Reasons to be Cheerful with Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd Cheerful

Long-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 - Nell Frizzell about why they find outdoor swimming exhilarating, as well as how to avoid swimming in s**t. And Professor Mike Tipton is back to give us a health warning and plenty of advice on how to swim safely.
Plus: How should Geoff navigate the annual rotting gourd display?
Guests
Kate Rew, Founder, Outdoor Swimming Society and author of the Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook (@kate_rew)
Professor Mike Tipton, Professor of Human and Applied Physiology, University of Portsmouth (@ProfMikeTipton)
Nell Frizzell, Journalist and Author of The Panic Years, Square One and Holding the Baby (@NellFrizzell)

More information
Check out the work of the Outdoor Swimming Society, including articles on how to stay well swimming and the 3% access myth
Buy a copy of the Outdoor Swimmers' Handbook
Watch a video of Mike immersing Chris van Tulleken into 12 degree water
Mike mentioned the Blue Tits swimming group
The Acta Physiologica article 'Effects of cold water on stress, cardiovascular and psychological variables'
Check out Nell's books and her essay about being a lifeguard at the Hampstead Ponds

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Would 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 Barnes, 4 Day Week - Global (@4dayweek_global)
Kate Bell, TUC (@kategobell)
Rachel Kay, Researcher and Will Stronge, co-founder of think-tank Autonomy (@w_stronge / @Autonomy_UK)
More information 
Listen to RTBC 55 Living for the (three day) weekend (October 2018)
Listen to RTBC 126 The Four Day Future: Building a movement for shorter working hours (Feb 2020)
Read the report by think tank Autonomy The Results are In: The UK’s four-day week pilot (Feb 2023)
Read more about the UK’s 4 Day Week Campaign
Read more about the global movement for a four day week

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Story 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 causes. Then - in November 2022 - his company collapsed. Michael tells us what it’s like to write a book where your protagonist is arrested halfway through, why he never wanted to write about cryptocurrency and what his time with Sam Bankman-Fried taught him—and should teach us.
Guest
Michael Lewis, Author and Journalist
More information
Buy a copy of Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon

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The 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 senior research and policy officer, Fawcett Society

Listen to RTBC episode 64 Sharing and Caring: the case for paternity leave (December 2018)
Listen to RTBC episode 194 Go Big #1: A big idea for gender equality (June 2021)
Learn more about the charity Pregnant then Screwed and their research that shows boosting paternity leave has economic benefits
Read about Claudia Goldin’s work and winning the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics
We'll be back on Monday with our next full episode of Reasons to be Cheerful!

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In 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 Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent.
Guests
Gina Martin, gender equality campaigner, speaker and writer (@ginamartin)
Ben Hurst, activist and educator and Head of Facilitation at Beyond Equality (@therealbenhurst)
Susie Dent, lexicographer (@susie_dent)  

More information
Buy ‘No offence but…How to have difficult conversations for meaningful change’ by Gina Martin out now
Buy Roots of Happiness: 100 words for joy and hope by Susie Dent out now
Watch Ben’s Ted Talk: ‘boys won’t be boys. Boys will be what we teach them to be’
Learn about the work of Beyond Equality


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The 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 cost of living. We spoke to Sheila Blackburn and Margaret Beckett MP in 2021 about the history of the fight for a government-set minimum wage. We also spoke to Lola McEvoy back in 2019 and Gavin Kelly about the Real Living Wage and why the campaign has been so successful to date.
Guests
Dr Sheila Blackburn, Historian, University of Liverpool
Margaret Beckett MP, Former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1995-1997)
Gavin Kelly, Chair of the Living Wage Commission (@GavinJKelly1)
Lola McEvoy, Formerly of the Living Wage Foundation (@Lola__McEvoy)
More Information
Listen to RTBC 78 Living wage against the machine (March 2019)
Listen to RTBC 221 First they ignore you : Part four - the fight for a minimum wage (Dec 2021)
Learn more about the Living Wage Foundation

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