Birmingham Salon 5th April - Does Britain Inspire Aspiration?

Birmingham Salon is part of a network of salons affiliated to the Academy of Ideas.We believe strongly in the principle of free speech – we tackle the thorniest of questions and no topic is off limits.Our debates are structured to encourage audience participation.As we see it, the starting point for changing our world is open debate where ideas are understood, scrutinised and contested.  Our speakers are experts in their field, but they can expect to be challenged by our audience.

Birmingham Salon

Are we a nation that aspires to greatness or do we lack ambition? Two successful entrepreneurs will share their views.

Cherry Red's Cafe Bar

In 2022, in her inaugural speech as prime minister, Liz Truss promised to transform the U.K. into an “aspiration nation”, by growing the economy, tackling the energy crisis and fixing the National Health Service. She was in power for less than two months and unable to see her plan through.&nbsp;Whatever it was Liz Truss thought was missing in Britain in 2022, it appears it is still not a place one would currently associate with aspiration. Whether it’s one millionaire/potential wealth creator leaving the country every 45 minutes since the Labour Party came into power last year, or the removal of the private schools VAT exemption affecting the ability of middle classes to pay for their children’s education, Britain does not feel like a country that encourages people to strive to be better than their current circumstances.In his book The End of Aspiration, Duncan Exley spoke to academics and experts and developed four themes that help or hinder aspiration: - it helps if children have families and security of income and of housing tenure. -&nbsp; if helps if people have what Exley calls a “posh friend”, someone who can inform people of unthought of educational and career options. – it hinders if there are barriers on the road to opportunity, which some can’t afford but which the privileged (who tend to be in the most influential positions) can afford, such as internships, certain items, and entry to places - mobility is easier when room at the top is made available.While there is truth in all of these points, a lack of desire and ambition is not restricted to financial success. The derogatory phrase “too clever by half” has been in use since the 16th century. Other countries do not seem to appear to have phrases deriding a person’s intelligence and ambition.On the flip side, Britain has shown ambition before. From the Industrial Revolution to inventions which have changed people’s lives to scientific breakthroughs, Britain has a history of great achievements. But do we laud them? Perhaps it’s the ubiquity of British inventions such as cement, stainless steel, jet engines and tin cans, the seemingly ever present items that make up the modern world, that mean they are no longer remarkable and nothing to aspire to. But what about the internet? Is the lack of aspiration in Britain a modern trend? If so, why is this the case and if not, why not?Does telling children from particular groups that they are oppressed suppress or encourage ambition, or is it just done to underline the reality of poverty and the difficulties poverty can present for a person realising their potential?America developed the American Dream. What is Britain’s dream? Speakers: Alastair Mellon - Alastair qualified as a civil engineer and has built railways, factories, and apartments. He has also invested in businesses, including Europe’s most successful online psychiatry business.Rob Laker - after starting his working life as a physicist, Rob set up his own software and analysis business, and has now expanded into tutoring in physics, maths, computer science, philosophy and religious studies. Chair: Chris Akers

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Birmingham Salon 5th April - Does Britain Inspire Aspiration?

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