BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts

Welcome to Political Thinking, the podcast that this week has got me thinking about what

makes a successful political leader.

And your voice still calm and clear is like the voice of our country.

And as I listen to you, I felt both admiration but also a sense of responsibility and guilt

because I recognise that I'm of your parents' generation and I recognise that we have

not done nearly enough in order to deal with the problem of climate change and the broader

environmental and ecological crisis that we have helped create.

You probably recognise that voice but you may be a little surprised by the sentiment.

That is Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary praising the 16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl

with the plats who's become the moral conscience of the world.

Gove was speaking just moments after Greta Tunberg had chastised the entire political class

for not doing enough to combat global warming and in a room full of greens with a small

G rather than a large G he found a way of embracing the ideas and the politics of Greta,

reminding people of why despite all the problems he obviously comes with,

Michael Gove remains one of those people in the running to be our next Prime Minister.

We, the people in this extinction rebellion and the children's school struggle for the

climate, we are the ones making a difference.

It shouldn't be like that but since no one else is doing anything we will have to do so.

I was lucky enough this week to hear Greta speak not once but twice and also to sit

down to interview her.

And afterwards he got me thinking what is it about this girl who walked out of school late

...