I feel compelled to begin this article with a confession of jealousy. Since joining the Scottish Liberal Democrats, I’ve met many wonderful people who can say that they are lifelong liberals. I always wince with envy when I hear it.
As I’ve told those who have asked, I was a member of the Scottish Conservatives for some years, including a brief stint working in their press office in Holyrood. I’m not ashamed of that per se, and nobody in the party has even hinted that I should be, but facts are facts.
Especially given the right-ward march of the Scottish Tories in recent years, I remain one of our most repentant sinners, comforted by the fact that the Tories left me every bit as much as I left them.
If I cannot carry the card of the from the cradle liberal, I can at least offer to be of use. With the foothills of the 2026 Holyrood elections in view, many liberal-adjacent Tories will be looking for a new home, one that combines fiscal responsibility with their open, tolerant, pre-Boris social views.
For an excellent rendition of this point, I highly recommend watching the speech our new MSP, Jamie Greene, gave at our conference in Inverness. Jamie spoke with candour, grace, humour, and clarity on this subject. He has walked the walk and very much has the talk to go with it.
Those expecting this article to be a shopping list of things that Liberal Democrats should abandon will be disappointed. Instead, I mean to encourage something that is going very well, especially with disillusioned Tory voters in mind. Our appeal to patriotism.
There is much to like so far. Ed Davey has been leading the effort, encouraging us to buy British goods where possible and taking a strong line on Russian aggression and the destructive nature of the Trump administration’s disastrous, miserly, and self-defeating tariffs.
Our Scottish leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has also been impressive, showing rather than telling that Brits and Scots are willing stand up for our allies in Ukraine and that in doing so Scotland and Britain is a positive force on the international stage. Their support for an alliance between Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom too shows a direction of travel paved with hope.
With the many conversations we will have in the run up to Holyrood 2026 and beyond, we can show that real, effective, sincere patriotism does not sit awkwardly with liberalism. Quite the opposite in fact, to be liberal is to be a patriot in the ways that matter.
The islands are, after all, the birthplace of of liberty. Free trade, free speech, free association, habeas corpus, jury trial, freedom under the law, and uncensored newspapers all find their roots here and that ought to be a source of pride for any liberal.
In the United Kingdom, we also find many of the advances that were necessary in building the compassionate society that ensures nobody is enslaved by ignorance, poverty, or at the will of another or a draconian, partisan judiciary, police force, or mob.
The great thinkers who built the great chain of liberalism, Smith, Hume, Mill, Locke, and others came from the same tradition, a British tradition that found its way from the old to the new world. Intellectually, we’re on very solid ground to be proud indeed.
There are those who, when it comes to patriotism, merely focus on talking rather than walking. That is not us. So, as we prepare for yet more electoral success, we should throw off the cringe that some instinctively feel about being proud to be British. We are proud to be active in communities (including fixing its church roofs, Mrs Badenoch!) across Britain, working quietly, collegiately, and effectively to the benefit of those we live alongside.
Scotland has a particular patriotism problem. For too long, those of us who wish to preserve the ties with others on these islands have given the ground of being proud Scots away to nationalists who have known exactly how they want to use it.
It is our task, not through arrogance, exceptionalism, or jingoism, but through building on Scotland’s liberal heritage and the canny, sensible, understanding nature of our people to show that being Scottish, British, and internationalist are not exclusive options. In this, there is even more at stake than one single, albeit crucial, Holyrood vote – there is the soul of a nation.
I hope there will be people in our party who disagree with me. Because that is the main thing that I, and other former Tories, can benefit from most by joining the Liberal Democrats, the robust exchange of ideas. There aren’t just votes in it for us, there’s a better future for us all.
* Alan is a writer and a regular columnist for the Scottish Daily Express. He also runs Alan Grant Communications, specialising in political communications and public affairs.
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8 Comments
I agree.
Britain has contributed much to what is best about the world today. It also gave the world cricket and many lesser (!) sports.
I demonstrate my views on this very simply by wearing a Union Jack lapel pin at all times except near Remebrance Day when it is replace by a poppy.
Welcome home Alan.
Well said, Alan. Liberalism should be a broad and generous politics which embraces our national and other identities. I have always thought that our vision of Britain is an appealing and patriotic one that should inspire people with pride in our country and its contribution to the world. This has not been so under the long nightmare of the Brexiteers.
The corollary though is developing a federal United Kingdom as the envelope for a diverse and inclusive UK.
“Scotland has a particular patriotism problem”
Really? You don’t have to agree with Scottish independence to believe that the people of Scotland have as much right to be proud of their country as the people of the United Kingdom, who feel British, have a right to be proud of the United Kingdom. We can not say that patriotism for the UK is good but somehow patriotism for Scotland is a ‘problem’.
Some people happen to believe that their nation (Scotland) should be fully self-governing but also part of the European Union – others believe that their nation (United Kingdom) should be self-governing but also part of the European Union. Both positions are valid.
“the birthplace of of liberty. Free trade, free speech, free association, habeas corpus, jury trial, freedom under the law, and uncensored newspapers all find their roots here and that ought to be a source of pride for any liberal”………………………..
It would be nice if all of that was strictly true, but unfortunately it’s a bit more complicated than that. Any first year student of British history would know that, especially in the period between 1910-18 – and it also includes senior politicians who were still enjoying the inherited proceeds of slavery and locking women up for daring to campaign for the franchise.
I tend towards the view expressed by Samuel Johnson, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”.
I totally agree with Alan’s article. There’s nothing inconsistent with being liberal and being patriotic, and liberals should feel able to be proud of their country. And to @Mohammed for wearing a Union Jack lapel pin – that is great!
@David = you seem to be saying that you can’t be proud of your country because of bad things that happened in the past. Well, yes people everywhere throughout history have done awful things to other people. But we should also remember that the mere fact that we can today look back with horror at things that were seen as normal 100+ years ago shows how we are evolving as a society and a country – and that is what we can really be proud of.
An analogy: Your 8-year old son loves beating up his little sister. Fast forward 10 years and this person who has now become a very kind and considerate young adult has just passed his A levels. What are you going to say to him? Are you going to tell him you’re proud of what he’s just achieved. Or are you going to tell him you’re utterly ashamed of him because of how he used to beat up his sister when he was 8?
There is much to like and admire about British culture. I’m glad I was born here. One of the things I like is how un-British it is to proclaim oneself proud of being British.
Tedious right wing people believe themselves virtuous because their ancestors did virtuous things. Point out that their ancestors also did horrible things and they will tell you that was all in the past and has nothing to do with them. If you are going to be proud of the achievements of your ancestors then you must also be ashamed of their crimes. But let’s not import the identity politics and hypocrisies of the right. We should be neither proud nor ashamed of the actions of others. Our task is not to tell ourselves comforting fairytales about our past but to make Britain a better country.
Our version of patriotism needs to be backing Britain to compete on the world stage by virtue of its merits. Not relying on protectionist campaigns and the nationalisation of failing industries. As Liberals we should be proud to let the British people reap the rewards of globalisation. We should celebrate the fact that we can eat vegetables from Spain for a reasonable price, especially when this is a more ethical choice than UK assembled factory-farmed meat.