Some would wish to denigrate our patriotism but if you look deeper there is pride and love for our country - Stephen Pound

Like it or not the opinion in Berlin was that the British were now a decadent race without the courage to defend their nation and although this was clearly not the cause of the second World War it certainly informed the opinion of the Nazi high command.

However; within a few short years Britain did most certainly fight for King and country and even the effete gilded youth of Oxbridge did their bit on land, at sea and in the air. And they won.

There is a feeling today that patriotism has become a dirty word and that our universities are obsessed with Palestine and political correctness to the exclusion of all else.

To be proud of one’s homeland and to stand for the anthem or know the words to “I vow to thee my country” seems to many to be desperately uncool and a throwback to another age.

This snivelling sentiment is espoused by so many teachers and lecturers that it has almost come to be seen as an apt description of the youth of today.

A world in which the Union flag is seen as a fashion accessory, the armed forces cannot recruit and the monarchy is respected by far fewer than ever before could well be described as one in which patriotism no longer holds sway.

The cartoon cliché of the bearded supply teacher with leather patches on their sports jacket and a CND badge on their lapel is none the less true and it is no surprise that the last bitter dregs of the Corbyn delusion are to be found in the teaching unions.

However; all its not lost.

Some far right groups – as equally despicable as their far-left mirror images – seek to drape themselves in the flag of St. George and claim to speak on behalf of the patriots of the nation.

That flag has largely been reclaimed and is now mainstream and I would like to suggest that real British patriotism has not gone away but is a solid and unbreakable bedrock beneath our society and our culture.

We are not America and we do not feel the need to give the Oath of Allegiance at the start of every school day and nor do we festoon our front gardens with Union flags.

Ours is a quiet but steel hard patriotism that no number of Trotskyite teachers can destroy.

Look at the huge and growing number of Scout and Guide groups, look at the strength of uniformed cadet groups throughout the land and look at the Remembrance Sunday parades that increase in number every year. Above all look at the massive increase in support and affection for His Majesty and witness the reaction of the cheering crowds to those exhibitionists who chant “not my King” on Royal occasions.

Without a doubt there are some who would wish to denigrate the emotion of patriotism and there may well be some who are swayed by this but if you look a little deeper than the headlines and the howling mobs you will find that pride in and love for your country is still strong in our nation.

God forbid we need to ever fight another war but if we have to then the true strength and resilience of the United Kingdom will swiftly become apparent.

Call it patriotism if you will but I’d prefer to call it Britishness and that is the cement that binds us together and that is the strength that will resist any assault on our homeland and our people.