The Economist on the politics of patriotism

The difference between a patriot and a nationalist is that patriotism is loving your own country while nationalism invariably seems to end up as at best othering and opposing, at worst hating someone else.

This easter the economist magazine had a Bagehot column about the political advantages of overt displays of patriotism. The Conservatives used to be masters of this - Sir Keir Starmer has so thoroughly learned and applied the lesson that Bagehot reckons he out-patrioted the Conservatives.

If we want to win next time we must not let him do that again.



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