National anthem of Scotland facts for kids
| National anthem of |  Scotland |
|---|
As Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, the British national anthem God Save The Queen is used in Scotland for example for royal occasions, or when Scottish athletes participate at the Olympics. However, in other situations, other songs are used as de facto Scottish anthems, most notably "Flower of Scotland" and "Scotland the Brave". There have been calls for Scotland to have its own official national anthem.
In 2004, lawyers for the devolved Scottish Parliament advised that it was within the legal competence of the Scottish Parliament to choose a national anthem for Scotland, countering the suggestion that it would be a matter reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This ruling prompted some interest in the idea, and a petition to the Scottish Parliament's petitions committee supported by the Scottish Green Party was referred without recommendation to the Scottish Executive, but they decided to take no action, considering the issue not to be a political priority. There have been subsequent attempts to re-open the debate on a national anthem for Scotland.
Current use
At most international sporting events Scotland uses Flower of Scotland as its national anthem. These events include matches of the Scottish national football team and the Scottish rugby union team. The song has also been used as the victory anthem of Scotland at the Commonwealth Games since 2010, replacing Scotland the Brave.
Possible candidates
In June 2006 the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted an online opinion poll on their website, asking visitors to choose a favourite to be Scotland's national anthem. With over 10,000 votes cast, Flower of Scotland came first with 41% of the votes, followed by Scotland the Brave with 29%.
| 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% |
Other songs which have been suggested include Robert Burns' Auld Lang Syne, and Hamish Henderson's Freedom Come-All-Ye. Both of these songs, from the 18th and 20th centuries respectively, are written in Lowland Scots. Another suggestion is The Thistle o' Scotland published in 1902. It was originally written in Scottish Gaelic but translated into Lowland Scots.
Future discussion
Despite 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. In an attempt to add breadth to the discussion, Edinburgh musician Bob Murray first presented a one-man show on the subject at The Scottish Storytelling Centre in May 2015, and now performs it from time to time at various venues.
See also
In Spanish: Himno nacional de Escocia para niños
