Reasons to be Cheerful with Ed Miliband & Geoff Lloyd
404 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 85 ratingsFormer Labour Party leader Ed Miliband and Sony Award-winning radio host Geoff Lloyd unearth big ideas that can change society for the better.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
CHATTEROO #21 England: Seven Myths That Changed a Country - And How To Set Them Straight
April 22, 2024 01:32 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBJust in time for St George's Day, former Mili-gang members Marc Stears & Tom Baldwin join the Chatteroo to talk about their excellent new book 'England: Seven Myths That Changed a Country - And How To Set Them Straight' Treat yourself to a copy - you deserve it! https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/england-9781526646231/ Email us: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #20
April 14, 2024 22:24 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBClimate litigation in the 26 Cantons, the sense of smell in a digital world, Ed turns quizmaster, and your email. Throw us a chatty bone! What would you like to hear in the Chatteroo? [email protected] PENGUINS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PwDFddpo4c CAN A WILD ANIMAL MAKE YOUR HOUSE FEEL LIKE A HOME? https://science.anu.edu.au/news-events/news/can-wild-animal-make-your-house-feel-home?fbclid=PAAabIRLX2FP_IHykx-YjF75F2coLxbwYKDJv4U5NnMndw17bYa7qfcaQuxmQ_aem_AafVJaTzSreellMoKrL...
CHATTEROO #19
April 07, 2024 22:14 - 29 minutes - 26.9 MBWe lament the passing of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and delve into the Chatteroo postbag. We'd love to hear from you - it's your Chatteroo, too: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #18 - Breaking The Habit(uation)
March 31, 2024 22:01 - 54 minutes - 49.6 MBNeuroscientist and author Tali Sharot has joined the Chatteroo to talk about her excellent new book, 'Look Again - The Power of Noticing What Was Always There' (co-written with Cass R Sunstein.) It's the habituation sensation that's sweeping the nation. Email us! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #17
March 25, 2024 00:01 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBIncludes a Presidential belch, life lessons from toddlers, the grace of a giraffe, and the Village People. We need your email to fuel the Chatteroo! [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #16
March 18, 2024 00:42 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBThe calm before the swarm, your email, and Ed shares his music lesson trauma. Email us! [email protected] https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/14/theres-joy-i-havent-felt-for-years-how-i-got-hooked-on-the-piano-craze Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #15
March 11, 2024 01:18 - 35 minutes - 32.1 MBA flurry of email prompted by last week's episode, plus cheerful nuggets from John Kerry's New York Times exit interview, the age at which jeans become inappropriate, and an Oscars-themed quiz. Send us an email: [email protected] John Kerry: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/06/opinion/john-kerry-climate-change-china.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #14
March 04, 2024 00:03 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBVoicenotes, lessons from the New England Patriots, your email, and our best quiz yet. Chat makes the world go round! We need your email - send us facts about hedgehogs, stories of sticking to your guns, rules for voice-note etiquette, ideas for quizzes, articles... anything you'd like to hear Ed turn his big ol' brain to: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #13
February 26, 2024 00:25 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBSad owl news, happy hedgehog news, and an encounter in the Portcullis House cafeteria queue. Plus, your email - send us more, please! [email protected] Liebreich: Net Zero Will Be Harder Than You Think – And Easier PART 1: https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-i-harder/ PART 2: https://about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-ii-easier/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...
CHATTEROO #12
February 19, 2024 02:54 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBEd vs Mud, Geoff has the lung capacity of a slightly younger man, how to apologise, and a game of Know Your Station Apologise Like You Mean It: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/16/well/live/apology-tips.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare Where Did Our Strange Use of 'Like' Come From? https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/opinion/casual-speech-like.html?searchResultPosition=2 Email us! It makes Ed so happy... [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...
CHATTEROO #11
February 12, 2024 09:33 - 22 minutes - 21 MBTracy Chapman, the age of a Prime Minister, how Marx and Engels communicated, plus more aggressive birds. Seen anything you'd like us to talk about? Got a question? Someone you'd like to hear us talk to? Want to set us a quiz? [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #10
February 05, 2024 02:49 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBDonald Trump vs Taylor Swift, Ed vs wildfowl and your email. Join the Chatteroo: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #9
January 29, 2024 00:31 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBOù est le chatteroo? Voici le chatteroo! Send us hamster facts, or anything else that's on your mind: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #8
January 22, 2024 00:38 - 24 minutes - 22.9 MBLife is a Chatteroo, old chum! Come to the Chatteroo. Hello, and welcome to this week's catch-up, during which we discuss afternoon tea, including young voices in the climate conversation, a hat made of mushrooms, and workplace wellbeing and urban rewilding. Send us an email: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #7 with climate scientist Emily Shuckburgh
January 15, 2024 00:01 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBBrilliant climate scientist Emily Shuckburgh joins the Chatteroo to talk through the climate data for 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #6
January 08, 2024 00:01 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBEd's new TV obsession leads to a chatteroo about therapy, including a mention of this twenty year-old essay by Nicholas Spice: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v26/n01/nicholas-spice/i-must-be-mad Plus! Meet our famous new sidekick... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
... AND A CHATTEROO YEAR (with Ben Ansell)
January 01, 2024 00:01 - 54 minutes - 50 MBHap-py New Year! We welcome our first guest of the Chatteroo-era, and what a guest: This year's BBC Reith Lecturer, Professor Ben Ansell - political scientist and former teaching assistant to Ed Miliband (as Ed mentions 5,000 time during the conversation.) Listen to/read Ben's Reith Lectures: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00729d9 Buy Ben's book, 'Why Politics Fails': https://www.pagesofhackney.co.uk/webshop/product/why-politics-fails-ansell-ben-w/ Visit Ben's website: https://benwanse...
A CHRISTMAS CHATTEROO
December 25, 2023 12:53 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MBA chatty accompaniment as your potatoes roast and your sprouts boil. We wish you a cheerful Christmas! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #5
December 18, 2023 11:50 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBChatteroo, roo, roo! Push pineapple, shake the tree! More Cop reflections, plus encouragment for Ed's paleontology ambition Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #4
December 11, 2023 00:22 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBHey you, the Chatteroo crew! Show what you do, make a break, make a move. Ed's back from COP28 and is bursting to talk about a phasedown of unabated fossil fuels, paleontology, and Taylor Swift. Plus Geoff pitches a policy idea for the next Labour Party manifesto. Suggest things for us to chatteroo about: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #3
December 04, 2023 09:48 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBWe're live from COP28. Well, Ed is - Geoff wasn't invited. He's asked for a souvenir from the COP shop. Dive in for Ed's news from Dubai, he's *very* excited about the ENAP Emissions Report. Plus, saying 'hi' to strangers, and a mysterious high energy particle is heading for Earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #2
November 27, 2023 01:34 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBIn the Chatteroo stew this week: Ed reflects on the Autumn Statement and budgets he has known and (sometimes) loved, and Geoff gets the wrong end of the stick - or drumstick - about an American tradition. Email us: [email protected] Music: Ed Seed Artwork: A child with a potato and some paint Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CHATTEROO #1
November 20, 2023 00:01 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBAll aboard the Chatterooga Choo-Choo for: * The return of David Cameron * Fika and Swedish Work Culture: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/nov/08/fika-four-week-holidays-and-zero-overtime-swedens-stunningly-healthy-work-culture * The Book Club that took 28 years to read one novel: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/12/california-venice-book-club-finngeans-wake-28-years * Ezra Klein interviews Maryanne Wolf / Deep Reading: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/22/opinion/tra...
So long and thanks for all the cheerfulness: an end and a beginning...
November 13, 2023 00:00 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBFor our last episode of Reasons to be Cheerful in its current form, Hannah Ritchie from Our World In Data tells us why things are more cheerful than we might think when it comes to the long-term trends and talks about her forthcoming book on what we do to make a sustainable world. Then Ed's podcast crush David Runciman reflects on our 6 years, what we have witnessed and how our political system can become fit for purpose. Plus tears, thank yous, Oscar-style tributes and emosh....but don't wor...
More power to you: how we can all help to make a change
November 06, 2023 00:00 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBAs this chapter of Reasons to be Cheerful almost draws to a close we wanted to leave you feeling motivated and inspired to take action on the things you care most about, from climate change to inequality. Feeling disempowered and frustrated with the state of the world? Our three guests are here to tell you why doing your bit can be joyful, fun and might just restore your faith in humanity a little bit! We hear from Froi Legaspi from Citizens UK who tells us about his journey into community o...
Turning the tide: how Poland defeated the populists
October 30, 2023 00:00 - 44 minutes - 36 MBThe last decade or so has witnessed the seemingly unstoppable rise of populism across Europe and the world. The ruling Law and Justice party in Poland were one example of the trend and there were no signs they were going anywhere. But a couple of weekends ago, Poland voted for a change. We explore the shock result, how we got here and what drove the record turnout with Piotr Buras and Anne Applebaum. Then we speak to young climate activist Dominika Lasota about her role mobilising women in t...
Taking the plunge: the open water swimming boom
October 22, 2023 23:00 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBLong-time listeners to the pod will know that Ed never ever talks about his swimming hobby, but the RTBC team have decided to indulge him - just this once, mind - and dedicate a *whole episode* to the boom in outdoor swimming. Whether you’re a seasoned wild swimmer, a winter dipper or a lido goer, there’s a huge number of reasons why you might like to step outside the indoor confines of your local swimming baths. We speak to Kate Rew and journalist - and former Hampstead Ponds lifeguard - Ne...
Reasons Revisited: The Four Day Week
October 20, 2023 11:00 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBWould you like to work less, feel happier and maybe even do something good for the planet, all with no loss in pay? It’s a dream that could soon become a reality for many, after the world's biggest four day week trial wrapped up last year. We explore the results and dig back through our audio archives to revisit the history of a shorter working week, why it could be a solution to Britain's flatlining productivity problem, and what comes next for the four day week campaign. Guests Andrew Ba...
Going Infinite with Michael Lewis: the story of Sam Bankman-Fried
October 15, 2023 23:00 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MBStory hound Michael Lewis is back with a new book that charts the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, once the world's youngest billionaire. A journalist once said that they would read a history of the stapler if Michael Lewis wrote it, and he delivers his most compelling story yet (office stationery absent). Well versed in the world of finance, the Moneyball and Big Short author was granted unparalleled access to SBF, the crypto tycoon who said he wanted to give away his money to good cause...
Reasons Revisited: Parental Leave
October 13, 2023 11:00 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBThe winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics was announced earlier this week. Claudia Goldin’s research showed that at the point of having a child women's wages start to lag behind men's. But why is parenthood a penalty for mothers? Could a more generous parental leave offer - including a ‘use it or lose it’ policy for fathers - be the key to achieving gender equality? Guests Sam Smethers, former CEO, Fawcett Society Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland Molly Mayer, former senio...
How to create meaningful change with Gina Martin and Ben Hurst
October 08, 2023 23:00 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBIn 2019 Gina Martin - a self-confessed ‘political novice’ - led a successful campaign that resulted in a law change to make upskirting illegal. Since then her activism on gender equality has continued apace but changing legislation is no longer her aim. Why? We find out as we speak to her and activist Ben Hurst, head facilitator at Beyond Equality, who works with young men and boys to engage in conversations about what being a man means today. Plus: We’re gongoozling with the Queen of Dict...
Reasons Revisited: The Living Wage
October 06, 2023 12:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBThe national living wage is going up to at least £11 an hour from next April. Although it's claimed the rise will help two million of the lowest paid workers, many campaigners are saying it's still not enough for a decent standard of living in the current economic climate. The Real Living Wage is one alternative. It's a voluntary commitment from employers to pay their workers enough to meet their everyday needs, and unlike the government's living wage it's calculated according to the actual ...
From school assembly to climate assembly: the children changing democracy
October 01, 2023 23:00 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBIs the climate crisis a children’s rights crisis? It’s a great injustice that children and young people are the most affected but least responsible for the climate and nature crises. Is there a way to give them more power to shape future decision making? Scotland and Ireland have tried to do just that, and we speak to Katie Reid and Diarmuid Torney, who have played a central role in leading children’s participation in two citizens’ assemblies. We also check in with young assembly members Mik...
Reasons Revisited: On the buses
September 29, 2023 11:00 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBAll aboard! Last weekend, Greater Manchester made history as the first place outside London to bring its bus system into public control. Since 1986 - when buses were deregulated - fares have almost doubled, routes have been cut and fewer people are taking the bus. The Bee Network is Mayor Andy Burnham's answer to the problem. We spoke to him in 2021 about his commitment to make the region's buses better. We also talked to transport expert Nicole Badstuber about why London's buses never suffe...
6th anniversary special: Comfort Eating with Grace Dent
September 24, 2023 23:00 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBHappy 6th birthday to us! And just like a young child who hasn’t learned a sense of self-restraint we’re reaching for the Ferrero Rocher with restaurant critic Grace Dent. Join us for a conversation about comfort eating, the title of her podcast and new book. What do we eat when nobody else is watching? And why are some foods so steeped in nostalgia? PLUS: Geoff and Ed reminisce about the past 6 years and Ed has been checking out a new band We’ll be back with another episode next Monday, b...
Reasons Revisited: Rent Control
September 22, 2023 11:00 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBHow do we tackle the housing crisis? It’s a question we’ve looked at several times over the years, but it hasn’t become any less pressing. This week, new statistics showed that rents are rising at their fastest rate in almost a decade. We delve into some of the potential solutions, from rent control to long-term tenancy agreements. We hop into our RTBC time machine and go back to 2017, where we speak to Grace, a tenant in a rent-controlled flat and Greg Beales from housing charity Shelter. L...
Apocalypse (not) now: is AI an existential threat?
September 17, 2023 23:00 - 50 minutes - 46 MBDepending on who you speak to, AI is either going to plunge us into the abyss or improve every aspect of our lives immeasurably. The hype around AI can be disorientating, so let the RTBC team steer you away from the grim end-of-humanity inevitability, as we explore a more nuanced version of the AI story. Our guests Mustafa Suleyman, Dr Mhairi Aitken and Lauren M. E. Goodlad discuss whether the benefits of AI will ever outweigh the risks, why AI hype can serve as a distraction from some very ...
Reasons Revisited: Beyond GDP
September 15, 2023 11:00 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBStop the press! We're bringing you an extra dose of RTBC each week, as we dig back into our audio archives and brief you on a big idea that's having a moment. This week the UK's GDP estimates showed the economy shrunk in July, sparking fears of a recession. But what if there was a different way to measure a country's economic success? We spoke to Katherine Trebeck, Annie Quick and Kate Raworth about the alternatives, from doughnut economics to New Zealand's Wellbeing Budget. Can we move beyo...
It's fun to stay at the YHA: who gets to access the outdoors?
September 10, 2023 23:00 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBWe’re back! Over the summer the Youth Hostel Association announced it was selling off some of its properties in a bid to stay afloat. It seems like a cruel irony at a time when many of us had reconnected with nature over the lockdowns. The charity has long been committed to opening up the outdoors to more people, especially children and young people, says Sally Nutland. But is there a way to save the YHA hostels? We talk about what the loss of these hostels means with Talia Randall and Haroo...
Loss, love and a calling to nature: Ben Goldsmith
September 03, 2023 23:00 - 34 minutes - 31.1 MBBen Goldsmith’s daughter Iris was killed in a tragic accident when she was only 15 years old. Hopeless in grief and searching for answers, he turned to nature in his darkest moments to find a way through. Ben speaks movingly about his grief for Iris, how he sought connection to her in the year after her death, and why he's hopeful that nature restoration will not only be a central part of tackling the climate crisis, but for finding solace and healing for ourselves too. Guest Ben Goldsmith...
The hidden story of Chinese food: Fuchsia Dunlop
August 27, 2023 23:00 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBCrispy duck, chow mein, and sweet & sour pork. Many of us have a narrow understanding of Chinese food, its rich history, and the sophisticated culinary culture surrounding it. Chef and author Fuchsia Dunlop is on a quest to show us that there's so much more to Chinese food than our usual Friday night takeaway, and that there's immense joy (and health) to be drawn from it too. Fuchsia tells us about how her love of Chinese cookery began, her experience as the first westerner to train as a che...
How to fix the broken food system: Henry Dimbleby
August 20, 2023 23:00 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MBThe global food system is one of the most destructive industries on earth. Of course, we all need to eat. But is there a way of doing so that doesn’t come at a cost to our health and to our planet? If that's all sounding a bit heavy, then step forward: Henry Dimbleby. Formerly the government’s food tsar, he’s been exploring the secrets of the global food system for decades and he's hungry for change. Henry talks to Ed and Geoff about the secrets behind the ultra-processed egg sandwich, the g...
What about men?: Caitlin Moran
August 13, 2023 23:00 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBIs the patriarchy also screwing over men too? Caitlin Moran thinks so. Twelve years on from the publication of her hit book ‘How to Be a Woman,’ the journalist and author turns her attention to men, and why she thinks the lack of an equivalent movement to feminism has left many young men and boys struggling. Ed and Geoff dig deep on the topic of modern masculinity, whether it can be inclusive of cardigan wearers, and how to tackle issues that predominantly affect men, such as addiction and s...
How to end our very British culture war: Sunder Katwala
August 06, 2023 23:00 - 31 minutes - 29 MBIf you need some optimism about the future of Britain, a place that currently feels like it’s riven with political polarisation, prejudice and the aftermath of Brexit, Sunder Katwala is here to remind us that there is a way out of this. His proposal is that patriotism - if done well - could be the answer to many of the problems associated with the culture wars. Can emphasising identity actually overcome division? Guest Sunder Katwala, Director, British Future (@sundersays) More informatio...
Throwing shade: why you’ll never take trees for granted again
July 30, 2023 23:00 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MBHello! Join Ed and Geoff as they go down to the woods today. And boy, are they sure of a big surprise. It turns out Britain only has 2.5% of the ancient woodland it once had! These hubs of biodiversity are hugely important for tackling the nature and climate crisis, but they're not in a good way. Nick Phillips from The Woodland Trust talks to us about why it’s not too late to save them. Fancy some forest bathing? Suzanne Simmons tells us why urban trees do so much for us in our everyday live...
Fields of Dreams: how music festivals moved from the margins to the mainstream
July 23, 2023 23:00 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBHello! Last year, around six million people went to a music festival in the UK. Long gone are the days of hippies at Woodstock or even jumping the fence at Glastonbury: festivals are everywhere, and they're big business. The upside is there’s really something for everyone. Perhaps, like Ed, your twenties were also dominated by phone calls from Gordon Brown. We’re here to convince you it’s time to get down to a nearby field, no matter your age, music taste or enthusiasm for fancy dress! We ta...
Never stopped us dreaming: the rise of women’s football
July 16, 2023 23:00 - 58 minutes - 53.5 MBHello! This week the ninth Women’s World Cup is kicking off down under and there's hopes it could be the most popular ever. But it’s been far from a smooth ride for the women’s game in England, contending with deep-seated misogyny, a 50 year ban and a school system that has long excluded girls from playing football in PE lessons. We speak to ‘sports royalty’ Baroness Sue Campbell about her life-long mission to change the lives of women and girls through sport and to journalist Suzy Wrack abo...
Driven to distraction: can we resist the attention economy?
July 09, 2023 23:00 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MBHello! Do you ever glance at your phone to check an email then look up to discover that two hours have gone by? In a world where information is abundant, our attention is hot property. What exactly do we know about how our attention is drawn and held by the environment and technology around us? We talk to Professor Polly Dalton who researches the psychology of attentional capture and to tech ethicist James Williams about why the issue of the attention economy cuts deep. Does it have the pote...
Freewheeling: how to embrace the bicycle boom
July 02, 2023 23:00 - 52 minutes - 48.5 MBHello! As you lounged peacefully by a pool or sipped a drink with a little umbrella in it, have you ever wondered what a more *adventurous* summer holiday might look like? Let Ed and Geoff inspire you for your next cycling tour with this episode - Lycra optional! But is it really that easy to jump on your bike and take a trip? We hear from someone who’s made a career of it with world-record holder Mark Beaumont. Recognising that most of us are not up for ultra endurance, we find out what som...
Will there be a Hollywood ending? why the writers are on strike
June 25, 2023 23:00 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MBHello! This week’s topic has all the ingredients of a great blockbuster: a tale of the underdog standing up to powerful big business, people fighting for their livelihoods, and ensuring the robots don’t take over the world…but this isn’t fiction, it’s real life. The Hollywood writers’ strike has been going on for almost two months now, as the writers of some of our favourite shows have taken to the picket lines in the name of fair pay, better conditions and regulation on AI. We speak to Lisa...