National anthem of Scotland
There is no official national anthem of Scotland[1]. However, there is a complex and on-going social and political dispute amongst many contenders for the title of the nation's de jure song, which has polarised much of the public.
Scotland does not possess a legally recognised or confirmed anthem of its own. The current Scottish government (a Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition) takes the view that the UK anthem God Save the Queen is the only anthem which should have official status in Scotland. However, God Save the Queen is not popular in all parts of Scotland, partly because of a verse, current in the mid-eighteenth century, which included the line "Rebellious Scots to crush". Although this verse was only ever used briefly (and the reference was to the Jacobites specifically rather than the Scottish nation as a whole)[2] it is still widely perceived as being anti-Scottish.
A separate anthem is widely supported (not simply by the supporters of independence) because in practice there are many situations (for example, sporting events) where a discrete Scottish anthem is necessary (see sport in Scotland). As a result, Scotland uses a variety of compositions in varying roles and with varying levels of support for recognition.
Possible candidates
The two most popular candidates for the role according to an opinion poll are Flower of Scotland and Scotland the Brave but various other songs including Scots Wha Hae, A Man's a Man for a' that, Freedom Come-All-Ye, Both sides the Tweed, Caledonia, I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) and Highland Cathedral have some level of support.
A minor complication with "Flower of Scotland" is that, when played on the bagpipes, one note in the last line (on the word "think") cannot be played correctly. It should be a C natural (when played in the key of D) but this note is not available on the bagpipes, so a C sharp is substituted. (The bagpipes are playing nominally in the key of D (actually in A Mixolydian); in fact the intonation is such that the key is E flat, or slightly higher).
Examples of use
The use of each song is wildly different. For example Scotland the Brave was used by the Commonwealth team representing The Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland during the medal-receiving ceremonies of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, whereas Flower of Scotland is played before every game of the Scottish national football team and before every game of the Scottish rugby union team.[3]
A Man's a Man for a' that was also sung at the opening of the Scottish Parliament by Sheena Wellington, though not for specific national anthem purposes.
Future discussion
Despite recent coverage by The Scotsman newspaper, the Scottish Parliament has yet to convene any parliamentary debate on the issue, with Holyrood's Enterprise Committee denying a motion from Scottish National Party MSP Michael Matheson on the subject.[4]
In June 2006 the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted an online poll to choose the favourite song. With over 10,000 votes cast, Flower of Scotland came first with 41% of the votes, followed by Scotland the Brave with 29%.[5]
| Tune | Votes (%) |
|---|---|
| Flower of Scotland | 41% |
| Scotland the Brave | 29% |
| Highland Cathedral | 16% |
| A Man's A Man for A' That | 7% |
| Scots Wha Hae | 6% |