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Politicians keep using the word aspiration – but what does it mean? Politicians keep using the word aspiration – but what does it mean?
(4 months later)
On the Today programme earlier this week, John Prescott took issue with the word that has come to define the Labour leadership contest. “What the hell does this mean, ‘aspiration’?” he asked. “I hear a lot of the candidates talking about it. They’ve clearly got aspiration, but what the heck does it mean?” When asked if it was meaningless, he continued, “I think they will recognise that shortly”.On the Today programme earlier this week, John Prescott took issue with the word that has come to define the Labour leadership contest. “What the hell does this mean, ‘aspiration’?” he asked. “I hear a lot of the candidates talking about it. They’ve clearly got aspiration, but what the heck does it mean?” When asked if it was meaningless, he continued, “I think they will recognise that shortly”.
The word has been used by Tony Blair, in his prescription for what Labour should do next; “Labour has to be for ambition and aspiration as well as compassion and care,” he wrote, in the immediate wake of the party’s election defeat. In an interview that same weekend, Liz Kendall, who is running for the leadership, echoed Blair’s comments, saying, “we need to show people that we understand their aspirations and ambitions for the future, and if you look right across England, we did not do enough to appeal to Conservative supporters, and we must”.The word has been used by Tony Blair, in his prescription for what Labour should do next; “Labour has to be for ambition and aspiration as well as compassion and care,” he wrote, in the immediate wake of the party’s election defeat. In an interview that same weekend, Liz Kendall, who is running for the leadership, echoed Blair’s comments, saying, “we need to show people that we understand their aspirations and ambitions for the future, and if you look right across England, we did not do enough to appeal to Conservative supporters, and we must”.
And Andy Burnham, one of the frontrunners in the race, spoke of aspiration when he launched his bid. He said the party’s challenge was to rediscover the beating heart of Labour, “and that is about the aspirations of everyone, speaking to them like we did in 1997 ... giving every single person the dream of a better life, about helping all of our businesses, small and large, to get on and grow”.And Andy Burnham, one of the frontrunners in the race, spoke of aspiration when he launched his bid. He said the party’s challenge was to rediscover the beating heart of Labour, “and that is about the aspirations of everyone, speaking to them like we did in 1997 ... giving every single person the dream of a better life, about helping all of our businesses, small and large, to get on and grow”.
So is aspiration a vacuous platitude, or the key to political success? Here, four writers discuss what it means to them.So is aspiration a vacuous platitude, or the key to political success? Here, four writers discuss what it means to them.
Mary O’Hara: ‘It’s not so much alarm bells that go off as the snooze button’Mary O’Hara: ‘It’s not so much alarm bells that go off as the snooze button’
In the blink of an eye the word aspiration has gone from being a relatively normal, mildly dull word that belongs in job interviews or on university application forms to one of those tedious buzzwords so beloved of modern politicians.In the blink of an eye the word aspiration has gone from being a relatively normal, mildly dull word that belongs in job interviews or on university application forms to one of those tedious buzzwords so beloved of modern politicians.
It has the honour of joining terms used incessantly such as “hard-working people”, “skiver” and “striver”, as a surefire way to send anyone listening into an instant stupor. In the absence of clear policy alternatives, concepts such as aspiration find fertile ground, but they are not a substitute for genuine opposition. Why Labour leadership hopefuls would see this as a way to connect with people is beyond me, not least because the word was paired so soporifically only recently with “nation” by David Cameron, which was enough to make any half-sentient person reach for a sick bag. Like so much of political-speak it is meaninglessly vague.It has the honour of joining terms used incessantly such as “hard-working people”, “skiver” and “striver”, as a surefire way to send anyone listening into an instant stupor. In the absence of clear policy alternatives, concepts such as aspiration find fertile ground, but they are not a substitute for genuine opposition. Why Labour leadership hopefuls would see this as a way to connect with people is beyond me, not least because the word was paired so soporifically only recently with “nation” by David Cameron, which was enough to make any half-sentient person reach for a sick bag. Like so much of political-speak it is meaninglessly vague.
In and of itself, aspiring to something that would make your life, or that of your family, better is of course no bad thing. However modest or grand an aspiration, dream, goal, ambition – call it what you like – it’s nice to have something to aim for. When I was a child growing up in a disadvantaged community, being told by teachers that I could aspire to a good education and all the benefits that came with that gave me something to hang on to. It meant something. It was concrete.In and of itself, aspiring to something that would make your life, or that of your family, better is of course no bad thing. However modest or grand an aspiration, dream, goal, ambition – call it what you like – it’s nice to have something to aim for. When I was a child growing up in a disadvantaged community, being told by teachers that I could aspire to a good education and all the benefits that came with that gave me something to hang on to. It meant something. It was concrete.
However, when politicians appropriate otherwise functional, innocent words as a verbal crutch to supposedly define or market themselves or their (lack of) ideas, it’s not so much alarm bells that go off as the snooze button. Perhaps I’m missing something, but I don’t think so.However, when politicians appropriate otherwise functional, innocent words as a verbal crutch to supposedly define or market themselves or their (lack of) ideas, it’s not so much alarm bells that go off as the snooze button. Perhaps I’m missing something, but I don’t think so.
Rupert Myers: ‘If we were less British, we might just call it ambition’Rupert Myers: ‘If we were less British, we might just call it ambition’
Aspiration is the less elegant dictionary sibling of hope – it suggests personal ambition, rather than a collective dream. There are fewer hopeful magazines than there are aspirational ones. Aspiration connotes an individualistic tendency, and is therefore liable to be tarnished in the minds of those who deride personal ambition, who would prefer a race in which there are no winners or losers. To those whose preferred flavour of equality is outcome-based, aspiration is something of an anathema.Aspiration is the less elegant dictionary sibling of hope – it suggests personal ambition, rather than a collective dream. There are fewer hopeful magazines than there are aspirational ones. Aspiration connotes an individualistic tendency, and is therefore liable to be tarnished in the minds of those who deride personal ambition, who would prefer a race in which there are no winners or losers. To those whose preferred flavour of equality is outcome-based, aspiration is something of an anathema.
It is also the name given by medicine to the act of breathing. Critics of a society which encourages personal success should consider that coincidence. Aspiration is a word meaning both a personal drive to achieve, and one of the most fundamental acts necessary to remain alive. It is not a flaw, but a necessary part of life. That isn’t to say that it is easy. The aspiration to be fitter has me reduced to the self-inflicted boredom of the treadmill. The aspiration to one day write a column has me sharing my exercise regime in public. If we were less British we might just call it ambition, but “aspiration” has a Tim Henman-ish quality of uncertainty to it. In the context of the Labour leadership contest there is nothing uncertain about it at all. It means a tack to the right, to appeal to personal ambition, by those whose personal ambition is to win the next general election by appealing to the centre ground.It is also the name given by medicine to the act of breathing. Critics of a society which encourages personal success should consider that coincidence. Aspiration is a word meaning both a personal drive to achieve, and one of the most fundamental acts necessary to remain alive. It is not a flaw, but a necessary part of life. That isn’t to say that it is easy. The aspiration to be fitter has me reduced to the self-inflicted boredom of the treadmill. The aspiration to one day write a column has me sharing my exercise regime in public. If we were less British we might just call it ambition, but “aspiration” has a Tim Henman-ish quality of uncertainty to it. In the context of the Labour leadership contest there is nothing uncertain about it at all. It means a tack to the right, to appeal to personal ambition, by those whose personal ambition is to win the next general election by appealing to the centre ground.
Dawn Foster: ‘Aspiration is not the preserve of the middle classes’Dawn Foster: ‘Aspiration is not the preserve of the middle classes’
Post-election, we’ve been treated to a gang of Labour candidates embodying precisely nothing, but waxing lyrical about such absolute nonsense as “aspiration”. John Prescott has rightly pointed out that this means precisely nothing – but it handily dodges one of the most urgent issues facing Britain today. The issue the supposed party of the working class are uncomfortable with: massive inequality.Post-election, we’ve been treated to a gang of Labour candidates embodying precisely nothing, but waxing lyrical about such absolute nonsense as “aspiration”. John Prescott has rightly pointed out that this means precisely nothing – but it handily dodges one of the most urgent issues facing Britain today. The issue the supposed party of the working class are uncomfortable with: massive inequality.
If you spend more than five minutes speaking to anyone earning the minimum wage in Britain – which none of the party leaders in our expertly stage-managed election campaign seemingly managed to do – you’re not met with an individual who doesn’t dream of a better life. Aspiration is not the preserve of the middle classes, although that’s how it’s often portrayed. In Liverpool last week, I met a young mother who worked, alongside her partner, in minimum wage jobs trying to support her children. She “aspired” to feed, house and clothe them: poverty wages and burgeoning living costs meant she was unable to do so without state assistance. A focus on “aspiration” imagines a lumpen working class who could rise from their circumstances of birth and climb the social ranks purely through force of will. Reality tells us otherwise.If you spend more than five minutes speaking to anyone earning the minimum wage in Britain – which none of the party leaders in our expertly stage-managed election campaign seemingly managed to do – you’re not met with an individual who doesn’t dream of a better life. Aspiration is not the preserve of the middle classes, although that’s how it’s often portrayed. In Liverpool last week, I met a young mother who worked, alongside her partner, in minimum wage jobs trying to support her children. She “aspired” to feed, house and clothe them: poverty wages and burgeoning living costs meant she was unable to do so without state assistance. A focus on “aspiration” imagines a lumpen working class who could rise from their circumstances of birth and climb the social ranks purely through force of will. Reality tells us otherwise.
The cult of aspiration relies on outliers: from a workless family on benefits in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Wales, I managed to achieve the grades to get to a top university, then elbowed my way into one of the most elitist professions in Britain. When meeting new people, the question always pops up: “What happened?”, as if I’ll tell them the cheat code for achieving against the odds. Aspiration demands I say I worked hard, and really wanted it. I didn’t. I didn’t work particularly hard at school. I came close to applying for the army over university. I nearly dropped out once I was there. What happened was a supportive welfare state, subsidised higher education and a whacking great scholarship which provided the structure that meant I could achieve more than my life chances predicted. But for every outlier, there are dozens more who are stuck in low-paid jobs, homeless or unemployed. And “aspiration” tells them the only reason they’re not me, is not bad luck, but because they didn’t want it enough. The cult of aspiration relies on outliers: from a workless family on benefits in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Wales, I managed to achieve the grades to get to a top university, then elbowed my way into one of the most elitist professions in Britain. When meeting new people, the question always pops up: “What happened?”, as if I’ll tell them the cheat code for achieving against the odds. Aspiration demands I say I worked hard, and really wanted it. I didn’t. I didn’t work particularly hard at school. I came close to applying for the army over university. I nearly dropped out once I was there. What happened was a supportive welfare state, subsidised higher education and a whacking great scholarship which provided the structure that meant I could achieve more than my life chances predicted. But for every outlier, there are dozens more who are stuck in low-paid jobs, homeless or unemployed. And “aspiration” tells them the only reason they’re not me is not bad luck, but because they didn’t want it enough.
Bidisha: ‘We can aspire till we’re blue in the face, but without wealth and connections we’re unlikely to get anywhere’Bidisha: ‘We can aspire till we’re blue in the face, but without wealth and connections we’re unlikely to get anywhere’
New Labour have a lot to answer for. They took their patron saint, the Iron Lady, put her in chinos and a holiday villa in Tuscany and rebirthed her as Tony Blair. They took her buzzwords of individualist success and competitive marketeering, put them through a management consultancy brainstorming meeting in a break-out space in a loft conversion, and rebranded them as aspiration.New Labour have a lot to answer for. They took their patron saint, the Iron Lady, put her in chinos and a holiday villa in Tuscany and rebirthed her as Tony Blair. They took her buzzwords of individualist success and competitive marketeering, put them through a management consultancy brainstorming meeting in a break-out space in a loft conversion, and rebranded them as aspiration.
In the last 20 years, aspiration has given everything a lifestyle makeover, from Sunday supplements boasting 20-page fashion features to sumptuous M&S microwave meal TV ads, all slow-motion crumbling choux buns and oozing fondant. You can buy yourself a right “clarsey and sophisticayted” McCafe Latte from McDonalds.In the last 20 years, aspiration has given everything a lifestyle makeover, from Sunday supplements boasting 20-page fashion features to sumptuous M&S microwave meal TV ads, all slow-motion crumbling choux buns and oozing fondant. You can buy yourself a right “clarsey and sophisticayted” McCafe Latte from McDonalds.
If ambition is the 1980s Reaganomics distillation of greed, aspiration is its weaselly Little Englander 1990s version: outwardly modest, yet exuding an overwhelming sense of entitlement. Ambition dressed in braces and pinstripes and wanted to be rich; aspiration slopes around, self-conscious yet puffed up, in hipster tweeds, and wants to be famous.If ambition is the 1980s Reaganomics distillation of greed, aspiration is its weaselly Little Englander 1990s version: outwardly modest, yet exuding an overwhelming sense of entitlement. Ambition dressed in braces and pinstripes and wanted to be rich; aspiration slopes around, self-conscious yet puffed up, in hipster tweeds, and wants to be famous.
Aspiration is magical thinking: believing you can have everything you want if you strategise shrewdly, reinvent yourself, push upscale, stay hungry and keep the faith.Aspiration is magical thinking: believing you can have everything you want if you strategise shrewdly, reinvent yourself, push upscale, stay hungry and keep the faith.
We are mesmerised by narratives of individual success, from Jessica Ennis to JK Rowling, without acknowledging that these successes are exceptional. We watch The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den and shows in which Mary Portas and Alex Polizzi make over entire businesses, despite the majority of all businesses failing. We’re inspired by housewife bloggers or self-published authors who get huge book deals, but these opportunities are given to one or two people a year out of millions of writers. The reality is that given today’s social stagnation, steep inequality, high debt and a race-to-the-bottom job market, we can aspire until we’re blue in the face. But without advantages of wealth and connections we’re unlikely to get anywhere. We are mesmerised by narratives of individual success, from Jessica Ennis-Hill to JK Rowling, without acknowledging that these successes are exceptional. We watch The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den and shows in which Mary Portas and Alex Polizzi make over entire businesses, despite the majority of all businesses failing. We’re inspired by housewife bloggers or self-published authors who get huge book deals, but these opportunities are given to one or two people a year out of millions of writers. The reality is that given today’s social stagnation, steep inequality, high debt and a race-to-the-bottom job market, we can aspire until we’re blue in the face. But without advantages of wealth and connections we’re unlikely to get anywhere.