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The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Space-suit vs Jackboot – Can science fiction save us from fascism?

The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Podmasters

News, Society & Culture, Politics, Government

4.61K Ratings

🗓️ 3 October 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From Margaret Atwood to Alan Moore, from 1984 to Andor, science fiction has gamed out totalitarian futures better than most political analysts. But does it have the answers to stopping the rise of fascism? Writer, critic and host of a fascinating online science fiction community Damien Walter discusses the lessons of future oligarchs, space tyrants and cosmic populism with Andrew Harrison. Which sci-fi dictator does Donald Trump most resemble? Are V For Vendetta and Judge Dredd warnings or instruction manuals? And if Andor is Marxist-Leninist, is the Star Wars story of restoring a genetic elite of magic knights actually fascist?  • Watch Damien’s brilliant explorations of science fiction on YouTube and hear his Science Fiction podcast.  • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • 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 indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit. • 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 Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Produced by Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim 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

Transcript

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0:00.0

This edition of The Bunker is sponsored by Naked Wines. I'm Seth Tevall.

0:04.8

And I'm Zoe Grunewold.

0:06.4

And here at the bunker, we don't believe in guesswork. We go to the experts for the best insights into news and politics. And why should wine be any different?

0:15.1

That's why we're pleased to recommend Naked Wines. I enjoy their Bariccas Gallaudoro Reserva from Portugal. Well, I'm trying their small and

0:23.9

small Savignon Blanc from New Zealand. Seth, tell me, what's your wine knowledge like? Very specialised,

0:30.6

so pretty good on things Portuguese, but non-existent on those other things. How about you, Zay?

0:35.5

I drink most anything, but I have to say I'm really enjoying the savenient blanc. It's citrusy, it's got notes of gooseberry. I could just drink the whole bottle. What makes naked wines so convenient is that they deliver top quality wines right to your jaw from world-class winemakers from across the globe, whether it's a French rosé, a New Zealand reisling, or even the Lebanese

0:54.8

syria, naked can help you find your next bottle to fall in love with.

0:59.0

And this premium doesn't have to come at a punishing price. By working directly with the

1:04.0

winemakers, they can pass on the benefit and offer bottles up to 33% less than typical retail

1:09.7

prices. Head to Nakedwines.co.com.uk forward slash the bunker to get six top-rated wines for

1:16.7

just £39.99. That's £6.67 a bottle. I repeat, that's six bottles of wine for just £39.99,

1:26.0

with delivery included. That's naked wines.com.uk,

1:30.5

forward slash the bunker to grab six bottles for just 3999. Click the link in the description.

1:37.5

Push the boat out, hon, all the way out to Alaska. Aldi's wild Alaskan sock-eye salmon steak

1:45.1

is Defo bolder in color

1:47.3

and totes richer in flavor.

1:50.7

His bougie beauty

1:51.8

is a bit of me.

1:53.5

Go all fancy with Aldi

1:55.1

specially selected.

1:56.3

Music Hello, I'm Andrew Harrison.

...

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