Reasons to be Cheerful with Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd Cheerful

Hello! Capitalism, eh? Despite its creative genius, some would say it's at the root of many of the problems we're facing these days, from planetary breakdown, to poor health and social inequality. How can it become the solution? We're revisiting the idea of purposeful business, a way of re-thinking our system so that companies are also putting the needs of people and the environment up there with profit. CEO of Graze Joanna Allen explains how the Better Business Act and B Corp movement will enable this in the UK. We're talking to Charles Conn about Patagonia's 'earth is now our only shareholder' ethos. Finally, we chat to Cemal Ezel, founder of Change Please, a social enterprise which tackles homelessness through the power of selling coffee. 

Guests
Joanna Allen, CEO, graze (@grazesnacks)
Charles Conn, Board Chair, Patagonia (@patagonia)
Cemal Ezel, Founder of Change Please (@CemalEzel / @ChangePlease)
More information
Learn more about the Better Business Act and B-Corps
Find out about Patagonia's environmental commitments
Visit one of Change Please's locations
Live show tickets

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! This week we’re taking you back to the distant days of 1898 when social reformer and ‘practical idealist’ Ebenezer Howard set out his ideas about the Garden City, one of the most radical urban planning experiments in Britain’s history. Can we bring Howard’s utopian vision into the 21st century? We talk to Josh Tidy about the history of the Garden City Movement and how it's faring 125 years on. We find out from Nick Skinner whether Letchworth is actually full of sandal-wearing vegetarians (hey Geoff!) Finally, we chat to Katy Lock about how the garden city movement offers a practical path to a more hopeful future.
Plus: Geoff's got a new business idea...will it make him millions?
Guests
Josh Tidy, Heritage Manager, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation and Curator, International Garden Cities Exhibition (@letchworthgardencity)
Nick Skinner, Manager, The Settlement, Letchworth (@letchworthsettlement)
Katy Lock, Director of Communities and FJ Osborn Fellow, The Town and Country Planning Association (@katy_lock / @theTCPA)
More information
Buy tickets for our one-off live show in Stratford-upon-Avon on 3rd June
A brief introduction to Garden Cities
Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation
The Settlement, Adult Education Centre, Letchworth
Learn about the TCPA's Tomorrow125 project


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! When you’re in the business of optimism, it can be difficult to draw much hope from the mess that Britain is in. Making a change can feel overwhelming and getting involved unappealing. This week, former Labour strategist and now podcaster Alastair Campbell joins Ed and Geoff to talk about his new book about why UK politics has gone so wrong, and why you can - and should - help to fix it.
Plus: Geoff’s turned 50 and took a podcast mini-break. So what's he been up to?
Guest
Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret / @HutchHeinemann)
More information
Buy a copy of But what can I do? Why politics has gone so wrong, and how you can help fix it (Published by @HutchHeinemann)
Buy tickets to Reasons to be Cheerful Live in Stratford Upon Avon on 3rd June

Contact Reasons to be Cheerful via our website, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Let us know your episode ideas, your comments and feedback!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! Geoff’s off this week and friend of the pod and writer Melissa Benn is practicing what we preach in this episode by trialing a new vocation as podcast co-host. This week, sparked by the news of the resignation of Jacinda Ardern and Nicola Sturgeon - we’re talking all about what happens when you take a step back from a high-pressure job. What comes next? And why is the way we think about careers all wrong? We talk to four guests about navigating new career paths, having a mid-career gap year, and whether the dream job really exists. 
Plus: Ed’s gone down a new internet rabbit hole. What is it this time?

Guests
Dr Ali Budjanovcanin, Senior Lecturer in Work Psychology and Public Sector Management at King’s College London, and Career Coach (@AliBudj)
Lucy Kellaway, Economics Teacher and Co-Founder of NowTeach (@lucykellaway / @NowTeachOrg)
Katie White, taking a career break from her role at WWF (@KatieJWhite)
Jaega Wise, Co-Founder and Head Brewer at Wild Card Brewery, London (@jaegawise)

More info
Follow Melissa on Twitter (@Melissa_Benn)
Interested in a career in teaching? Learn more about NowTeach
Attend the 'Teaching Curious with Lord Blunkett' event, hosted by NowTeach (May 23rd)
Check out Wild Card Brewery
Ready to quit your job? Here are 17 things to ask yourself first. (Opinion, Guardian, August 2021)


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! We all know our society is deeply unfair, but how can we fix it? We've been tackling that question for years on RTBC, but according to our guest this week, a twentieth-century philosopher might have already come up with the answer. Daniel Chandler has a new book seeking to excavate the work of John Rawls - the greatest political philosopher you've probably never even heard of - because he believes it can provide the blueprint for a fairer and more equal future. So what are the practicalities of Rawls’ ideas? Could he offer a vision for a 'realistic utopia'? From UBI to democracy vouchers, we find out what exactly political philosophy can do for us.
Plus: Is Ed triathlon ready?
Guest
Daniel Chandler, Author of Free and Equal: What would a fair society look like? (@dan_chandler)
More information
Buy a copy of the book now
Get tickets for our live show on 3rd June, Live at the RSC Festival, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Did you have thoughts on today's episode? Maybe you've got a great idea for a future episode or just want to wish Geoff a happy birthday. You can contact the podcast via our website, Instagram or Twitter!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! This week we’re returning to one of our favourite topics covered in our very first episode when Geoff was closer to 40 than 50: universal basic income. Except this time it's not money for everyone - it's just for artists - and it raises some important questions about how we recognise the role that art plays in our economy, society and communities. Last year Ireland announced a three-year pilot in which 2,000 artists will receive 325€ a week. Is removing financial stress the key to unlocking creative freedom? Will it mean a wider group of people can access the arts? And what can we learn from our own history, including Mrs Thatcher’s Enterprise Allowance Scheme. These are all big questions that we put to our guests: Eliza Easton, Noel Kelly and Love Ssega - formerly of Clean Bandit - a musician working across artistic boundaries.
Plus: It’s the big 5-0 for Geoff as he records a message to his future self...

Guests
Eliza Easton, Deputy Director, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (@ElizaEaston)
Noel Kelly, CEO and Director, Visual Artists Ireland (@VisArtsIreland)
Love Ssega, Musician and Artist in Residence, Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall (@LoveSsega)

More information
Learn more about the PEC, led by Nesta
Learn more about Visual Artists for Ireland, including more information about the Basic Income for the Arts Scheme
Ssega mentioned Ella Kissi-Debrah and her mother's fight to get air pollution on her death certificate
Watch the film of Love Ssega's 'Where are we now?' performance at the National Gallery
Read about Love Ssega and his residency at the Philharmonia Orchestra 
Come to the celebration at 6pm on 8th June at the Royal Festival Hall

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.