{"podcast":{"title":"The Bunker – News without the nonsense","slug":"the-bunker-news-without-the-nonsense-1209382","podcast_index_feed_id":1209382,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6a2ad2e9440b9d7bbf6bde6b","website_url":"https://linktr.ee/bunker_pod","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6a2ad2e9440b9d7bbf6bde6b/show-cover.jpg","author":"Podmasters","episode_count":1875,"summary":"News without the nonsense, every weekday morning. In episodes that fit your commute, The Bunker cuts through the noise to make sense of what’s really going on in news, current affairs, politics, economics and culture. We bring you smart explainers, interviews, fresh perspectives and under-reported stories to as a refreshing alternative to repetitive Punch and Judy news coverage. It’s the only way to start the day. From the producers of Oh God, What Now? Our regulars include: Gavin Esler • Ros Taylor • Alex von Tunzelmann • Andrew Harrison • Zing Tsjeng • Jacob Jarvis • Emma Kennedy • Rafael Behr • Seth Thévoz. • Sign up to support the podcast and get episodes ad-free and early: patreon.com/bunkercast • Apple users: Get all of our core shows ad-free and early with the Podmasters Originals super-subscription. The Bunker is a Podmasters production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-31T12:22:19.814531+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bunker-news-without-the-nonsense-1209382"},"episode":{"title":"Sleaze Nation – How to fight Britain’s corruption pandemic","slug":"sleaze-nation-how-to-fight-britain-s-corruption-pandemic","published_at":"2026-07-08T03:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bunker-news-without-the-nonsense-1209382/sleaze-nation-how-to-fight-britain-s-corruption-pandemic","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bunker-news-without-the-nonsense-1209382","url":"https://shows.acast.com/the-bunker/episodes/sleaze-nation-how-to-fight-britains-corruption-pandemic","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6a2ad2e9440b9d7bbf6bde6b/e/6a4d2e81195f863605c3d641/media.mp3","summary":"Is Britain really as free of corruption as we think? This year the UK posted its lowest-ever score in a global corruption index. High-level scandals like Peter Mandelson’s Epstein ties and Peter Murrell embezzling from the SNP – and less conspicuous instances of fraud and backhanders – are eating into our self-image as rule-followers. And the man who might be Prime Minister keeps changing his explanation for a £5m gift from a crypto baron.  Are these isolated political crises, or does the rot in our system run deeper? Professor of anti-corruption practice at the University of Sussex Robert Barrington joins Zing Tsjeng to unpick how corruption manifests in Britain.   • Buy Robert's book Corrupted Kingdom: Britain's Disappearing Integrity – And How We Can Get It Back from 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. • Special offer! Get 20% off any vehicle history check at carVertical.com/TheBunker . • Back us on Patreon –  www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Zing Tsjeng. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Is Britain really as free of corruption as we think? This year the UK posted its lowest-ever score in a global corruption index. High-level scandals like…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1740,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-bunker-news-without-the-nonsense-1209382/episodes/sleaze-nation-how-to-fight-britain-s-corruption-pandemic/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bunker-news-without-the-nonsense-1209382/sleaze-nation-how-to-fight-britain-s-corruption-pandemic.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}