How did Gary Stevenson go from being expelled for drug dealing, to one of the most successful traders in London? How does class and privilege play into the world of finance in the UK? What could men do differently to deal with their mental health at work? Rory and Alastair are joined by author of The Trading Game, Gary Stevenson, to discuss all this and more. Visit https://www.hp.com/gb-en/shop/offer.aspx?p=b-the-rest-is-politics&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=goalhanger&utm_campaign=therestispolitics to find out more. 00:00 – The collapse of the political centre and elite ignorance 03:36 – Gary’s background: growing up in Ilford, working-class, Mormon roots 06:51 – Mental health, family dynamics, and hiding struggles through work 14:00 – Culture shock at LSE and feeling out of place 21:00 – Evolution of trading floor culture: math geniuses vs cockney dealers 23:28 – Mental health collapse in Japan and rich ≠ happy 29:36 – How the rich benefited from 2008 32:12 – Why living standards will fall: the maths of inequality 35:04 – Why inequality doesn’t slow asset prices: bifurcating economy 37:03 – US vs UK comparison: is wealth inequality really the driver? 39:06 – Populism, class betrayal & why people back Farage and Trump 43:34 – Labour, Rachel Reeves, and class bias in policymaking 46:49 – Working-class economists: blocked paths and insider snobbery 51:04 – Culture of Parliament = Culture of trading: cruelty and competition 54:24 – Masculinity as pathology: traders, closeness, and competition 57:32 – What young working-class men are really up against 59:37 – Will he become an MP? 1:00:49 – Still trading: betting, winning, and proving he’s right 1:01:18 – Debrief