"Robert Henderson" <Philip@anywhere.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:BI26ecAAFMZ$Ewth@anywhere.demon.co.uk...

The duties of the citizen

The citizen should instinctively give preference to his
fellow citizens.

No. I give preference to those who are related to me, some of whom are not
'fellow citizens'.

Then I give preference to those are like me, many of whom are not only
fellow citizens, but haven't even visited this country.

'Fellow citizens' can wait their turn.

The citizen should not see himself as part of a group which
owes its first loyalty to any group or power outside the
state.

Rubbish. At the very least, family is vastly more important.

The citizen should be willing to sacrifice his own interests
where these clash with the interests of the nation, for
example, be willing to fight and die if the homeland is
attacked or, more prosaically, to forego economic advantage
where this removes jobs from the country.

Maybe the former, but the latter could be straight from the mouth of Ned
Ludd.

Generally, the citizen should always act to protect the
interest of the nation. The interest of the nation can be
normally determined by simply reducing any given national
choice to the analogy of a personal and asking what the
individual would do in such circumstances.

No. Where the nation is at fault during peacetime, the citizen should act
contrary to its interest.

What the nation state owes you and what you owe the nation
state

Robert Henderson

The first duty a democratic government owes is to those it
represents. Before this duty all other considerations become
secondary. That is the easy part of the process of
definition. The difficult part is how should that duty be
realised?

It makes moral and prudential sense for any society to
both secure the loyalty of its citizens with guaranteed
privileges which are not extended to non-citizens and to
generally reduce the opportunities for social friction. In a
free society where the individual has to decide to give his
or her loyalty, the utility of such privileges is much
greater than it would be in a dictatorship. In a democracy
it makes not merely sense but is a moral imperative for a
government to secure and better the condition of its
constituent people.

The modern industrialised nation state such as Britain does
indeed confer great privileges on those who are part of it.
It provides a secure environment based on the rule of law,
a decent material standard of living, healthcare and
education free at the point of use and, in the form of the
welfare state, a safety net for those who fall on hard times.
It is, in short, a very efficient life support system which
most people in the world are desperate to become part of by
hook or by crook.

Meaningful citizenship equals duties plus privileges

But giving privileges without any obligations attached is an
empty act. If privileges are taken for granted then a major
part of their purpose is lost, the securing of a citizen's
loyalty. Unfortunately, that is precisely what the currently
dominant liberal internationalist ideology does, give
privileges without anything being asked in return. Worse, it
gives such privileges not only to citizens but huge numbers
of non-citizens.

Liberal internationalists say, in so many words, that a man
may live anywhere he wishes and owe no particular allegiance
to any place or society. In this fantasy world the entire
world, or in reality the First World, is a milch cow to
milked by whoever can get near to it.

In practice, all that is required by the liberal
internationalist of the citizen is observation of the law in
the country in which the person lives. They have developed
the idea of the world as a place of undifferentiated
settlement, a very dangerous idea both for them and those who
feel differently. No sense of place, no place.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
promotion of its culture and history above all other cultures
and histories.

The duties of the citizen

The citizen should instinctively give preference to his
fellow citizens.

The citizen should not see himself as part of a group which
owes its first loyalty to any group or power outside the
state.

The citizen should be willing to sacrifice his own interests
where these clash with the interests of the nation, for
example, be willing to fight and die if the homeland is
attacked or, more prosaically, to forego economic advantage
where this removes jobs from the country.

Generally, the citizen should always act to protect the
interest of the nation. The interest of the nation can be
normally determined by simply reducing any given national
choice to the analogy of a personal and asking what the
individual would do in such circumstances.

The citizen should always think of the nation in the context
of its history and the realistic threats to it.

What the enduring democratic nation state cannot be

It cannot be subsumed in something politically greater than
itself.

It cannot be a mishmash of competing cultures.

It cannot be constantly besieged by masses of immigrants.

What an enduring democratic nation state must be

Culturally homogeneous.

Law abiding.

Self confident.

Aware of its past.

At peace with itself and its place in the world. 

What the nation state owes you and what you owe the nation
state

Robert Henderson

The first duty a democratic government owes is to those it
represents. Before this duty all other considerations become
secondary. That is the easy part of the process of
definition. The difficult part is how should that duty be
realised?

It makes moral and prudential sense for any society to
both secure the loyalty of its citizens with guaranteed
privileges which are not extended to non-citizens and to
generally reduce the opportunities for social friction. In a
free society where the individual has to decide to give his
or her loyalty, the utility of such privileges is much
greater than it would be in a dictatorship. In a democracy
it makes not merely sense but is a moral imperative for a
government to secure and better the condition of its
constituent people.

The modern industrialised nation state such as Britain does
indeed confer great privileges on those who are part of it.
It provides a secure environment based on the rule of law,
a decent material standard of living, healthcare and
education free at the point of use and, in the form of the
welfare state, a safety net for those who fall on hard times.
It is, in short, a very efficient life support system which
most people in the world are desperate to become part of by
hook or by crook.

Meaningful citizenship equals duties plus privileges

But giving privileges without any obligations attached is an
empty act. If privileges are taken for granted then a major
part of their purpose is lost, the securing of a citizen's
loyalty. Unfortunately, that is precisely what the currently
dominant liberal internationalist ideology does, give
privileges without anything being asked in return. Worse, it
gives such privileges not only to citizens but huge numbers
of non-citizens.

Liberal internationalists say, in so many words, that a man
may live anywhere he wishes and owe no particular allegiance
to any place or society. In this fantasy world the entire
world, or in reality the First World, is a milch cow to
milked by whoever can get near to it.

In practice, all that is required by the liberal
internationalist of the citizen is observation of the law in
the country in which the person lives. They have developed
the idea of the world as a place of undifferentiated
settlement, a very dangerous idea both for them and those who
feel differently. No sense of place, no place.

Treating a country simply as a convenient place of residence
is a recipe for national disaster. Ultimately a nation state
only exists because its inhabitants both have a shared sense
of identity and a willingness to defend the interests of the
country, including in extremis fighting for the country.

The consequence of the internationalist mentality is a lack
of any moral system to cover general behaviour. People
normally act in a moral way only towards the group with which
they have a sense of shared identity. For most people in the
world, this means the family or tribe. Only those states
which have created a larger community of perceived interest
have developed a general morality which is normally observed.
In short, a strong society must have a shared sense of its
worth. In a healthy society this sense of worth simply exists
and children imbibe it unconsciously. In an unhealthy one it
needs to be consciously engendered.

I have already listed the benefits which British citizenship
confers. But these have been steadily eroded over the past
fifty years by mass immigration, the movement towards free
trade and the growth of international treaty obligations,
most notably Britain's membership of the European Union. The
effect of these changes has been to increase social discord
by (1) introducing foreign and unassimilated elements into
British society, (2) exporting jobs and (3) passing effective
political control on many major issues from Westminster to
bodies such as Nato and the WT0 or the EU Commission. The
nation state has failed the British in these matters. Thus,
we can see that the state owes more to its citizens than such
things as maintaining order, defending its borders and
providing welfare provision. It must provide the social
structure within which they can be achieved.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
maintenance of a clear distinction between countryman and
foreigner. That requires a strict control of immigration.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
right to sell their labour for the price it will fetch within
the confines of the native population.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
protection of industry and commerce both to provide
employment and for the strategic reasons of self sufficiency
in vital goods and services.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
spending of their taxes in ways which only benefit citizens.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to those who are not
citizens only the equal protection of the law.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
maintenance of democratic institutions.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
promotion of its culture and history above all other cultures
and histories.

The duties of the citizen

The citizen should instinctively give preference to his
fellow citizens.

The citizen should not see himself as part of a group which
owes its first loyalty to any group or power outside the
state.

The citizen should be willing to sacrifice his own interests
where these clash with the interests of the nation, for
example, be willing to fight and die if the homeland is
attacked or, more prosaically, to forego economic advantage
where this removes jobs from the country.

Generally, the citizen should always act to protect the
interest of the nation. The interest of the nation can be
normally determined by simply reducing any given national
choice to the analogy of a personal and asking what the
individual would do in such circumstances.

The citizen should always think of the nation in the context
of its history and the realistic threats to it.

What the enduring democratic nation state cannot be

It cannot be subsumed in something politically greater than
itself.

It cannot be a mishmash of competing cultures.

It cannot be constantly besieged by masses of immigrants.

What an enduring democratic nation state must be

Culturally homogeneous.

Law abiding.

Self confident.

Aware of its past.

At peace with itself and its place in the world. 

What the nation state owes you and what you owe the nation
state

Robert Henderson

The first duty a democratic government owes is to those it
represents. Before this duty all other considerations become
secondary. That is the easy part of the process of
definition. The difficult part is how should that duty be
realised?

It makes moral and prudential sense for any society to
both secure the loyalty of its citizens with guaranteed
privileges which are not extended to non-citizens and to
generally reduce the opportunities for social friction. In a
free society where the individual has to decide to give his
or her loyalty, the utility of such privileges is much
greater than it would be in a dictatorship. In a democracy
it makes not merely sense but is a moral imperative for a
government to secure and better the condition of its
constituent people.

The modern industrialised nation state such as Britain does
indeed confer great privileges on those who are part of it.
It provides a secure environment based on the rule of law,
a decent material standard of living, healthcare and
education free at the point of use and, in the form of the
welfare state, a safety net for those who fall on hard times.
It is, in short, a very efficient life support system which
most people in the world are desperate to become part of by
hook or by crook.

Meaningful citizenship equals duties plus privileges

But giving privileges without any obligations attached is an
empty act. If privileges are taken for granted then a major
part of their purpose is lost, the securing of a citizen's
loyalty. Unfortunately, that is precisely what the currently
dominant liberal internationalist ideology does, give
privileges without anything being asked in return. Worse, it
gives such privileges not only to citizens but huge numbers
of non-citizens.

Liberal internationalists say, in so many words, that a man
may live anywhere he wishes and owe no particular allegiance
to any place or society. In this fantasy world the entire
world, or in reality the First World, is a milch cow to
milked by whoever can get near to it.

In practice, all that is required by the liberal
internationalist of the citizen is observation of the law in
the country in which the person lives. They have developed
the idea of the world as a place of undifferentiated
settlement, a very dangerous idea both for them and those who
feel differently. No sense of place, no place.

Treating a country simply as a convenient place of residence
is a recipe for national disaster. Ultimately a nation state
only exists because its inhabitants both have a shared sense
of identity and a willingness to defend the interests of the
country, including in extremis fighting for the country.

The consequence of the internationalist mentality is a lack
of any moral system to cover general behaviour. People
normally act in a moral way only towards the group with which
they have a sense of shared identity. For most people in the
world, this means the family or tribe. Only those states
which have created a larger community of perceived interest
have developed a general morality which is normally observed.
In short, a strong society must have a shared sense of its
worth. In a healthy society this sense of worth simply exists
and children imbibe it unconsciously. In an unhealthy one it
needs to be consciously engendered.

I have already listed the benefits which British citizenship
confers. But these have been steadily eroded over the past
fifty years by mass immigration, the movement towards free
trade and the growth of international treaty obligations,
most notably Britain's membership of the European Union. The
effect of these changes has been to increase social discord
by (1) introducing foreign and unassimilated elements into
British society, (2) exporting jobs and (3) passing effective
political control on many major issues from Westminster to
bodies such as Nato and the WT0 or the EU Commission. The
nation state has failed the British in these matters. Thus,
we can see that the state owes more to its citizens than such
things as maintaining order, defending its borders and
providing welfare provision. It must provide the social
structure within which they can be achieved.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
maintenance of a clear distinction between countryman and
foreigner. That requires a strict control of immigration.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
right to sell their labour for the price it will fetch within
the confines of the native population.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
protection of industry and commerce both to provide
employment and for the strategic reasons of self sufficiency
in vital goods and services.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
spending of their taxes in ways which only benefit citizens.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to those who are not
citizens only the equal protection of the law.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
maintenance of democratic institutions.

As a basic duty the nation state owes to its citizens the
promotion of its culture and history above all other cultures
and histories.

The duties of the citizen

The citizen should instinctively give preference to his
fellow citizens.

The citizen should not see himself as part of a group which
owes its first loyalty to any group or power outside the
state.

The citizen should be willing to sacrifice his own interests
where these clash with the interests of the nation, for
example, be willing to fight and die if the homeland is
attacked or, more prosaically, to forego economic advantage
where this removes jobs from the country.

Generally, the citizen should always act to protect the
interest of the nation. The interest of the nation can be
normally determined by simply reducing any given national
choice to the analogy of a personal and asking what the
individual would do in such circumstances.

The citizen should always think of the nation in the context
of its history and the realistic threats to it.

What the enduring democratic nation state cannot be

It cannot be subsumed in something politically greater than
itself.

It cannot be a mishmash of competing cultures.

It cannot be constantly besieged by masses of immigrants.

What an enduring democratic nation state must be

Culturally homogeneous.

Law abiding.

Self confident.

Aware of its past.

At peace with itself and its place in the world. 
--
Robert Henderson
philip@anywhere.demon.co.uk
Blair Scandal web site at http://www.geocities.com/blairscandal/
Personal web site at http://www.anywhere.demon.co.uk

What the nation state owes you and what you owe the nation
state