Patriotism v. Nationalism
I regard myself as a British patriot because I love my country, not because I hate anyone else's or regard mine as superior. I'm currently trying to memorise a piece of masonic ritual which includes an encouragement of allegiance to one's native land with the words "ever remembering that nature has implanted in your breast a sacred and indissoluble attachment towards that country whence you derived your birth and infant nurture." In other words the authors of that passage believed it right and natural that, say, a Frenchman should love France, that an American should love America or a Pole love Poland, and that - the key point - none of these feelings is inimical to the others. That, to me is the difference between Patriotism and Nationalism. I have never heard of or met any nationalist movement which did not at least to some extent define itself by what it was not, and by reference to those who were not "one of us" as well as by what it was. T...