Reasons Revisited

Hello! Geoff’s hopped on a train up to Doncaster to visit Ed on the campaign trail. After their catch up, we explore the argument for compulsory voting in elections. Judith Brett tells us about how Australia got compulsory voting back in the 1920s and the impact it’s had on their politics. Then political scientist Sarah Birch argues that it’s time for the UK to follow suit. AND Comedian Glenn Moor...

Hello! Away from the set piece speeches and TV interviews, British elections are fought by thousands of party activists going door-to-door to speak to voters. But what impact does this really have and why are political campaigns around the world increasingly looking to the ‘ground campaign’? Becky Bond tells us the story of how her team pioneered a new way of involving volunteers in the Bernie San...

Hello! The climate crisis is higher on the political agenda than ever before, with more than half of people saying it will influence how they vote in the UK general election. We’re discussing how to ensure that this is the first ‘climate election’ with Alice Bell from climate campaign Possible and Fatima Ibrahim from Green New Deal UK. Then Catherine Abreu talks us through the role of climate poli...

Hello! Why are political adverts banned on TV and radio but allowed all over websites like Facebook and Google? Is it time to update our campaign laws for the 21st century? Sam Jeffers explains how campaign group ‘Who Targets Me’ are opening up the black box of online ads in elections. Then digital campaigning expert Kate Dommett talks about why current electoral rules aren’t up to the job and wha...

Here's a preview of a new spin off we have with Owen Jones ahead of the general election. Head to https://play.acast.com/s/cheerfulelectiondaily or search for Cheerful Election Daily in your podcast app of choice and subscribe 27 DAYS TO GO Episode 1 sees Owen looking over the country, how the surveys are looking and at the age of voters. Why are the Tories so keen to bring up immigration right no...

Hello! The UK was late to the party on holding TV election debates. What can we learn from other countries about how to do them well? Nick Anstead talks us through why we avoided debates for so long and where we’re still going wrong. US expert Diana Carlin explains the history of presidential debates and why she thinks they’ve been good for democracy. Then Graham Fox discusses Canada’s recent expe...

Hello! What if government promised a job to anyone who needed one at any time? That’s the principle behind an idea gaining traction in the US: the universal jobs guarantee. Economic historian Lord Robert Skidelsky explains how governments have approached full employment in the past and why a jobs guarantee is now the best way to achieve it. Then US expert Pavlina Tcherneva talks about how the...

Hello! With 15% population taking 70% flights in the UK, is a frequent flyer tax the fairest way to tackle the contribution of aviation to the climate crisis? We talk to Professor Alice Larkin about the problem of aviation emissions and why technology isn’t coming to the rescue any time soon. Then Leo Murray makes the argument for a frequent flyer tax and explains how it would work in practice. AN...

Hello! From Russian bots to deep fakes, what threat does fake news actually pose and how can we stop it spreading? We hear from social psychologist Sander van der Linden about why we believe fake news and how “prebunking” can help us to spot it. Samantha Bradshaw explains how tech firm business models contribute to the problem. Then Vesa Häkkinen talks us through Finland’s anti-disinformation camp...

Hello! Is mobilising 3.5% of the population all it takes to achieve political change? As Extinction Rebellion continue their latest action in London, we’re talking about the ideas behind non-violent civil disobedience. We hear from some of those involved in Extinction Rebellion, before spokesperson Zion Lights talks us through their theory of change. Historian Talat Ahmed explains Gandhi’s approac...

Hello! With around 10% of UK shops currently sitting empty, we’re talking about how communities can lead the revival of our high streets. Are Ed’s make-your-own sandwich shops part of the answer? Our experts aren’t convinced… Professor Cathy Parker tells us about the extent of current problems and why concern about high streets is nothing new. Vidhya Alakeson from Power to Change argues that the f...

Hello! When they go short-term, we go long-term… This week we’re talking about how to represent the needs of future generations in decision-making. Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, tells us about her job and what the rest of the world can learn from it. Then policy wonks Laurie Laybourn-Langton and Andrea Westall discuss the causes of short-termism in politics, its impact on...

Hello! Here’s an episode you’ve been asking us to do for a while: we’re talking about the case for universal childcare. Susanne Garvis explains what we can learn from the childcare utopia of Sweden, where she spends more on pre-school for her puppy than her daughter. Then childcare experts Claire Harding and Jerome de Henau discuss problems with the UK system & how we could achieve universal p...

Hello! With an election on the cards, we’re talking about voter registration. The Resolution Foundation’s Laura Gardiner explains the relatively recent phenomenon of low youth turnout and Mete Coban tells us about what his organisation, My Life My Say, is doing about it. Then Danielle Root, voting rights expert at the Centre for American Progress, talks us through the success of new ‘Motor Voter’...

Hello! There are 430,000 problem gamblers in the UK, with a further 2 million at risk of developing gambling problems. What’s driving this ‘hidden epidemic’ and what do we do about it? Charles and Liz Ritchie from Gambling with Lives share the story of their son who took his life after problems with gambling and discuss their campaign for reform. Then Henrietta Bowden-Jones, director of the Nation...

Hello! Has our failure to understand Britain’s history played a role in recent political events? This week, we discuss teaching about the British Empire in schools with Professor Gurminder Bhambra, expert in postcolonial studies, and Jason Todd, former history teacher and now lecturer in history education. They give us an overview of the British Empire, before explaining its current place in histo...

Hello! At this live show recorded at the Underbelly Festival in London we’re talking about the climate emergency, Extinction Rebellion and reaching net zero carbon emissions. What’s the scale of the crisis? How do we reach net zero? And what’s it got to do with Geoff’s favourite mangos? We’re joined by Emily Shuckburgh, a leading climate scientist; Chris Stark, chief executive of the Committee on...

Hello! It's the 100th episode of Reasons to be Cheerful! In this very special show, recorded live at the world’s most famous recording studio, we talk to a fantastic bunch of guests about the power of music education. Deborah Annetts from the Incorporated Society of Musicians and music teacher Jimmy Rotherham discuss the crisis of music education in schools and how much better it could b...

Hello! Summer’s here and the time is right for… the first of our episodes recorded live at the Underbelly Festival. Britain is one of the only countries in the world without a codified constitution. Is it finally time to do something about it? Professor Jeff King & Dr Hannah White discuss how our constitution works, its role in Bre**t and whether this could be an opportunity for reform. Jeff w...

Hello! This week we talk to two inspiring organisations getting people involved in their communities to break down divides and tackle loneliness. We’re joined by Alex Smith from the Cares Family, a charity bringing young professionals together with older people, and Ivo Gormley from GoodGym, which encourages people to combine exercise with doing good. Then Emma and Joyce from B...

Hello! Britain has amongst the lowest tree coverage of any country in Europe. This week we’re discussing why we should plant more trees for their many benefits including tackling the climate emergency and cooling our cities. Emi Murphy from Friends of the Earth talks about their campaign to double trees in Britain and tree expert Rob MacKenzie explains his ‘sci fi forest’ experiment in Birmingham....

Hello! Households in the UK have a combined £1.6 trillion of personal debt and this is growing. What impact does this debt have and what we should we do about it? We talk to filmmaker Dan Edelstyn, creator of the ‘Bank Job’ - a film/art project to write off local community debt in Walthamstow. Laura Hanna explains the ‘Rolling Jubilee’ campaign in the US and what they’re now doing to mobilise thos...

Hello! We’ve got another Cheerful Book Club pilot episode for you. We’re joined by Billy Bragg to chat about his new book, ‘The Three Dimensions of Freedom’. Billy talks about politics in the age of social media, the importance of accountability, and finding principles to guide the kind of society we want. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! 45% of LGBT young people are bullied in school and 40% say they are never taught anything about LGBT issues. We talk to Stonewall chief executive Ruth Hunt about the importance of LGBT-inclusive education, how we can support trans young people, and the state of LGBT rights more broadly. Then co-founder of the Time for Inclusive Education campaign, Liam Stevenson, explains how they persuaded...

Hello! The Women’s World Cup may have captivated the nation, but we are a long way away from gender equality in sport. From media coverage to pay to participation, there is still a large gender gap. The US has just become the first country ever to win the World Cup four times. Does 'Title IX', a US law passed in the 1970s, offer lessons in how to address gender inequality in sport? We talk to Baro...