P. SAGAR (HAS, Feb 11) is correct when they write that real patriotism involves looking after those in need.

But real patriotism also means wrapping yourself in the national flag.

It means taking pride in your nation’s history, culture, values, traditions and fellow Britons (no matter their race, creed, colour, sex, etc.) and defending them from those who attack or defame them.

Culture is a weapon. A shared cultural identity brings people together creating a community and ultimately brings a nation together.

It gives people a place in the world, that a country is theirs and they’ve a right to be here.

A shared cultural identity gives people the strength needed to carry on when times are bad.

It gives people the power they need to stand up against dictators or fight enemies foreign and domestic.

Those who attack and deride our nation’s history, values, traditions, its people and make patriotism a dirty word, do so to make people reject their history and culture.

People without cultural identity become individuals who are easier to control, manipulate and have an oppressive culture imposed on them.

CT Riley, Spennymoor.