Wow, what an interesting debate this turned out to be...
I will therefore put forward my opinion - that partiotism is the self-crediting of others achievements, and in some cases is a subtle form of fascism. All you have to think about to understand this view is what patriotism really means. Is patriotism "being proud of your country"? By country, that probably means "the characteristics and achievements of the people in that nation". Patriotism therefore, is being proud of what other people have done. For example, if England wins a football game, you will hear many chants of "we won", just as with any such event. However, what justification have those people for saying they deserve credit? Unless the winninng is a direct result of their actions, they have no authority to do so.
Put that in a more relevant context. Some might consider driving around with a massive St George's Cross flying from your car/ van/ lorry patriotism. The question is: why? Because they are proud of their country? What exactly are they proud of? Patriotism is therefore, in my opinion, the celebration of others acheivements, purely because they live somewhere geographically close/ they share the same laws/ they have the same accent/ whatever. Patriotism is the notion that "we are better than they are"; based on the actions of people detached in all ways non geo-political. Why don't we regularly celebrate the French, or cheer when the Germans win a World Cup game? Why don't kenyan athletes get put on our front covers for winning a couple of Golds? Because we live in a certain area, with a certain history, and we feel we deserve credit for what similar people have done.
Sorry if I'm not very clear, I've never really expressed this view before.