Uncomfortable truths

Patriotism, history and privilege exposed

Author

Perspective Media
September 07, 2025

THIS WEEK’S DEEP DIVE
Flying the flag
BY GAVIN ESLER

Gavin Esler examines how British patriotism transformed from quiet confidence into aggressive flag-waving that runs alongside constant complaints about national decline. From politicians using Union Jacks as fashion accessories to protesters painting St George's crosses on roundabouts, he explores the curious contradiction of a patriotism that seems to despise the very country it claims to celebrate.

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The paradox behind every St George’s flag-on-the-bum protest against migrants is that St George wasn’t English

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History’s false promises

Economist Peter Lawlor examines why we keep reaching for the same historical analogies – rom Rome's fall to the repeal of the Corn Laws – when trying to understand current events. Through the lens of economic theory and political rhetoric, he reveals an uncomfortable truth: we don't choose historical comparisons to learn from the past, but to validate the conclusions we've already reached.

www.perspectivemedia.com/historys-false-promises

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A striking analogy can add a veneer of plausibility to a position

One of them

Journalist Suzanne Moore reflects on her encounters with the privately educated elite who dominate Britain's media and politics. From cricket metaphors in newspaper meetings to politicians' lack of self-awareness, she dissects how the seven percent of children in private schools are taught to believe in their own brilliance while remaining oblivious to their privilege – and why this matters for everyone else.

www.perspectivemedia.com/one-of-them

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We have been governed long enough by the products of the best public schools to surely know that education ain't all it's cracked up to be

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