I was left feeling a bit flat after yesterday’s keynote speech by David Cameron, Conservative leader, at their annual shindig in Manchester. In fact the whole party conference season here in the UK – which has spanned three whole weeks now, and has given us an insight into the thinking and narratives of the three leading political parties – has hardly left me feeling inspired. Without doubt, the high point was the Labour Prime Minister’s keynote at the Labour conference last week in Brighton. For his failings (which are superficial and mainly a result of the pathetic British media), he’s still the heavyweight of British politics.

Gordon’s speech was good, really good actually, but it was typical of British politics in that our leaders don’t reach high enough in their efforts to inspire. That’s not Gordon Brown’s fault; he’s grown up in our political environment, and is clearly a master of it or he would never have reached No. 10 as head of government. We have a bit of an attitude problem here in Britain: although we have some of the most successful people in the world, in a diverse range of fields from business to science to diplomacy, as a nation we tend to be uncomfortable with big success, and those people who do very well for themselves are more likely to be treated with jealousy and bitterness than the respect and encouragement they deserve (hence the harsh media environment, and the celebrity obsession).

“Social mobility” is a common buzzword you’ll hear if you take part in or observe political debate in the UK. We’ve made it a priority of the Labour Government since 1997 to improve people’s chances of shifting from a background of relative poverty and lack of opportunity to one with opportunity and prosperity. A lot has been done to improve education for millions of children across the country, and higher education has been opened up to more; even the vaunted halls of Oxford & Cambridge universities are now easier to get into for those who didn’t go to grammar school or with wealthy and/or well-connected parents. If you missed an opportunity to go to university through the traditional route, it’s now much easier to take a degree as a mature student (technically those over 21) – legally, every university must give serious consideration to an applicant’s individual circumstances, and if you are over 21 there can’t be a formal requirement for A-levels or other qualifications; entry is based on demonstrable merit alone. Education isn’t the only route to a prosperous life. I’ve long believed that Britain is one of the best places, if not the best, where one can get along in career and life without going to university. I myself left school at 16 because I’d taught myself how to program computers and was offered a job at a dot-com.

Whilst I agree that more can and should always be done to make it easier for the underprivileged to get a step up in life, I also strongly believe that our politicians and others in the ruling class must seek to inspire and encourage our young to aspire to a better life for themselves. One of the main themes of David Cameron’s speech yesterday was responsibility. He wants the country to be more responsible, in family life, governance, economics (macro & micro), and that sounds completely reasonable. We all have responsibilities, and we must live up to them. But really, is that any way to inspire a nation to want better for itself? Nobody actually WANTS more responsibility. No, if I were the leader of the opposition, perhaps seven months from a general election into which I go with a 9% lead in the polls, I would be reaching high and setting lofty ambitions for my government and people. Life will improve for individuals, families, communities and indeed the country, if you successfully inspire people to want better for themselves. If they have the prize in mind (be it a good job, a nice home, success in sport or arts, a thousand other things…), and actually feel like they can achieve their goals, perhaps people would be more likely to knuckle down, do the hard work, stay on the straight and narrow and go and get what it is they want. And if people associate a particular politician with high aspiration that can also improve their lives, maybe they’ll vote for him too!

We’ve become spoiled. Tony Blair came into power with a pretty clear mandate for sweeping change. You can feel free to criticise but Labour’s achievement list is a very, very long one, as Gordon Brown demonstrated at the opening of his speech last week. But really, the job of a British prime minister isn’t to completely re-structure the way the country works. Of course, once in a generation that’s absolutely necessary. We are still on the narrative arch which started with near-bankruptcy in the 1970s under Callaghan, led to years of social unrest and harsh economic conditions under Thatcher, a slight thaw under John Major and then the major reforms that Tony Blair brought in, continued today by Gordon Brown. We’re doing great in many ways, despite the recession that the whole world is currently going through. I’m being long-winded here, but my point is that the job of every PM isn’t to reshape the country but to respond adequately and responsibly to the events and conditions of the day, as well as to set the tone for the rest of the nation. There will always be room for reform, and we should stay on the progressive march, but I think one of the reasons Gordon Brown is seen as a less successful PM than he might be is that the media are constantly waiting for huge policy initiatives, when actually PM Brown is doing a fine job in reacting to events (“events dear boy, events”!!). What’s important to me is the tone that the government of the day sets. And that should be one of inspiration, aspiration, personal achievement, social improvement for all and not just by the government.

I was raised by a single mother in one of the poorest parts of the country, my father died when I was five, but he was never really around anyway. We didn’t have much of an extended family, except for my grandmother (who was the one that got me interested in politics!), and being poor in Thatcher’s Britain wasn’t particularly nice. David Cameron would have written me off as the spawn of a single parent, I’m sure people thought I would never have achieved anything. I didn’t do well at school, despite the fact that I was perfectly capable of excelling academically. But things have turned out okay. I’m now raising a family of my own, have been successful in carving out my own career out in a field I’m very passionate about. It’s down to aspiration. I always wanted better for myself, and was told I could do anything I put my mind to. I don’t need more responsibility from David Cameron – I want inspiration from my political leaders.