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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Presented by Tom Clark and produced by Phil Maynard

Politics Weekly podcast: The 'squeezed middle', referendums and the green agenda

David Cameron promised that the coalition government would be Britain's greenest ever. But as the political agenda has been increasingly dominated by the debate over funding for public services, green policy has seemingly taken a back seat.

In the studio this week, Green party leader and MP Caroline Lucas says the government can tackle unemployment while investing in greener policies. She also claims that the u-turn on the sell-off of the country's woodland shows that the Conservatives are losing touch with the public on environmental issues.

Also this week: as the path is cleared for Rupert Murdoch to buy up the remaining shares in BSkyB, Martin Kettle and Michael White are unsurprised. But how damaging will the episode be for the government - and Vince Cable in particular?

Plus: Ed Miliband used a speech at the Resolution Foundation to reinforce his arguments on tackling entrenched inequality in Britain. He says that the cost of living amounts to a "quiet crisis" among households.

And as Wales votes in a referendum on the powers of its devolved government, we ask why people appear so uninterested in it.

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