Hello. There is a quiet crisis in our justice system: barristers striking, courts creaking, defendants being denied a fair hearing and victims being callously disregarded. It's high time to talk about what has caused it and what we do to fix it? We have best-selling (anonymous) author, The Secret Barrister, and Penelope Gibbs from Transform Jus ...…

Hello. This week we are talking about over-consumption of meat which is bad for climate change, animal welfare and our health. Our guests Clare Oxborrow and Sam Calvert tell us what needs to change plus pioneering farmer Illtud Dunsford on whether lab-grown meat is an answer. AND Comedian Steve Bugeja brings his ideas including normal life poli ...…

Hello. We’re on the road again—this time in Sheffield at the Festival of Debate. We’re asking what’s to be done about our universities? Our guests Jo Grady, Joshua Forstenzer and Mark Leach want to rescue the public purpose of Universities from the tyranny of the market’s high fees, casualised staff, distorted assessments of research and teachi ...…

Hello! Sometimes a relationship doesn't work (no, this isn't about Ed and Geoff) and divorce is the only option, but current rules mean that blame has to be thrown around to make it happen, even if that is the last thing the couple (or their children) need. Ayesha Vardag, Nigel Shepherd and Chris Sherwood join us to discuss the case for "no-fau ...…

Hello! An extra treat this week for you all. Do pirates deserve to be remembered as fondly as the Levellers? We spoke to Sam Conniff Allende about his new book Be More Pirate, which reexamines the myths and legends around pirates and how we can apply the pirate principles of breaking and rewriting the rules to the modern world. From cooperative ...…

Hello! This week we look at the most urgent political challenge of all: climate change. Our all-star cast of guests tells us where we are, what the challenge looks like from the one of the most extraordinary parts of our planet, the Arctic, and how we convince people to act with a vision of a better world.With Christiana Figueres, the architect ...…

Hello! We've been on an adventure again, this time to see the wonderful city of Bristol. With a live audience, we talked about Gentrification and how NOT to price out the locals from their neighbourhoods as a place becomes "cool", "edgy" and "vibrant". Is there more that can be done? Our guests Chris Chalkley, Cllr Paul Smith, Professor Antonia ...…

Hello! We're on the road again and this time we've come to Liverpool. On this episode, you'll hear inspiring stories from Theresa MacDermott, Cllr Matthew Brown and Neil McInroy (CLES) about the way people can regenerate and transform their communities and build local businesses and wealth. AND Comedian Tez Ilyas wants slides, a promotion to Do ...…

TICKETS: http://bit.ly/cheerfulbristol FRIDAY 13th APRIL: Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd bring their hit podcast, Reasons to be Cheerful to the Anson Rooms, Bristol for a special live episode. Expect optimism, ideas, special guests, and stories of Ed's failed interactions with inanimate objects (and Geoff's interactions with animate ones.)…

Hello! Our technology is watching us. We know that now. But what does it all mean? And is there a way to stop companies collecting and selling our data without our knowledge? Our guests Shoshana Zuboff, Aral Balkan and Mat Lawrence join us to explain why we should be concerned and what can be done. AND Comedian Jamali Maddix wants a shorter wor ...…

Hello! For richer, for poorer... the vast inequality of wealth in Britain won't get any better on its own. So, here's an idea... A sovereign or social wealth fund. Other countries have successfully saved the money made from natural resources, invested wisely, and been able to put the resources to productive use, even providing their citizens wi ...…

Hello. So many people are, rightly, deeply troubled by the rise in homelessness. People are living on the streets, or with friends and family, or in bed and breakfast accommodation. But there is something that can be done. Juha Kaakinen tells us how ‘Housing First’ has worked in Finland, plus Matthew Downie from Crisis, and Rebecca Evans AM. AN ...…

Hello! What links some of the highest cost house prices, criminals and islands thousands of miles away? Dirty money and tax havens. We speak to Luke Harding, Tom Burgis and Naomi Hirst about the damage being done and how the UK can stop being a home for laundered money. AND Comedian Pippa Evans talks to a witch on a bus, shares sandwiches and t ...…

Hello! If there's something strange in your workplace, who are you going to call? Trade Unions! But with the decline in membership over decades, power has tilted towards employers, meaning worse working conditions and pay. How do we persuade people to join and the bosses to take them seriously? We're joined by Antonia Bance, Head of Campaigns a ...…

Hello! We're on a bus with Cat Hobbs, Director of We Own It, and our transport expert Nicole Badstuber returns. There's more to buses than fighting for the second deck front window seat. With 5 billion journeys made per year in the UK, we're owed a service that works. But millions of us just don't have one and it hardly ever gets discussed. We ...…

Hello! This week we're sitting down, facing the front of class, and taking notes as James Graham, Jez Bennett and Madeleine Holt teach us how we're failing to tutor the next generation adequately, in particular failing to put creativity at the centre of the curriculum. They tell us what needs to be done. AND Comedian Alice Fraser joins us to pu ...…

Hello! We took to the stage and took on the topic of mental health. With 1 in 4 people experiencing a mental health problem each year, there must be something we can do to support, and where possible treat, these millions. Ruby Wax, George Ezra, and Professor Sir Simon Wessely joined us at the Leicester Square Theatre to talk about their person ...…

Hello! This week we explore how to improve democracy by involving ordinary people in decision-making. Guests David Van Reybrouck, Professor James Fishkin and Sarah Allan tell us how an old idea from ancient Athens---selecting random citizens to deliberate--is making a difference from the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Ireland to reform of ...…

BUY TICKETS HERE: https://www.liverpoolguild.org/events/reasons-to-be-cheerful-podcast-with-ed-miliband-and-geoff-lloyd Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd take their hit podcast, Reasons to be Cheerful to Liverpool Guild of Students, Mountford Hall for a special live episode. Expect optimism, ideas, special guests, and stories of Ed's failed interacti ...…

Hello! Our prison system is in crisis. Overcrowding, re-offending, self-harm and riots. What is to be done? Our guests tell us there is reason to think things can change for the better. Nils Oberg tells us how they do it so much better in Sweden, Vicky Pryce tells us what the economics teaches us, and former Lord Chancellor Charlie Falconer tel ...…

Hello! With the NHS turning 70 this year, we take some time to really appreciate how far it's come and do our best to come up with solutions to turn the tide and get the NHS back up to health. Our guests Dr Hannah Barham-Brown, a junior doctor on the frontline, Anita Charlesworth from The Health Foundation and Lord Nick Macpherson, former Treas ...…

Hello! In this episode we answer The Queen's question... why didn't the economists see the financial crisis coming. Our guests Prof Wendy Carlin, Maeve Cohen and Victoria Waldersee talk about how economics teaching needs to change and is changing plus how economics can be used to improve our world. ALSO We check in with Iceland's Prime Minister ...…

Good afternoon and welcome to the Reasons to be Cheerful train service from here to the Geoffocracy. Yes, we're talking trains. How have we gotten into ourselves here? Billions of government subsidies and eye-watering prices. What is to be done? Andrew Adonis, who used to be Transport Secretary, Anton Valk, who used to help run the Dutch public ...…

Goodbye 2017! On a whole, we wont miss you, but there were *some* reasons to be cheerful, right? With our guests Sofie Hagen and Mark Watson, we review the nicer stories of the previous year before putting it in a box, gaffer taping it and sending it on a one way trip very far away. FURTHER READING Nothing on the reading list today. Have a day ...…

Merry Christmas! We've invited some people over to play the now legendary board game Class Stuggle. Who will win? Fantastic comedian Bridget Christie, Joel Cornah, of The Miliverse twitter account fame, take on Ed and Geoff. BUT Before that, we get Rachel Reeves MP and Comedian Sarah Millican on to hear how they're making the world less lonely ...…

We're taking to the stage for our first ever live episode recording, with special guests. WHEN: Sunday 28th January, 4pm. WHERE: Leicester Square Theatre, London TICKETS: https://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/873583538/events/128109112/seats?zone=Main+House

Hello! It's the most wonderful time of the year... when everyone works double to earn enough to splurge on Christmas presents. But it is all worth it when the only person benefiting from your overtime is the company you work for? Torsten Bell and Heather Boushey join us to talk straight about where Britain is going wrong when it comes to overti ...…

Hello! "Culture" noun: Relating to the arts and to intellectual achievements. But what does it really mean for the towns across the nation? Renowned artist Grayson Perry, Sharon Darley from Goodwin Trust in Hull & Dr Dave O'Brien share their thoughts. Ed & Geoff are taking selfies, swapping awards and treading the boards. AND Helen Monks wants ...…

Hello! Time to debunk some myths about the millionaires and their tax habits. Spoilers... It's highly likely we can make them chip in a bit more without them upping and leaving. Cristobal Young has the stats to prove it, Karen Stewart is happy to pay more and Prem Sikka is our expert in the UK. Ed & Geoff are reunited and sharing their holiday ...…

Hello! With Geoff in Chicago, the birthplace of modern community organising, we thought it’d be a great opportunity to discuss the transformative power of community organising and why it’s a Reason To Be Cheerful. We are joined by veteran community organiser Jerry Kellman, who gave a 24 year old Barack Obama his first job as an organiser in Chi ...…

Hello! With increasing newspaper scare stories about transgender rights, we thought it might be an idea to give some airtime to the perspective and voice of trans people so those of us who aren't experts on the issue can understand a bit more. We talk to a parent of a trans child, Joe, award-winning writer Paris Lees, and Dr Helen Webberley, a ...…

Hello! In Episode 8 we learn about the tax which has been advocated since the 1800s, was supported by Winston Churchill and is widely regarded by economists as the perfect tax despite being elusive to policy makers. Our guests Joe Sarling & Catherine Cashmore guide us through the pros, cons and challenges of introducing a Land Value Tax Geoff a ...…

Hello! 16-year-olds are allowed to have sex and are made to pay tax... so... should they have a say when it comes to who runs the country? We're joined by Professor Alan Lee Williams, who fought the original battle to bring the voting age down to 18 in the 1960s, Ruth Davidson MSP, who, as leader of the Scottish Conservative Party is pushing vo ...…

Hello! Episode 6 is on drugs. Legally? Illegally? Is the war on drugs ever going to end? Niamh Eastwood, Executive Director at Release and Sam Kamin, Professor of Marijuana Law at the University of Denver join us to talk about the merits and pitfalls of decriminalisation. Ed and Geoff talk Cheesecake, Halloween fun and Your Sinclair magazine AN ...…

We were pretty comfortable on Sadiq's office sofa, overlooking Tower Bridge and The Thames, so we made the most of Sadiq's time and asked him a few more questions In this bonus, hear Sadiq talking about his all-time hero, wood burning stoves, Brexit and the tragic consequences of a no deal, the relationship between London and the rest of the co ...…

Hello! Episode 5 is full of pollution, it's in the air and it's shortening lives. What can we do about it? Our wonderful guests this week have ideas. Hear from London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, Andrea Lee from ClientEarth & Jens Frolich Holte, Norway's Former Adviser to the Minister of Environment and Climate Geoff and Ed adventurously take on a GIANT ...…

Hello! In episode 4 we take on the challenge of keeping home rental affordable. Easy task right? Our guests Emmanuelle Cosse, former French housing minister, and Greg Beales from Shelter bring their expertise to the table and we called Grace and asked her about what it's like to have lived in a rent controlled home for over 30 years. We also di ...…

Hello! Here comes episode three! Why aren't women getting paid as much as the men doing the same job... and how do we solve it? We're joined by Victoria Budson and Jess Phillips MP to try and get out head around it We also discuss Theresa's cough, Hell Corner Farm, bedwetting, and the temptation to stop a lift full of tories AND Comedian Sara P ...…

Hello! Ready for episode two of Reasons to be Cheerful? In this edition, we'll explore the dominance of the high-tech giants like Uber, Google, Amazon and Facebook, whether we should curb their power and how with our guest Nick Srnicek. We also discuss Nick the Flying Brick, Quiz Master Ed, and terrible dancing. AND Comedian Bec Hill brings us ...…

Hello! Welcome to the first episode of Reasons to be Cheerful. In this edition, we'll explore Universal Basic Income (UBI) with Scott Santens. Find out about Ed's exercise humiliation, a near-visit to the Oval Office, and why Geoff's toilet is causing such a stir. AND We're joined by comedian Gráinne Maguire, who brings her ideas to make the wo ...…

A new podcast about ideas. Coming soon.