"Our country is by no means perfect, nor has it ever been, but patriotism should not mean blindly praising the land in which you live. True patriotism, real patriotism, comes from seeing the country as it is - and believing that its people deserve better." - Joshua Edwicker
Over fourteen years ago, Danny Boyle put on a spectacle at the new Olympic Stadium. Watching it back a couple of weeks ago felt like being transported to a bygone era. The sweeping narrative Boyle evoked took around a billion people worldwide on a journey that started with a cameo from Daniel Craig and the late Queen Elizabeth, and took us through the Industrial Revolution, the creation of the NHS, and a rendition of Dizzee Rascal’s hit ‘Bonkers’.
It is clear the world of 2012 was by no means perfect. The coalition government’s decision to implement austerity was beginning to bite, and the UK was still reeling from the 2008 financial crisis. And yet, when looking back at that period - beyond remembering the gold medals for Mo Farah, Greg Rutherford, and Jessica Ennis-Hill on that dizzying Saturday of sporting excellence - we can see that our country has since changed and fractured. The venom which now laces political rhetoric has become more harsh and more commonplace. Figures like Tommy Robinson, Nigel Farage, and Rupert Lowe occupy a political pertinence that would have been unthinkable fourteen years ago.
The patriotism that the Olympics inspired evaporated under the pressure of austerity and the anger and division Brexit - and Covid - wrought on our politics and our sense of shared civic pride. Somewhere along the way, our flag and our patriotism have seemingly become the sole property of the radical right. The left has made a mistake by ceding this ground, but it is not too late to address it. Our country is by no means perfect, nor has it ever been, but patriotism should not mean blindly praising the land in which you live. True patriotism, real patriotism, comes from seeing the country as it is - and believing that its people deserve better.
