Patriotism

Jeremy Paxman is usually known as the scourge of all politicians but in the Daily Telegraph this week he had a piece with the title and last line,

"What is wrong with cherishing the land in which you live?"

Through the medium of discussing Shakespeare's play "Henry V" he discusses what patriotism means in a modern context.

I have no time for those who think we should with to separate ourselves from, or think ourselves somehow innately superior to all other countries or their inhabitants, which is more like nationalism or xenophobia than patriotism. But surely you can love your country in a way which recognises and accepts that people of other lands love theirs.

And for all our faults, there are plenty of things about this country to love.

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