I came to work humming Land of Hope and Glory this morning. The Scots have voted to preserve the 307-year-old union of Great Britain, this blest isle, this 'mother of the free' and the land made mighty and mightier yet by God himself; this United Kingdom of four great nations, beating together at the heart of the Queen's Commonwealth.
Patriotism's a funny thing, isn't it? It sort of incorporates a whole set of powerful forces - nostalgia, identity, culture and politics... and there's nothing wrong with those things. Yet patriotism itself is really only based on one peculiar statistic, a choice that none of us have made and that can't be reversed: where we were born.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking it; today I feel like waving that Union Flag around and singing 'God Save the Queen' with all the passion that my British heart can muster. I just think it's interesting how the deep-rooted idea of nationality grows with us as we grow up.
I think it's all about belonging. Deep within all of us there's a great desire to belong to something - a family, a relationship, a unit, a circle of friends, an organisation perhaps... we learn from an early age that there are things which link us to those around us and it's these common links which bind us together. They shape us and they form our culture. We will defend them with our lives and we'll do so proudly, madly, defiantly! That's how I feel about my family, my friends and yes, this incredible nation of nations of which I'm a part - especially today.
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