{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/20b97d01-ba9b-5fb0-9acf-161391a88cb0/6a67768fcc8464e5cd95bc13?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"The €133 Billion Black Hole: Why Ireland Can’t Track Its Spending","description":"<p>Theoretical physicist Matt Fenlon joins the podcast to expose the systemic lack of transparency in Irish public expenditure. As the state budget doubles to €133 billion, Fenlon discusses the black hole in procurement, the surge in opaque consultancy fees, and how a Golden Thread of data could finally bring accountability to government spending. This conversation explores why the Irish state struggles to measure value for money and what happens when a bureaucracy becomes larger than the political class meant to manage it.</p>","author_name":"David McWilliams & John Davis"}