POPULARITY
As temperatures plummet in Ukraine, Putin's military is continuing to target the country's power supply, leaving civilians suffering as the war continues toward a fifth year. With the diplomatic crises and international flashpoints of recent months dragging attention away from Ukraine, what are the prospects for the coming year, both on the battlefield and in the stalled peace process? Gavin Esler discusses the latest with This Is Not A Drill presenter and Kyiv-based conflict reporter Oz Katerji. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Advertisers - want to reach smart, engaged, influential people? Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“I'm Mandy – buy me.” Peter Mandelson's career finally collapses in a scandal more poisonous than Profumo, more serious than Partygate, and more shameful than Suez. How did Mandelson get away with his shifty behaviour for so long? Will Starmer's errors of judgment taint his government irrevocably? And how come it's on British figures like Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor who are suffering the consequences of their associations with Epstein? ESCAPE ROUTES • Raf recommends the app DJay Pro for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. • Ros went to see the National Theatre production of Terence Rattigan's Man And Boy. • Jonn is watching A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, the Game of Thrones spin-off, on Sky Atlantic. • Andrew recommends the Marvel series Wonder Man on Disney+. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Andrew Harrison with Jonn Elledge, Ros Taylor and Rafael Behr. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn and Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A forty-year slow-motion disaster in higher education is reaching its climax – and Labour is left holding the bag. If young people decide a degree isn't worth the massive debt, where does that leave British cities that depend on free-spending undergraduate populations – and universities that are hooked on no-longer-welcome foreign students? Can academia expect much sympathy from graduate generations whose aspirations are held back by crushing loan repayments? And can Labour do anything about it? In a fascinating conversation Oxford Brookes history professor and education commentator Glen O'Hara walks Ros Taylor and Hannah Fearn through the unfolding mess. Abstract: “The only way to wake up Westminster and Whitehall is to have a crisis.” • Buy Glen O'Hara's book New Labour, New Britain through our affiliate bookshop and you'll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org's fees help support independent bookshops too. ESCAPE ROUTES • Hannah recommends Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. • Glen recommends Kingdom Come by JG Ballard. • Ros has been watching David Baddiel's Cat Man on C4. Support us on Patreon. Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Presented by Ros Taylor with Hannah Fearn. Audio Production by Chris Jones and Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Starmer slaps down Andy Burnham's bid to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election: bad move for Labour, bad timing from Burnham, or another distraction we don't need? Plus, who's bringing the best self to the overladen Reform bandwagon: twice-sacked Home Sec and Creature Comforts creation Suella Braverman, or race-baiting former academic Matt Goodwin? Special guest, media analysts Ayala Panievsky, takes us through the populist assault on the right to know, and her book The New Censorship: How the War on the Media is Taking Us Down. And in the Extra Bit: Who's feeling the “middle class spending crisis?” • Buy The New Censorship by Ayala Panievsky through our affiliate bookshop and you'll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org's fees help support independent bookshops too. ESCAPE ROUTES • HANNAH has been reading Eurotrash by Christian Kracht • MATT recommends the Tourette's movie I Swear • AYALA PANIEVSKY has been going to Iranian and Persian raves in Hackney like this one • ANDREW has rediscovered the (mostly) pre-Trump nostalgia of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Andrew Harrison with Hannah Fearn and Matt Green. Audio Production by: Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For years Xi Jinping has mapped out a strategy for the rise of China as a superpower. How will this ambition shape the world's future? In the latest episode of This Is Not A Drill, Gavin Esler talks to Elizabeth Economy, Hargrove senior fellow the Hoover Institution, about China's plans in a series of ‘frontier domains', from the bottom of the sea to outer space. Read Elizabeth Economy's article ‘How China Wins the Future' in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs here. Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Donald Trump continues to eye Greenland, as he continues to float the idea of annexing the Danish territory. Europe has rallied behind Denmark and Greenland, which insists nothing is up for negotiation. So what's really going on? Today on The Bunker, Alex von Tunzelmann speaks to Dr Christine Nissen of the European Council on Foreign Relations about Europe's pushback against Trump's pressure tactics, what this standoff reveals about shifting global power and what it means for the people who actually live in Greenland. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Written and presented by Alex von Tunzermann. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The public executions of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by ICE in Minneapolis have horrified America. Now the Trump Administration is slandering Good and any woman who protests as a trivial, out-of-control “Wine Mom” or an “AWFUL”: Affluent White Female Urban Liberals. What are these new iterations of the hated “Karen” meme telling us about the misogyny that powers MAGA – and Trump's vulnerability? Podcaster and New York Times writer Molly Jong-Fast takes Andrew Harrison on a tour of the politics that cannot bear women who speak up. • “Who are the AWFULs? Trump hates them, so they're doing something right” by Molly Jong-Fast. • Listen to Molly's podcast Fast Politics. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. https://www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“Things are more dangerous now than during the Cold War.” The world is breaking up into mutually suspicious power blocs, Trump is trying to destroy NATO and Putin has learned that aggression pays off. Is a major war coming or can we prevent it? In an enthralling conversation, defence commentator Peter Apps – author of The Next World War – explains the forces and self-deceptions that are driving the world towards conflict, the key danger points, and what Britain can do to avert disaster. • Buy The Next World War through our affiliate bookshop and you'll help fund Oh God, What Now? by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org's fees help support independent bookshops too. ESCAPE ROUTES • Peter has been reading Kingmaker, Sonia Purnell's biography of Pamela Churchill Harriman • Alex recommends Booker Prize winner Flesh by David Szalay. • Seth was delighted to find Mask Or Face: Reflections in an Actor's Mirror by Michael Redgrave in a charity shop. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Seth Thévoz and Alex von Tunzelmann. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has been blocked from standing as an MP sparking a fresh row within Keir Starmer's Labour Party. What will the fall out look like? Does the PM come out stronger or weaker? Gavin Esler and Ros Taylor discuss this and the other issues to look out for in politics this week. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more. Written and presented by Ros Taylor with Gavin Esler. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
• Get the latest reaction on Trump's climbdown from Weekly Wrap-Up on The Bunker with Raf Behr and Andrew Harrison. “If you're not at the table,” said Canada's Mark Carney, “You're on the menu.” Trump's demented speech in Davos leaves the world agog. Beyond the President's tantrums and on-off attempts to extort Greenland, are Britain and the EU ready to live in a world where America is a predatory enemy? Are European leaders just sucking his abuse up – or are their subtle pushbacks working? We look at the shocking end of 80 years of Atlanticism and wonder what comes next for a Brexit-weakened Britain. Oh, and Jason admits that years ago he did a “please have my Nobel Peace Prize” too. No better than Trump, this guy. ESCAPE ROUTES • Zöe recommends the Jean-Marc Vallée movie Wild with Reese Witherspoon. • Jason has been reading Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse: Inside the Collapse of Venezuela by William Neuman • Jonn has been reading Precipice by Robert Harris. • Ros recommends Michael Crick's biography of Farage, One Party After Another. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor with Jason Hazeley, Zöe Grünewald and Jonn Elledge. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. https://www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Catching you up on the big stories of the week… Trump blusters, threatens and rambles his way through the World Economic Forum week in Davos, insulting America's allies. Where does this shitshow leave the semblance of Western security? Plus: the Chinese mega-embassy, super-intelligent cows, whatever the hell is going on with the Beckhams… and would you fly RyanAir if Elon Musk owned it? The Guardian's Rafael Behr reads the entrails of another brain-dissolving week with Andrew Harrison. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison. Produced by Liam Tait with Kathleen Johnston. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A wave of protests has swept Iran and been met by a brutal crackdown. Could this mark the end of the ruling regime? Thousands have been killed and the government faces a continuing backlash, growing economic crisis and Trump's threats to take military action against the nation. Gavin Esler is joined by Professor Ali Ansari, founding director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews, and author of The Politics of Nationalism in Modern Iran. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The government says it's getting serious about childhood obesity, with a ban on junk food ads before 9pm and online. Today on The Bunker, Zoë Grünewald is joined by Dr Beverley O'Hara lecturer in Public Health Nutrition at Leeds Beckett University to find out whether this is real reform or a rerun of previous failed plans. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Zoë Grünewald. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trump is trying to bully and blackmail the world with cashgrabs and tariff threats. How will his actions play out and how will leaders respond? Rafael Behr joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss the key issues and questions for the days ahead. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Rafael Behr. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
So far in 2026, self-described peacemaker Donald Trump has captured Nicolas Maduro in a Special Forces raid in Venezuela and now has his eyes on Greenland. To discuss the realities of the Trump administration's foreign policy and US politics in the year of the midterm elections, Gavin Esler is joined by Bill Kristol, editor at large of the Bulwark and former chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This edition recorded before Jenrick got sacked from the Conservatives and then joined Reform. Hey, it's just like 2018… Two-month chancellor and frisky tax guy Nadim Zahawi hops aboard Nigel Farage's overladen jamwagon. We once wondered if the Conservatives were turning into Reform – but are Reform turning into the Tories? Plus: How is the murky world of party donations developing in our new, post-two-party system? And how will crypto make it worse? Also: Britain's dismal options on Greenland. This week's U-turns. And is Donald Trump's awareness of his own mortality the reason he's making us all aware of ours? ESCAPE ROUTES • Ros went to see Hamnet and quite liked it, anachronisms aside. But she really liked the new series of Industry on the BBC. • Rachel recommends The Night Manager Season 2 on BBC iPlayer. • Peter recommends political thriller Hostage on Netflix and Eoin McNamee's book The Bureau . • Matt recommends What Have I Done?, Ben Elton's autobiography. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Matt Green with Rachel Cunliffe and Ros Taylor. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn and Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If racism is supposed to be in retreat in Britain, why does it feel so much harder to ignore? We like to see ourselves as a tolerant, post-multicultural country, yet that story jars with a reality in which racial hostility feels more visible: spread across social media and validated by politicians. But is this really a rise in racism, or the effect of heightened scrutiny driven by the internet? Today on The Bunker, Zoë Grünewald is joined by Rahul Sambaraju, Lecturer in Psychology at City St George's, University of London, and Simon Goodman, Associate Professor at De Montfort University to ask: is racism becoming more acceptable in the UK? www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Zoe Grunewald. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hundreds are killed by the Iranian government as the country erupts into its most serious rebellion since the Woman Life Freedom protests of 2022. Will Iran finally overthrow its theocratic oppressors? And will Trump intervene now he's decided that not only Venezuela and Greenland but Cuba too are subject to his whim? Plus: financing Britain's defence against Russia, is the pubs “bailout” really a bailout, and will Labour ban X? Ros Taylor and Andrew Harrison set out the stories of the week ahead. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What does Trump's attack on Venezuela mean for the world – and what happens if he's serious about Greenland? Plus, back home in the UK, politics is incredibly fractured. Reform UK leads many polls, Labour's favourability is drowning, and the Green Party is neck and neck with the Lib Dems. But can the tide be turned in time to prevent Nigel Farage becoming PM? And in the Extra Bit for subscribers, as we start a new year, our panel describes the things they're looking to do to push them out of their comfort zones. ESCAPE ROUTES • Marie: All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West • Seth is reading a series of memoirs by disgraced politicians. • Jonn: King & Conqueror on BBC iPlayer • Raf: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders If you buy through our affiliate bookshop and you'll help fund Oh God, What Now? by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org's fees help support independent bookshops too. https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Seth Thévoz with Rafael Behr, Jonn Elledge, and Marie Le Conte. Audio Production by: Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. https://www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trump's New Year attack on Venezuela and the capturing of President Maduro shocked the world. In the first of a series of episodes assessing the biggest security issues in 2026, Gavin Esler talks to former UK national security adviser Peter Ricketts about the year to come, the consequences of Trump's Venezuela raid and the risks of a new era of great powers carving up the globe. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trump's actions in Venezuela revealed how far he's prepared to push his power – and how happy he is to act like Vladimir Putin. How will America's invasion embolden Russia? And what does it mean for Europe and its safety? Andrew Harrison speaks with Mark Galeotti, Russia expert and host of the In Moscow's Shadows podcast, to discuss how Trump's aggression compares to Putin's and what that means for the world. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Andrew Harrison. Produced by Chris Jones. Audio Production by: Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We're bringing you some of the best Bunkers of the year to tide you over the holidays. Today: Where's your flag???!? The Cross of St George sprouted across the lamp-posts and roundabouts of Britain this summer. Fans, boosters and grifters claimed it was simple patriotism. Imagine our surprise when it turned out that many behind “Operation Raise The Colours” had far-right associations – who'd have thought it?? Alex von Tunzelmann sat down with Jonn Elledge to find out what flags really mean today. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In case you missed them, over Christmas we're bringing you some of the best Bunkers of the year. “Organise before they rise,” is Max Brooks' advice in his zombie survival guide. But are world leaders prepared enough? Jacob Jarvis speaks to Daniel Drezner, author of Theories of International Politics and Zombies and professor of international politics at Tufts University, to find out how the world might react and how governments would interact during such a catastrophe. Buy Theories of International Politics and Zombies 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. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Art direction: Jim Parrett. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Who and what will receive our FIFA Peace Prize-style gongs for the year? Elon Musk for his brief, mayfly political life of casual mass murder? Trump and Vance for their disgusting Oval Office attack on Zelenskyy? Liz Truss, madwoman for hire? Oasis? Prince Andrew? Stephen f**king Miller? All these and more feature in our heated debate about the defining moments, heroes, villains, blessed distractions and underreported stories of a year we're already drinking to forget. Cheers! ESCAPE ROUTES AND BOOKS OF THE YEAR • Ros recommends Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York by Andrew Lownie – and likes to watch Danger Mouse: The Snowman Cometh at Christmas. • Jonn recommends Ghosts of Iron Mountain by Phil Tinline plus Scrooged, Home Alone and Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol. • Andrew recommends The Power Fantasy by Keiron Gillen and Caspare Wijngaard and the 1951 Alastair Sim movie of A Christmas Carol. • Seth recommends The Radical Print and The Black Cat (1935). www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Seth Thévoz with Jonn Elledge, Ros Taylor and Andrew Harrison. Produced by Chris Jones. Audio Production by: Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Thank God that's nearly over… It's been a grim old year in politics, so in the penultimate OGWN of 2025 our panel pores over the entrails of the year to seek reasons for optimism in 2026. Plus in a But Your Emails Special we answer as many of your questions as we can squeeze in. And if that's not enough, we suggest Christmas presents for major politicians that might make them better at their jobs… or at least inspire them to give up politics and get out of our hair. • Be here on Monday 22 Dec for the final edition of the year – the Oh God, What Now? Politics Awards of 2025.
The geopolitical shocks of 2025 have the potential to reverberate for decades to come. Trump's America first agenda and the new US national security strategy risk European unity, security and the rise of far right politics; Trump's trade wars have served to increase the pressure on states looking to balance relations with the US, China and also a rising India, and Israel's assaults in Iran, Gaza and Lebanon have changed the balance of power in the Middle East. In the final episode of the year, Gavin Esler talks to Mark Leonard, co-founder and director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, to examine how the geopolitical balance has shifted in 2025. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As 2025 spirals around the plughole of posterity, The Guardian's parliamentary speechwriter John Crace joins us to look at the year inside the Westminster Village. Did Farage successfully cross over from consequence-free rabble-rouser to horribly plausible Prime Minister? Will the growing racism allegations halt his ambitions? Is there more going on in Starmer's government than meets the eye? And what did we learn from the launch of Your Party, the fall of Angela Rayner and the Tories' gap year?
America's new National Security Strategy is a hellish concoction of far-right obsessions, paranoid conspiracy thought, imperial fantasy, and outright aggression. European leaders are horrified but what are they going to do about it? Plus: Glasgow South MP Gordon McKee explains the UK's debt to GDP ratio using towers of custard creams and bourbons. But can you make politics too simple? And in the Extra Bit for Patreons, we talk about Netflix's real goal in trying to buy Warners: to kill off cinema.
Critical minerals and rare earths are essential elements of clean energy technology, and vital for a range of products from the tech we use every day to solar panels and even weapons. As demand for electricity rises and the need to transition away from oil and gas increases, what does the race to control the supply of these minerals mean for the future of the environment, security and global competition? To unpack the geopolitics of energy security and rare earths, Emma Beals is joined by Dr Patrick Schröder, senior research fellow at the Environment and Society Centre, Chatham House. • This episode of This Is Not A Drill is supported by Incogni the service that keeps your private information safe, protects you from identity theft and keeps your data from being sold. There's a special offer for This Is Not A Drill listeners – go to https://incogni.com/notadrill to get an exclusive 60% off your annual plan. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Emma Beals. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What went wrong with “Your Party”? As absolutely nobody could have predicted, the new Left vehicle's first conference collapses amid factional squabbles. Zarah Sultana gets to rule over the ruins but will all that new energy on the left now head over to Zack Polanski's Greens? Plus: After a budget that pleased nobody, is Labour really taking young people seriously? And in the Extra Bit for Patreon people, will the War on London ever end?
Trump's push for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine looks as far away as ever after failed talks this week – can anyone move Putin closer to a realistic agreement? To make sense of the US-led peace process so far and how a potential deal might realistically be achieved, Gavin Esler is joined by Steven Pifer, former US ambassador to Ukraine, an affiliate of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, and the author of The Eagle and the Trident: U.S.-Ukraine Relations in Turbulent Times. • This episode of This Is Not A Drill is supported by Incogni the service that keeps your private information safe, protects you from identity theft and keeps your data from being sold. There's a special offer for This Is Not A Drill listeners – go to https://incogni.com/notadrill to get an exclusive 60% off your annual plan. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Office for Budget Responsibility is supposed to be the calm, quiet body that keeps watch over Britain's public finances. But after it accidentally released its Budget analysis before Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her statement, its chair Richard Hughes resigned and the watchdog suddenly became the lead story. Today on The Bunker, Seth Thévoz is joined by economist and former Treasury adviser Giles Wilkes to ask: what exactly is the OBR, and why does this low-profile institution hold so much power over the UK economy? • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more. Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio producer: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Design by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We usually think radicalisation is something that happens to young people. Teenagers doomscrolling in dark bedrooms, or twenty-somethings disappearing into algorithmic rabbit holes. But look around, and the picture feels very different. The loudest voices in the culture wars, the Facebook fire-starters, the men who seem permanently furious in comment sections and group chats. They're in their 40s, 50s, even older, and they're getting swept up in a digital storm they were never taught to navigate. Today on The Bunker, Zoë Grünewald is joined by Dr Sara Wilford, Associate Professor at De Montfort University, to explore why people in mid-life are becoming increasingly vulnerable to online radicalisation and what this shift means for the rest of us. • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Written and presented by Zoë Grünewald. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Design by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It's December, so come open this week's Advent Calendar of misery with Ros Taylor and Gavin Esler. Is the Mail/Telegraph frenzy over Rachel Reeves allegedly misleading the Commons over Britain's finances just a mountain out of a molehill? How is the Budget fallout settling? Does David Lammy really want to bring trial by jury to an end for all but the most serious cases? Oh, and having failed to stop one war in Ukraine, will Trump manage to start one in Venezuela before Christmas? God bless us, every one! • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get a £30 voucher and 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ros Taylor with Gavin Esler. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Behind all the predictable shrieking about “tax raids”, what really happened in Rachel Reeves's much-trailed misery Budget? And what's behind Labour's fear of making bolder moves? Plus, Private Eye's Daily Mailograph gag comes true – it looks like the Mail is going to buy the Telegraph. Our special guest, Radio 4 Now Show veteran and musical satirist Mitch Benn, helps us explore what it will do to diversity of the press (rhetorical question) and will Lord Rothermere get a free bottle of water with his purchase? And in the Extra Bit – Who should we ban from pubs: solo drinkers or kids? • Get 20% off a year's Patreon backing for OGWN until Christmas – new members, renewals, upgrades, all are welcome. • Get your tickets for Mitch's one-man performance of A Christmas Carol. ESCAPE ROUTES • Hannah went to see EEVAH on tour. • Mitch went to see the RSC production of My Neighbour Totoro at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London. And it's not sold out, there are loads of tickets available. • Ros recommends the Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe drama Prisoner 951 on BBC iPlayer. • Jonn is rewatching the Scandi-noir classic The Bridge. • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow to get a £30 voucher and 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • Get our exclusive NordVPN deal at nordvpn.com/ohgodwhatnow. It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money back guarantee! www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor with Hannah Fearn and Jonn Elledge. Produced by Chris Jones. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction by James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Wrapping up the stories of the week… Jacob Jarvis and Seth Thévoz dig into the media's reaction to Rachel Reeves's budget and what it really tells us about the state of Labour. We break down the latest twist in the Trump/Russia saga after the collapse of the so-called “peace plan”, and look at The Guardian's continuing coverage of Nigel Farage's racism accusations from his school days. Plus, Seth names his winners and losers of the week, we take a closer look at the power players behind AI and online moderation and so much more. • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more. Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Seth Thévoz. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Design by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Donald Trump claims a record of peace agreements spanning from Asia to the Americas. Do these claims hold up? What can we learn about Trump's efforts to resolve conflicts, and can his deals hold and achieve lasting peace? And what does his transactional approach mean for global security and America's role in the world? Emma Beals talks to Richard Haass, former advisor to both Bush administrations and President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Samir Puri, director of the Global Governance and Security Centre at Chatham House. • This episode of This Is Not A Drill is supported by Incogni the service that keeps your private information safe, protects you from identity theft and keeps your data from being sold. There's a special offer for This Is Not A Drill listeners – go to https://incogni.com/notadrill to get an exclusive 60% off your annual plan. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Emma Beals. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Labour's controversial asylum plans have sparked a backlash and it's not clear they'll even work. So, why have they gone down this route? What options might be better? Plus, AI – the bubble is going to burst, but has it already broken our brains? Then in the extra bit for supporters – what would we want to bring back from 100 years ago? Escape Routes • Matt is watching Death by Lightning • Zoe is watching Stranger Things • Jason is reading Penda's Fen: Scene by Scene by Ian Greaves • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow to get a £30 voucher and 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor with Matt Green, Zoë Grünewald and Jason Hazeley. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As the Epstein walls close in on Trump, the President pulls a desperate U-turn and says he wants the release of files he tried to suppress. How will they be redacted, and to save whom? Plus Labour's latest attempts to look tough on migration, the Cloudflare outage, Russia bombs railway lines in Poland and shines lasers at the RAF… and why Trump's “Quiet, piggy” outburst is hurting him more than his usual slob misogyny would. Jonn Elledge and Andrew Harrison wrap up the stories that mattered this week. • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get a £30 voucher and 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As conflicts and tariff wars disrupt the global order, is political division preventing urgent action to protect the planet?A decade ago world leaders gathered at COP 21 in Paris to discuss the climate crisis - 194 countries signing a breakthrough agreement to limit global warming. By this year, as COP 30 meets in Brazil, the 1.5 degree target on global warming has been breached. Joining Gavin Esler to discuss the future for climate action and whether countries can find consensus to meet the biggest challenges of our time, is Nick Mabey, founding director and CEO of independent climate change think tank E3G - and also the founder of London Climate Action Week. • This episode of This Is Not A Drill is supported by Incogni the service that keeps your private information safe, protects you from identity theft and keeps your data from being sold. There's a special offer for This Is Not A Drill listeners – go to https://incogni.com/notadrill to get an exclusive 60% off your annual plan. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For years China has been cast as a climate villain, responsible for roughly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. But China's emissions have begun to level off and the country has quietly become a powerhouse in clean-energy. Today on The Bunker, Gavin Esler is joined by Barbara Finamore, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies and author of Will China Save the Planet to find out if China's clean-energy model is the future everyone else will have to follow — or a path too politically uncomfortable for the rest of the world. Buy Barbara's book Will China Save the Planet through our affiliate bookshop and you'll be helping the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org's fees help support independent bookshops too. Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Writer-artist Joe Sacco created a new kind of journalism when he combined on-the-ground reportage with painstaking hand-drawn illustration. His award-winning books including Palestine and Safe Area Gorazde brought under-reported stories to new audiences. In his absorbing new book The Once And Future Riot he travels to Uttar Pradesh, India, to explore the causes and consequences of the bitter religious and political violence that consumed the area in the 2010s. He talks to Andrew Harrison about life as a conflict cartoonist, creativity vs A.I., and how “comics journalism” can do things the TV news never can. • Buy The Once And Future Riot 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. • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get a £30 voucher and 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Next year is shaping up to be a year of uncomfortable truths. Rich countries are spending way beyond their means, the A.I. bubble could be about to burst, and global conflicts are drifting further into dangerous territory. But it may also be a turning point for the planet as we confront these challenges head-on. Today on The Bunker, Seth Thévoz is joined by Tom Standage, deputy editor of The Economist, to take a look at The Economist's The World Ahead 2026 issue and find out what these trends mean for politics, the global economy and the human race. Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more. Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Starmer's position remains in question after a week of chaos and the announcement of controversial new asylum plans. Can the narrative shift? Rafael Behr joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss this and more as they outline the news to look out for this week. Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more. Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trump and the right wing press are gleefully hounding the BBC over a clumsy speech edit – will they succeed in taking down the broadcaster? Plus, manifesto promises – there's a huge fuss over Labour potentially breaking them, but is that anything new? And in the extra bit for supporters – reasons to be a Luddite! The panel rallies against smart technology. • Rachel suggests Fergus Butler-Gallie's book Touching Cloth • Jonn recommends Fergus Craig's upcoming book I'm Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home • Marie is reading New Boy by William Sutcliffe When you buy books through our affiliate bookshop you help fund OGWN by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org's fees help support independent bookshops too. • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow to get a £30 voucher and 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • If you want to find out more about Energise Africa and register as an investor, visit energiseafrica.com/ogwn. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Seth Thevoz with Marie Le Conte, Rachel Cunliffe and Jonn Elledge. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Welcome back to the Weekly Wrap-Up, where we break down the biggest news, the weirdest stories, and the important bits that slipped under the radar. Today on The Bunker, Jacob Jarvis and Rafael Behr dig into Starmer's briefing war with Wes Streeting, unpack the latest revelations from the Epstein files, and ask the big question: could the BBC survive a billion dollar lawsuit from Donald Trump? Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The European Union has some hard choices to make. It's faced with an aggressive Russia on its borders, a US administration with limited enthusiasm for the NATO alliance and political divisions in its member states. Behind all this lies deep uncertainty about the coherence of the Union and its economic future in a world economy increasingly dominated by the US and China. What can be done to protect the European way of life and secure unity on the continent? Gavin Esler talks to leading economic thinker and political commentator David Marsh, author of the recent book Can Europe Survive? • This episode of This Is Not A Drill is supported by Incogni the service that keeps your private information safe, protects you from identity theft and keeps your data from being sold. There's a special offer for This Is Not A Drill listeners – go to https://incogni.com/notadrill to get an exclusive 60% off your annual plan. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What if the incel problem is a symptom of something bigger in our society? We regularly pin misogyny on villains like Andrew Tate, the loud, memorable faces of a much darker problem. But what do we do if the real issue runs deeper than a few influencers? Today on The Bunker, Zoë Grünewald sits down with Katherine Denkinson, author of INCEL The Weaponization of Misogyny, to ask, how do we solve the incel problem? Buy Katherine's book Incel: The Weaponization of Misogyny through our affiliate bookshop and you'll be helping the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org's fees help support independent bookshops too. Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Written and presented by Zoë Grünewald. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York mayoralty race electrifies the global Left, rocks the Democratic establishment and leaves Trump titanically unamused. What does it all mean? Plus: Do we need to save the Conservative Party? Former Digital Minister and Tory MP for Boston and Skegness Matt Warman helps us examine the drastic measures needed to keep Reform out. And in the aftermath of the Huntingdon knife attacks we look at the usual suspects' rush to make it all about immigration. ESCAPE ROUTES • Jason recommends the 1985 series Edge Of Darkness on BBC iPlayer. • Seth recommends wandering around Dublin because why not? • Ros recommends Rory Stewart's new book Middleland. • Matt Warman recommends Andrew Ross Sorkin's 1929: The Inside Story of The Greatest Crash in Wall Street History. Buy any book through our affiliate bookshop and you'll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org's fees help support independent bookshops too. • If you want to find out more about Energise Africa and register as an investor, visit energiseafrica.com/ogwn. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor with Seth Thévoz and Jason Hazeley. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Cornershop. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A series airspace violations by Russian jets and drones have increased tensions over European skies – could a new ‘drone wall' now protect Europe's Eastern flank? With plans announced for a new aerial defence system to protect Eastern borders, how would a drone wall work, and can the EU and NATO deliver on promises to improve Europe's defences? In today's episode, Oz Katerji talks to Justin Bronk, Senior Research Fellow for Airpower & Technology at RUSI. • This episode of This Is Not A Drill is supported by Incogni the service that keeps your private information safe, protects you from identity theft and keeps your data from being sold. There's a special offer for This Is Not A Drill listeners – go to https://incogni.com/notadrill to get an exclusive 60% off your annual plan. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Oz Katerji. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices