As politicians bring the government to a standstill, we ask what the partial shutdown means for those who voted them into power. Also on this week's episode: What do you do when you are one of the most heavily indebted nations in the developed world and need to raise some money? Well, according to the Japanese prime minister, you raise the national sales tax to eight percent. Plus, Counting the Cost heads to Birmingham, the country's second city and former industrial heartland, and asks whether the growth being felt in London means anything to the country's poor.