Seven sing out for Scotland

THE Scotsman’s campaign to select an official national anthem for Scotland is gaining momentum and attracting interest among a variety of key players - from politicians and academics to leading lights in arts and culture.

The campaign has been given added gravitas, following a ruling last week that the choice of anthem was indeed a matter for the devolved administration.

Officials had been rather dismissive of any effort involved in establishing a new anthem for Scotland, saying it was a matter for Westminster.

Now that the validity - and popularity - of the campaign have been established, the key questions are how is it to be chosen and from which contenders.

Chris Ballance, a Green MSP who tabled a parliamentary motion calling for a new anthem, will today go before the Public Petitions Committee to argue that parliament should take on board the growing support for a fitting national anthem for Scotland and help to promote a selection process allowing the public to have an input.

He said: "There is a tremendous value in having a song which exemplifies Scotland, both to ourselves and to the world. It helps to forge a sense of identity, community and belonging and could provide an extra way of identifying Scotland when selling her abroad."

Mr Ballance will suggest the Enterprise Committee launches a short inquiry, with a view to conducting some sort of selection process.

The Scotsman asked seven leading Scots to champion their choice of anthem and explain why they like it:

JENNY COLGAN

Caledonia

I’m all for Caledonia, Dougie MacLean’s gorgeous "wee homesick" song that you can play or sing (even bad guitarists can usually make a reasonable fist of it after a few pints of heavy) anywhere in the world Scots are present, starting a singalong and raising a tear or two in the process. It’s contemporary and traditional at the same time, it’s not backward-looking, it doesn’t involve any blood-spilling and it celebrates the Scottish diaspora and the national tradition of educating its weans properly and sending them out around the world.

And it’s been used to sell booze, which strikes a chord too.

• Jenny Colgan is a Scotland-based writer.

NICOLA JOLLY

God Save The Queen

While we have a monarchy, I don’t think we should replace God Save the Queen. I am a proud Scot, but I am also proud to be British and I believe that’s something we should keep.

We should be proud of being British as well as Scottish, and so I do not believe that we need to replace God Save the Queen with a Scottish anthem.

I think that God Save the Queen is a rousing song and an important part of our country’s heritage.

• Nicola Jolly is a model and beauty queen who won the Miss UK and Miss Scotland titles.

ERIC MILLIGAN

Scots Wha Hae

I like it because it’s a song that really stirs the blood like no other. Although some may regard it as a nationalist call to arms, I don’t think it should be viewed in that way. Burns wrote it as a call for Scots (over Muir’s expulsion to Botany Bay, after handing out copies of Paine’s Rights of Man) to wake up and see what was happening around them rather than just being nationalistic. There should always be a call for Scots to remain true to their radical faith rather than be idle.

• Councillor Eric Milligan is tourism ambassador and a former lord provost of Edinburgh.

DAMIAN RILEY-SMITH

Scotland the Brave

I love Scotland the Brave as it is filled with Scottish passion. I think it’s a very difficult question as to whether it should replace God Save the Queen; Scotland the Brave is so well-known the world over, it is almost a national anthem already. With our magazines, we always look to promote national icons, and this is precisely what Scotland the Brave is; it captures our spirit, history and heritage. Scotland should play to its strengths, not invent some trendy new funk rock anthem.

• Damian Riley-Smith is the publisher of periodicals including Scotland Magazine.

ALEX SALMOND

Flower of Scotland

I have been doing my own research on the matter, conducting a poll at Lochpotts Primary School in Fraserburgh where the six choices were placed before the kids, and they went for Flower of Scotland. It was a pretty close-run thing; it narrowly edged out Dark Island, which was interesting, and other choices included I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the Proclaimers, Highland Cathedral and Scotland the Brave.

Otherwise, I like A Man’s A Man because I like its vision and humanity and was very moved by its rendition by Sheena Wellington at the opening of the Scottish Parliament. The process of coming to a decision is an important one and is clearly galvanising debate even at primary-school level.

• Alex Salmond, MP, is leader of the Scottish National Party.

TED COWAN

A Man's A Man For A' That

I like the sentiment, I like the way it has a communicative quality and I like its suggestion that we are brothers for all.

It seems to be looking beyond the normal parameters of national anthems which are invariably up their own backside. It also suggests we as a country should look beyond national boundaries which fits in with the influence Scotland likes to think it has had over the world.

Whatever the truth, we like to think of ourselves as a nation with international interests. Robbie Burns is also a great icon of Scotland, so this would be a nice way to honour him.

• Professor Ted Cowan is one of Scotland’s foremost historians, based at Glasgow University.

RODDY MARTINE


Highland Cathedral
HIGHLAND Cathedral is a wonderful stirring song, although unfortunately written in 1982 by two Germans, Michael Korb and Uri Roever, rather than Scots, which of course is no problem in this day and age when we have a Scottish Parliament designed by a Catalan architect.

Highland Cathedral celebrates the glories of Scotland’s landscape.

When I was in Australia 18 months ago, I was on a Desert Island Discs-style programme. Highland Cathedral was one of the songs I requested - and apparently the switchboards were jammed for 40 minutes afterwards as a result of the song being played.

• Roddy Martine is an author, writer and columnist based in Edinburgh. He is best known for Supernatural Scotland.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Which should be Scotland’s national anthem?

1001 God Save the Queen
1002 Scots Wha Hae
1003 Flower of Scotland
1004 Scotland the Brave
1005 Caledonia
1006 A Man’s a Man for a’ That
1007 Highland Cathedral
1008 An entirely new piece of music

TEXT 07736 101010 Create a text starting with the word TSVOTE, followed by a space, then the four-digit code of the song you’re voting for. Then leave another space and enter your name and postcode (eg TSVOTE 1001 John Smith EH1 1AB).

OR CALL 0906 948 6606, and when prompted key in the number of your favourite song and follow the instructions.

To enter by text will cost you the price of a text message at your network’s rate. To enter by phone will cost 10p per minute. Calls last no longer than two minutes.