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Трудно сказать, не прочитав весь текст. Но все-таки кажется, что "родина" с маленькой буквы не такое уж выспреннее слово. Можно попробовать.

k.Спасибо,Павел Русланович. Но я тут подумала, что, возможно, в данном случае требуется более развернутая формула: м.б., "В конце концов, я здесь родился и живу.", потому что "родина" - еще и место рождения (моя родина -Китай, а живу в России), а "home" - место обитания. Эссе Фрая посвящено лже-патриотизму и лже-патриотам, которые любую критику в адрес страны воспринимают как поклеп и поношение. Очень перекликается с нашими обстоятельствами, напр.:"Some have claimed, and you may find this hard to believe, that it is unpatriotic of broadcasters and journalists to use the phrase "British troops" instead of "our troops" or "Anyone who starts complaining that governments make mistakes or little confusions with the truth is undermining the good name of Britain."

Если это есть в сети, дайте, пожалуйста, ссылочку.

k.К сожалению,не знаю, есть ли в сети. У меня книга: Stephen Fry "Paperweight" published in 1993 by Mandarin. Это сборник эссе на разные темы. Не поленюсь привести здесь целиком, если это позволительно, "Patriot Missive".
There have been a number of bracing remarks made about patriotism over the years. I think it may have been Clemanceau, or someone who looked very like him, who gave it as his opinion that a patriot loves his country and a nationalist hates everybody else's.Doctor Johnson is credited of course with having decided that patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel, while the poet McGough offered the view that patriots are "nuts in the head".
Perhaps the wierdest, wildest and wickedest idea of patriotism, however, comes negatively, through defining what is unpatriotic. Some have claimed, and you may find it hard to believe, that it is unpatriotic of broadcasters or journalists to use the phrase "British troops' instead of "our troops'.
I am immensely fond of this coutry, its language, its scenery, its eccentricity, its traditions, its customs and its people. It is, after all, home. I cannot claim in all conscience that were I born Yugoslavian I would fret with dismay at not having been born British - who can? But I do have a genuine love of home, which is what patriotism means. One of the things that I particularly admire about Britain is the measure of free expression afforded its citizens. It is disturbing to note, therefore, that a strange and disturbing heresy has been creeping into public life recently. This takes the form of a crazed belief that any public use of free speech is automatically an abuse.
When the protesters were camped outside Greenham Common the remark could often be heard from politicians and interested observers that "they wouldn't be allowed to do that in Russia".
The same insight was offered the people who gathered to protest against the Gulf War earlier this month. Whatever one's views about the conflict, British people anywhere do have the right to assemble peaceably in order to express their grievances and disagreements. But the argument was shrieked forth nonetheless: "You wouldn't be allowed to do this in Iraq, you know", as if the protesters should therefore get down on their knees, praise God for making them English and vow never again to disagree with anything their government did. The use of free speech was regarded as abuse: but free speech, if it is to mean anything, must surely be taken to be unconditional.
"We all agree that the individual is inferior to the State if the Revolution is to succeed", the Stalinist argument went. "Therefore what is good for the State must be right. Therefore anyone who doubts the State must be wrong. Therefore you must be shot". It was a ghastly logic and it would be something of an old shame if a similar one began to obtain here, for all that it would be more jolly and British and a great deal less Draconian.
"We all agree that Britain is marvellous, it has things like free speech and a jury system. Anyone who starts complaining that governmaents make mistakes or little confusions with the truth is undermining the good name of Britain. Governments are democratically elected, therefore anyone who who argues with the government is arguing with the people. Therefore they are being undemocratic, seditious and subversive. Therefore they should put up or shut up".
If you love a person, a son or daughter for instance, you are not blind to their faults, you do not stop your ears to any critisism that may come by way of school reports, complaints from neighbours or the evidence of your own eyes; you feel shame and anger and you do your best to correct those faults. You want your child to be better and nicer to know. So let it be with one's country. A patriotism that is blind to faults and deaf to critisism is no patriotism at all.
We can be proud of our protesters. We are not obliged to agree with them, but we are honour-bound to present to them a better argument than one which invites them to relinquish their freedom of speech simply because they should feel priviledged to possess it. Our troops, of whom we can also be proud, are not engaged in a jehad for the western democratic way of life; they are not going into battle with cries of "Freedom!" on their lips; they are not risking their lives for good obedient Britons only. They have no wish to read drivel about "our heroic forces gloriously breaking through the defences of the satsnic enemy". When they come back they will tell as many stories about hilarious incompetence and puffing majors trying to rescue two-ton food trucks stuck in the sand as they will about courage and sacrifice. I cannot imagine that their morale will be boosted by the thought that we back home descended into a fog of censorship and witless propaganda in order to demonstrate our support for them.
When an important general (позже он извиняется, т.к. это был политик, а не генерал) comes to address the school in Kipling's "Stalky @ Co." he starts beefing on about the flag, the good old Union Jack, how we love it and all it stands for. Outraged, Stalky and his friends begin to hiss with indignation. That's patriotism.

k. Если Вам эта тема еще не надоела. Все-таки, наверное, в этом случае "дом родной". У "родины" и значение шире, и коннотации в наше время не совсем благоприятные.

Не надоело, потому что тема вечная. И статья хороша, почти со всем согласен. Надо только пару опечаток исправить.