There is something very stirring about Flower of Scotland, I love it. But then I like laments and pipes.

Even as an atheist I find GSTQ fairly inoffensive.

Nowt compares to the Italian national anthem for me though, often whistling it for days after I hear it.

Perhaps we should have a National Anthem like Spain with no official words to upset people.

They tried to add words to it last year and guess what…they managed to upset just about everyone so no one uses them now!

I think it looks better before a football match if the players are singing though, otherwise they just stand there looking a bit nervous.

An anthem should be a stirring, rousing banner waving top-of-lungs belter that everyone loves to sing and cheer for. So on that basis, it's basically only Wales and France that qualify. The US one could qualify but they take it too seriously and stand there solemnly with hands on hearts whilst someone else sings it through a mic.

Last November I did a fun run in the Mid-West. It was quite a big one, few thousand runners, but before the race as people were milling about they had two local high school girls come out all dressed up (and freezing) and they gave it there all through the PA. Everyone stopped and stood reverentially still and quiet with hands on hearts. It was really weird.

Bit boring the Brit anthem but better than some out there.

I like the music but the song words are crap-God save the people more like!

yeah, st,george wasnt he palastinian or somefink ?

GSTQ is a crap national anthem. I hate the queen bit and the god bit. It's like a bloody funeral dirge. All these things have been said before many times.

However as an expat brit it makes me miss home whenever I hear it, brings a lump to my throat and makes the hairs on the back of my neck standup with pride at being English and British. For that reason alone it should not be changed.

But I do find it tingly when I hear the musci like on Footy world cup or F1 etc.

(Waves flag)

The Pistols did an ok version!!

There are people that should swing in the Tower for views expressed on here 😆 👿

You mean swing like a real hepcat daddy-O?

God save our gracious Queen. Well there's at least one blantant lie in the first line and "save" would be profitably replaced with "help".

…And theres probably no god anyway*, so whats the point in even asking?
*copyright R.Dawkins

Well rewrite the words then.

Not easy. Besides the Queen is head of state which is a major part of British culture but people are moving on.

As long as she attracts tourism it's fine!

Ever thought that being a backward, inward-looking, euro-skeptic monarchy might put off tourists? Which is the most visited capital in Europe? A republican one.

The Germans now sing "einigkeit und recht und freiheit" with enthusiasm rather than "über alles" so rewrites to fit the times aren't unknown. There has even been talk of writing out something about spilling impure blood into field furrows in one anthem.