Being ambitious is about individuals enhancing their sense of self-respect and well being, maybe in 'conventional' forms of work, but also by volunteering, caring and following creative or intellectual pursuits. What concerns social democrats is that the means of realising personal ambition are shared equally. Equally important is being ambitious for our society, not just removing harsh and intolerable social injustices, but promoting a culture where people genuinely have equal worth. A New Labour second term needs to translate our goal of ambition into realistic policies capable of practical implementation. It means investing in those things that liberate individual potential.
Education is the obvious starting-point.
Under the Conservatives, spending on education fell dramatically as a proportion of national wealth. Labour has reversed that trend. Primary school results have improved dramatically, secondary school results more slowly. In the second term, radical change must continue, not just through investment in schools, though this is essential. Raising the quality of new entrants to teaching is also crucial.