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ON 9th JULY 1797 the statesman and the philosopher Edmund Burke died, after having contracted stomach cancer. He was buried in Beaconsfield Church conterminous his Buckinghamshire home. Burke had been a distinguished Member of Parliament however never attained high office. His political career must be judged a failure.However, Edmund Burkes neat legacy was contained in his extensive writings. In letters,pamphlets and books he expounded a coherent system of ideas about human naturethe organic state the benefits of prejudicethe dangers of establishment by secret consensus and the role of political parties.Two hundred years on, most scholars would agree that Burke had a gift for deep analysis conveyed in stylish English prose.Yet the content of his work though remains controversial. Supporters included the poet William Wordsworth, who called Burke "the most sagacious politician of his age". Karl Marx, on the other hand, complained in Das Kapital that Burke was a bourgeois s tooge of the English ruling class. Marxists took particular offence at Burkes critique of egalitarianism, perhaps realising the radical threat which this presented to their get vision of a future society.Modern liberals and conservatives still acclaim some of Burkes ideas, but their interest is largely rhetorical. Burkes liberal tendencies would almost certainly not go far enough for todays liberals. His support for the abolition of slavery was only gradualist, his religious toleration did not extend to atheists (whom he saw as dangerous criminals) and, whilst in favour of curbing royal patronage, Burke supported monarchy and aristocracy. Meanwhile, his conservative defence of Parliament, the nation and the Anglican Church would presumably be a sheer plethora to todays Conservative Party, which has embraced European Union and a secular, free market ideology.This two-part article leave alone outline some of Edmund Burkes key ideas and assess their relevance to nationalism. His contr ibution is an authoritative one. Sadly, Burkes clarity and complete lack of political correctness must limit his appeal in the modern age. In 1997 and beyond Burke seems destined to set about a forgotten prophet except to those who challenge the prevailing orthodoxy. 1.THE NATURE OF MANAll societies are based on a particular pick up of human nature. Todays view, springing from Enlightenment philosophy, is that peo... ...ng nature is unworkable, equality is "a monstrous fiction" (7). At worst, ambitious elites use equality as a pretext to reapportion resources to themselves. At best,well-intentioned people see equality as no more than a benign aspiration. They think it would be just in theory but of course not when applied to themselves in practice, lest this endanger their own privileges. This is perhaps the greater error. "Abstract principles,however appealing, cannot be applied directly to solve real political problems. Any attempt to do so will have futile or harmf ul results. There is no such thing as a political principle which is good in itself, but not practicable. If it is not practicable then it is not good.In Part II of Edmund Burkes Legacy the focus will be on other pertinent aspects of Burkes thought. These include his views onprejudice as creation a form of wisdom "human rights" as being rooted in a specific culture rather than inherited by all people the dangers of a dual system of government (open and secret) and Burkes persuasion that political parties should be ideological and that their ideologies should involved "pursuing the national interest.