Leo McKinstry

Leo McKinstry is a British author and journalist, noted for his extensive coverage of British and Irish history and best-selling sporting biographies. Since 2005 he has been a columnist for the Daily Express.

Patriotism isn't a dirty word, it's exactly what our country needs now

WE are fast bec­oming a shell of a nation, our heritage despised by our governing elite.

PATRIOTIC The Queen and Prince Phillip watch a man dressed as St George PATRIOTIC: The Queen and Prince Phillip watch a man dressed as St George

Patriot­ism is an alien, even despicable, concept to our rulers, who want to celebrate every culture but our own.

That depressing truth was brought home to me recently when I attended a religious parade in a market town in France to mark the anniversary of a local saint’s death.

A sense of reverence infused the occasion as the priest bore a statue of the saint through the streets, accompanied by children carrying paper lanterns lit by candles. The parade went through an overwhelmingly Muslim area but the police ensured that it proceeded without a hint of trouble.

As I walked alongside the other worshippers, I thought that such an event would be unthinkable in any British town with a large Muslim population. The local authority and police would wail about the “health and safety risks” to children from lighted candles. Then they would moan about the “religious and cultural sensitivities” of the “community” and demand the cancellation or re-routing of the parade.

A once proud nation has no unifying spirit of identity

Cringing before militant Islam has become the default mode of modern Britain. In France, the gendarmerie rightly felt it was their duty to protect the local Christian heritage. In Britain, our politically correct police chiefs are increasingly hostile towards traditional expressions of pride.

If that sounds like an exaggeration, then consider the ban imposed by Bradford police on a St George’s Day parade this Wednesday. Even though the event was planned to be a multi­racial celebration, the police said it could not go ahead because of fears of violence and, inevitably, “health and safety” concerns. If only the police could put the same energy into fighting criminality.

Sadly, the Bradford ban on St George is all too typical of the mindset of our civic institutions, which have turned national self-loathing into a mode of governance.

Almost 70 years ago, when Britain was locked in battle against Nazi Germany, there was a sentimental song which helped to raise morale. The key verse went: “There’ll always be an England/And England shall be free/If England means as much to you/As England means to me.” 

Thinking of the heroism of the Spitfire pilots or the families struggling in the Blitz, all of them united by a love of their homeland, those words still bring a lump to my throat.

But for our ruling elite, this means nothing. Our rulers have handed over our sovereignty to Brussels, transformed the fabric of our society through mass immigration and destroyed our nationhood  through cultural diversity.

A once proud, cohesive nation now has no unifying spirit of national identity. Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, says that large parts of our country are sliding towards a “Cold War” because of mutual suspicion between different communities.

Labour Ministers, of course, never admit to their destructive intent. In an interview in advance of St George’s Day, Jack Straw professed his love of England, referring to the “wondrous” landscape, our “rich, beautiful” language and our country’s “Christian churches, living symbols of the power of faith”. Straw’s words would have been more convincing if his Government’s actions didn’t point in exactly the opposite direction. 

So the landscape is being destroyed by the developers’ bulldozers, partly because of the pressure on housing to accommodate migrants.

Similarly, the Islamification of Britain has shattered the influence of Christianity, abetted by supine leaders like the Imam of Canterbury who seek to have sharia law established in our land. And, like the teaching of history, the glory of our language is hardly sustained by a dumbed-down education system, which is more interested in social engineering than in teaching children about their country’s literature and past.

In his St George’s Day interview, Jack Straw had the nerve to claim that his devotion to his country was inspired by “the institutions of democracy and justice”. It is a surprise given that his Government has ruthlessly politicised the police and civil service, transferred most of our law-making to the EU and allowed voting to be undermined by mass fraud.

Through devolution to Scotland, Labour has also created political injustice, whereby the Scots have a huge say in the running of England but the English have no say in Scotland, even though English taxes subsidise more generous public services north of the border. 

Straw was equally hypocritical when he argued that “for me, England is its tolerance”. This from a Minister whose regime increasingly resembles something out of communist East Germany in its obsession with gathering information on its citizens and demanding adherence to its doctrines. 

Not content with ID cards, council spies, constant CCTV surveillance and cameras in wheelie bins, the Government now employs an army of snoopers to go round asking people about their personal lives.

The destruction of our national civilisation has been a disaster for tolerance, democracy and social cohesion.  

Britain can only be saved by a renewed mood of patriotism, that most noble of human impulses.Tragically, to our elite, patriotism is a dirty word.

Comments Unavailable

Sorry, we are unable to accept comments about this article at the moment. However, you will find some great articles which you can comment on right now in our Comment section.

Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?