Around The World Today Series 8, Episode 3 - Nationalism and the Ballot Box: How Patriotism Became Political

Nov 2025 Around The World Today Series 8 Episode 3 By Terry D

 Nationalism, Anti-Immigration Narratives, and What Patriotism Really Means.

Introduction: Welcome back to Around the World Today. I’m Terry Davies, and in this episode, we’re diving into one of the most powerful — and most dangerous — forces shaping modern politics: the rise of anti-immigration narratives and how they’ve been woven into the fabric of right-wing political strategy.

We live in a time when the word “patriotism” has been redefined, repurposed, and, in many ways, weaponised. Where political movements turn fear into votes.Where migrants are blamed for problems they didn’t create.And where national pride is increasingly measured by how loudly one can shout, not by how compassionately one can act.

Today, we’ll explore how these narratives grew from fringe ideas to mainstream political talking points. We’ll examine how the media amplifies them, distorts the truth, and harms real people — including individuals, families, and entire communities.

But more importantly, we’ll ask a question that often gets lost in all the noise:

What does genuine patriotism actually look like?

Because loving your country shouldn’t mean fearing the people who come to it.It shouldn’t mean turning neighbours into enemies. And it shouldn’t mean abandoning the values that make a society humane, fair, and decent.

This is Around the World Today, Series 8, Episode 3.

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In today’s episode of Around the World Today, we took a deep dive into one of the most pressing issues shaping modern politics: the rise of anti-immigration narratives and how they’ve been used to reshape national identity and political debate.

From the outset, we asked a simple but essential question: what does real patriotism look like — and how does it differ from nationalism weaponised for political gain?

The Narrative Machine

We started by exploring how political messaging around immigration is carefully constructed. Words like “invasion” or “taking back control” aren’t just rhetoric — they are psychological triggers, designed to create fear and uncertainty. Politicians and strategists have learned that when anxiety runs high, people look for someone to blame — and migrants are often made the convenient target.

How Fringe Ideas Became Mainstream

Anti-immigration ideas, once confined to the far-right fringe, have increasingly found their way into mainstream politics. Economic uncertainty, social change, and perceived cultural shifts provided fertile ground for these ideas. By adopting fear-driven rhetoric, some mainstream parties have normalised what were once extreme viewpoints — giving them legitimacy and influence in the heart of political discourse.

The Media Megaphone

The media — traditional and social — plays a massive role in amplifying these narratives. Sensationalist headlines, emotive imagery, and viral misinformation can turn minor events into national crises in the public imagination. In today’s digital age, the cycle of fear spreads faster than facts, shaping public opinion before the reality can even be heard.

The Reality Behind the Rhetoric

The truth is far less alarming. Migration is not “out of control.” Migrants contribute significantly to the economy, the NHS, education, and communities across the UK. Most asylum seekers arrive through legal channels, fleeing war or persecution. Many of the problems attributed to migrants — housing shortages, long NHS waits, low wages — have structural causes unrelated to migration.

Yet these realities are often lost beneath layers of fear-driven messaging. What remains is a distorted picture of society, where migrants are treated as threats instead of human beings.

Why These Narratives Harm Society

The consequences are real and significant:

• Division: Communities become fractured when fear replaces understanding.

• Erosion of democracy: When people are misinformed, they are less able to hold leaders accountable.

• Distraction: Real problems go unaddressed while political attention focuses on convenient scapegoats.

• Loss of compassion: Societies that treat newcomers as threats lose a vital part of their moral and social fabric.

What Real Patriotism Looks Like

So, what does it mean to truly love your country?Real patriotism isn’t about fear, exclusion, or blame. It’s about inclusion, compassion, responsibility, and courage. It’s about recognising the contributions of everyone in society, protecting the vulnerable, holding leaders accountable, and rejecting divisive rhetoric — even when it’s popular.

In short, loving your country means caring for the people who make it what it is — all of them.

Listen and Reflect

In a world where nationalism is often louder than truth, it’s crucial to pause, question, and look beyond the headlines. Episode 3 of Series 8 of Around the World Today challenges us to rethink what patriotism really means and to consider the human impact of the stories we choose to believe.

🎧 Listen to Episode 3 of Series 8 now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform.

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