Custodi contends that the political Left must reclaim and reframe national belonging rather than surrender patriotism to the right wing; nationalism remains a powerful force in modern politics – from Brexit to Bolsonaro to the rise of right-wing parties – and the Left cannot expect global liberalism to erase national identity in the face of growing alienation and insecurity. He argues that left wing tradition from Marx’s call to ‘constitute itself the nation’ onward – requires engaging with the deep emotional pull of national belonging while resisting its reactionary uses, forging instead a rooted, inclusive patriotism grounded in class solidarity, democratise values, and belonging, rather than exclusion or nativism.