In praise of patriotism

I take it that your headline "Beware totalitarians among us" (Letters, April 23) refers subliminally to the three authors of the letters it heads rather than to the two objects of their prejudiced criticism.

It seems to me that Anthony Glees is to be congratulated for indicating the positive value of patriotic loyalty in democracies and the importance of the work of the intelligence services.

Similarly, Emmanuel Todd's critique of Chomsky in particular, and anti-American bias in general, is compelling.

I note that in the same issue Laurie Taylor's Trotskyite slip is showing.

The idea of depicting opposition to the Iraq war as "dissident", when it is actually grossly conformist in thecontemporary academic context, is altogether too ludicrous even for your comic section.

David Marsland
Department of health and social care
Brunel University