taylor  
 
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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Ros Taylor. Producer: Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 
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Britain and America’s link is often called the “special relationship”. But is it that special anymore – or is it actually pretty one-sided? Angus Hanton is a businessman and entrepreneur and the author of Vassal State: How America Runs Britain. He argues that the relationship has changed for the worse – and that Britain has become the 51st state of the United States at great cost to its economy. He joins Gavin Esler in The Bunker to discuss. 
 
Buy Vassal State: How America Runs Britain through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 
 
• “We’re being taken over at scale and the government doesn’t care.” – Angus Hanton 
• “I think this has contributed to our impoverishment and higher tax rates.” – Angus Hanton 
 
If you want more US politics – listen to our new podcast American Friction, out every Friday in the run up to November’s election. Available here, or wherever you get your podcasts. 
 
We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit, 
 
Support us on Patreon.  
 
Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 
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