This work is a defence of tradition and continuity, it contends that conservatism in the economic sphere married to liberalism in the cultural domain has become the contemporary intellectual reflex. This union is, according to Clark, deeply hostile to public morality, antipathetic to civic engagement and destructive to our sense of tradition. Topics covered include: the effects of postmodernism and the purpose of studying history; the formation of states and national identity; the relationship between the nations of the United Kingdom; the absence of English nationalism; the legends upon which the United States is built; the myth of the Anglo-American "special relationship"; and Britain's historic relations with Germany and with Europe.