EMQs: Is toxic masculinity a government problem?

This week, Ed Balls and George Osborne mull museums and memes via bank holidays and pennies. With listeners telling us their locations of choice, funeral director Ross ranks highly with his admission that Ed and George are sometimes listened to in a hearse on the drive home. The pair consider: what are the merits of regulating the funeral industry?

Should our cultural institutions be charging more for access?

George calls upon his expertise as Chair of the British Museum to weigh it up. Meanwhile, Ed shares his own research into the economics of a bank holiday… do we really stand to lose billions if the government was to introduce another?

Toxic masculinity and online safety are in the spotlight in the wake of Netflix’s hit show Adolescence, with research indicating that young people in the UK are particularly worried about these issues. Ed and George look at the role of government in addressing their concerns, before assessing whether the humble penny should remain a staple of British life. 

And a touch of nostalgia …  a listener reminds the economic duo of the ‘Budget Rap Battle’, put together by Sky News when the pair were on opposite sides of the dispatch box. Ed expresses scepticism that such memes can make a political difference, although both agree that Nick Clegg’s I’m Sorry remix was a damaging – albeit amusing – moment in the Lib Dem leader’s career…. 

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Technical Producer: Danny Pape 

Producers: Miriam Hall and Jarek Żaba

Executive Producer: Dino Sofos

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