One of the most surprising things to emerge during Bermuda's Independence debate is the number of Bermudians who have said that they don't have a sense of national pride.

At the recent meetings of the Bermuda Independence Commission several attendees said that they are ashamed to admit that they live in a British Dependent Territory. Some said that Bermuda needs a flag and national anthem to call its own. Others believe that the forging of a common national identity will help eliminate racism.

Do Bermudians really lack a national identity, as even the Premier professes to believe? Most Bermudians seem to be exceptionally proud of their home. They are keen supporters of the Island's athletes in international events and enthusiastic participants in its cultural celebrations. They fly kites on Good Friday, watch the parade on May 24th, and play crown and anchor at Cup Match. These do not seem like people with an identity crisis.

It's interesting to compare the patriotism on display here with that seen in other countries. Arguably the most patriotic country is the United States, as I was reminded during my recent holiday in Florida.

While eating my lunch in the USA section of the Epcot World Showcase one day, the Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps marched past playing the American national anthem. As they did, roughly half of the diners around me put down their cheeseburgers and sodas and stood up in respect. Many placed their hands on their hearts.

At SeaWorld, the park's killer whale show was prefaced with a screening of an Anheuser-Busch commercial honouring the US military. It was followed by an invitation to every member of the US armed forces (or those of their allies) in the audience to stand, to allow the rest of us to applaud them.

Displays such as these can seem na?ve and even slightly disturbing to those whose patriotic instincts are less developed. In Europe, unfettered nationalism is still regarded with suspicion, remembered as the cause of many of the wars that have wracked the continent. While there's much I love about the UK, like many British people I remain cynical about showing such unquestioning allegiance to the land mass on which I happened to be born. I'm not arrogant enough to believe that the UK is better than any other country; I feel no obligation to stand when I hear God Save The Queen; and I wouldn't even consider flying the Union Jack in my yard, even if I was still living in the UK.

A study conducted in 1998 by the National Opinion Research Centre (NORC) at the University of Chicago sought to provide a more quantitative measure of national pride. Twenty-three nations were studied using two scales. The first looked at pride in specific achievements, such as science, sports and the arts. The second considered general national pride, using questions with a harder edge that focused on feelings of national superiority.

Unsurprisingly, the US was ranked as the most patriotic nation overall, coming second on both scales. Great Britain was the 11th most patriotic overall, but only 14th on the general scale. Ninety percent of the American respondents said that they would rather be citizens of the US than of any other country, higher than in any of the other countries surveyed. In Great Britain the figure was 71 percent.

How does feeling in Bermuda compare? I decided to ask the five questions in the NORC's general national pride scale on A Limey In Bermuda. Any Bermudian who wishes to take the survey can do so at www.limeyinbermuda.com until the end of next week.

Being an Internet poll, the results are unscientific and may not be representative of Bermudians as a whole.

That caveat aside, the preliminary results suggest Bermudians are not strong believers in the superiority of their country. Seventy seven percent agree that there are some things about Bermuda that make them ashamed, far higher than the highest score in the NORC survey. This could be because those who are not ashamed by some of the antics of Bermuda's government are likely to be the ones ashamed by Bermuda's status as a British territory.

Bermudians also seem to value morality above allegiance to the flag: a mere six percent think people should support Bermuda even if it's wrong, much lower than the NORC's lowest score.

Independence probably would increase national pride in Bermuda, if only by removing the colonial status that some regard as a source of shame. But that seems unlikely to lead to more tangible benefits. Despite the patriotism of the US, its politics is no less partisan and its race relations no less strained than they are here.

www.limeyinbermuda.com