You should definitely choose the theme tune from The Archers.

Dum-Tee-Dum-Tee-Dum-Tee-Dum, Dum-Tee-Dum-Tee-Dum-Dum

Either that or the one from Bullseye. I’ve been trying to convince my fellow Scots to adopt Donald, Where’s Your Troosers for years, but to no effect thus far.

This could the ignorance of a Belfast fella, but God save the Queen *is* English. It’s about the English smashing up some Scots. The rest of us have just been lumped in. Should the call not be for a new UK anthem?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T1pXsJp_go

@Dan

It’s not ‘about the English smashing up some Scots’. There was a verse about Marshall Wade crushing rebellious Scots but that has never been part of the song since it became the national anthem.

But Britain is England and England is Britain thats why the House of Commons and Parliament is flying the English flag. *Jokes*

It is fair to say though that God Save the Queen is far from a universally accepted UK anthem, Iindicative of this is the fact that you won’t hear it sung at Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland matches. The Queen is seen as a largely English institution. Therefore the English should seek to own God Save the Queen as their own anthem.
Personally I think this song more than sums up the British attitude and would gain my support as the new UK anthem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiLNN1NhQ

‘God Save the Queen’, ‘Jerusalem’ – fucking hell, why not go all the way and collectively masturbate whilst humming the theme tune to ‘Lord of the Rings’?

‘Decades’ by Joy Division gets my vote.

Wouldn’t it be better to scrap the anachronism that enables the UK to be one nation for some sporting events, and four nations for different ones?

The USA doesn’t send 50 teams to some sporting events, so why is the UK getting away with it?

@6

I sorta agree, tho’ would prefer ‘The Eternal’ ..

“Greg Mulholland said it was “frustrating” to hear fans sing God Save The Queen in South Africa as it was the anthem for the United Kingdom.”

Maybe he should ask those fans if they find it frustrating before dictating to them what they can and cannot sing? I noted suring the Slovenia game that the anthem was being sung even during the match.

I just remember the petition on the 10 downing street website to get the national anthem changed to Napalm Death’s “you suffer”.

Yes, Greg Mulholland is right. That’s good news about the Commonwealth Games too.

Even more than the football, it is a particular absurdity that England still use God Save the Queen against Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations.
http://www.nextleft.org/2009/02/give-us-english-anthem-for-britains.html

Ian @7
We are “getting away with it” partly it reflects the history of football across the last 130 years, in which the first ever international football match was played between England and Scotland in 1872 and because it is very much what most people in the different nations in the UK want. Politically, other members of UEFA and FIFA are not strongly motivated to controversially try to remove something so rooted in both the traditions of the game and its continuning presence in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for very little purpose other than tidiness. (The possible theoretical gain of having 50 rather than 53 countries competing in European football for qualification spots is hardly enormous). If I was Scottish, I suspect the removal of national sporting teams might be the one reason I might shift towards independence in Europe in preference to devolution in the UK, which is why neither the UK nor Scottish governments would want to see it.

I agree that we should have a separate English anthem. Jerusalem would be ok, but it should be Land of Hope and Glory.

Yes, Greg Mulholland is right

Sunder, Greg Mulholland is very silly. Politicians cannot decide what people sing on the terraces.

The USA doesn’t send 50 teams to some sporting events, so why is the UK getting away with it?

as if it’s a good thing to have teams based on smaller regions, so you can get your arses kicked all the more thoroughly. Personally, I’d rather “get away” with having Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland footballers in our team and compete as the UK.

13 – OK, I took it as a point about the official anthem played for the ceremonial. The fans can do what they want. I am not convinced Rule Brittania was a great song for England, during Wednesday’s second half, playing in South Africa.

If the point is to have an English song, rather than a British / UK song, then why is “Land of Hope and Glory” thought to be suitable? It’s more obviously a song about the British Empire than about any particular constituent part of the UK.

Anyway: Edward Elgar was right about LoHaG: the jingoistic lyrics ruin what is otherwise a very good tune.

We will just end up with Jerusalem, and then all the secular types will be just as pissed off.

‘I just remember the petition on the 10 downing street website to get the national anthem changed to Napalm Death’s “you suffer”.’

Seconded – brief, and to the point!

16 – can’t see why, it’s not as if the religious types believe Jesus actually went for a stroll through Not-Yet-England.

16 – can’t see why, it’s not as if the religious types believe Jesus actually went for a stroll through Not-Yet-England.

And for secular lefty-minded types, the associations “Jerusalem” has with Blake’s radical politics and with the suffrage movement (Fawcett to Parry: “”Your Jerusalem ought to be made the women voters’ hymn”) generally outweighs the strange religiosity of the lyric.

Jerusalem, definitely, even if Billy Bragg does support it (usually the kiss of death to any idea).

Anyway, be nice to have an anthem where the answer to the question of the first couplet is “No”.

And the second couplet, come to think of it, umm, third and fourth…..

Can just imagine it at Twickenham against the Welsh, can’t you….

“Dah dah dah dah de dah de dah, dah dah dah dah dah daaah?”

“No!”

Repeat etc….

We should adopt the vuvuzela, that way it doesn’t matter what anthem we pick it’ll still sound the same.

I like Amyl Nitrate’s version of Rule Britannia;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlL0D5BF2Ok

The Punks were always very patriotic. As were the Mods.

As several people on this thread have pointed out, parliament cannot say what people on terraces sing.

But it does have soverign power to choose national anthems – which is not a choice of fans, but government.

And in that light, can I (as a decidely non-religious type) vote for Jerusalem, if only because in the aforementioned England-Wales match, the Welsh would be forced to join in because it is such a good song (just ask a Welshman about the problems they have with Flower of Scotland). And if memory serves me right, there is a Welsh language version of Jerusalem…

As Chris @19 says I am confident we can get the secularists on board for Jerusalem. Also, they aren’t going to go to the wall for God Save the Queen.

Interestingly, the (all-Ireland) Irish Rugby side play the Republic’s national anthem at Dublin games, before they go on to “Ireland’s call” as their main rugby anthem everywhere. Following that principle could mean keeping god save the queen for all-British clashes, with separate national tunes to follow, as long as the Scots/Welsh are then clear that was as much theirs as ours!

I’m with a&e – Vindaloo!

I have to say, the BBC article annoyed me in its total ignoring of Northern Ireland as part of the UK.

“If we were smart we’d emigrate”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqoTNVwhrAg

God save the Queen is a fucking crap song. It says nothing about my country and every thing about a shit monarchy.

God save the Queen…..nothing about my country

send her victorious….nothing about my country.

long to reign over us…..nothing about my country.

God save the Queen….nothing about my country

It is a song about monarchy not country.

15 – spot on. Same goes for Rule Britannia, the clue there being in the second word.

I don’t get the enthusiasm for Jerusalem, even though it uses the word “England”. I love the song, and I support the radical political thought behind it, but it is fundamentally suggesting that “England” is a crap country that needs reforming. Why would anyone want an anthem that describes their country as crap?

God Save The Queen is such a dead, turgid piece of music. Ditto Jerusalem, though its not quite so bad. Its also utterly bonkers.

Napalm Death. How do you know its not already being used? They may not be sneezing.

The Archers theme is an old Billy Conolly joke that seems to have stuck. I’d prefer Hoots Mon There’s A Moose Loose Aboot This Hoose for a Scottish anthem. Imagine it echoing around the terraces.

Let’s be obscure and choose Uncle Harry’s Last Freakout by the Pink Fairies as the English national anthem. For a start its nearly 10 minutes long.

land of hope and glory if we update the words.
Written by the Wolves fan Elgar. Who also wrote the first football chant.
Although how about,
1. God save the queen by the pistols.
2. Turning japanese by the vapours.
3. Two little boys by Rolf

This might come over as a tad nationalist really….but are we sure that someone with the name Rhys Williams should really be advising the *English* on what their national anthem should be?

Yes I do sound a tad sheep shagger but I am English for at least 3 generations.
Also Tim you were educated by the Catholic church. Not an organisation that have been a friends of the English since Elizabeth the first.

“English for at least 3 generations”

And thus very much more English than I am….unless we take Sunny’s view that it’s a choice. Three generations back I am (in part) Peruvian….four back, indio, so the rumour goes.

“Also Tim you were educated by the Catholic church. Not an organisation that have been a friends of the English since Elizabeth the first.”

Tsk, it’s them Prots that are not the friends of the English, darned usurpers and upstarts!

Us damn prods
We are the backbone of the English state.
Cromwell, William of Orange and William Wilberforce.
Not like your lot who launched genocidal attacks on poor English yeoman in the late 16th C .
PS Tim as a businessman, it wasn’t you who has organised those group of Peruvian pan pipers who walk around London like extras from a Fiesta. If so you are a dastardly man

Wish I could claim to be so nefarious. But no, I just make the vital stuff that makes streetlights work….

Like Rhys Williams, I feel it is entirely legitimate for me to have a view about what we English want to decide, even without being called Henry or George. (Though I do also have Irish Catholic roots).

I’m pretty sure even paul dacre is finally now letting the 3 generations blood test arguments go, even now for the new Germans like Mesut Ozil too

http://www.nextleft.org/2010/06/do-this-lot-really-count-as-german-asks.html

“Why would anyone want an anthem that describes their country as crap?”

Well, it would be very English to do that, wouldn’t it?

“Why would anyone want an anthem that describes their country as crap?”

The title of the Polish national anthem translates as Poland Is Not Yet Lost, which cracks me up.

I’d suggest that the people who feel strongly about the national anthem are likely to be the same people who’d kick up a fuss at the idea of changing it. Heritage and tradition and whatnot.

Rhys top 6 anthems
6 Canadian
5 German
4 Russian
3 Italian
2 USA
1, French
Thank you pop pickers.

Les Froggies:

“The howling of these fearsome soldiers
They are coming into our midst
To cut the throats of your sons and consorts”

Aye, most modern and inclusive…..

Modern and inclusive
pah.
Just old fashioned passion

Viva La Revolucion!

Just what we need now. The corporate elite need to now the guillotine is coming…

Some of the bankers are giving Louis a run for his money.

I’m ashamed to say that during my student years I went to see a German porn movie.

Singing a song that begs an elderly German woman to ‘rain over us’ is not only highly inappropriate (IMHO) it’s downright objectionable and should not be sung in polite society!

I’d rather have just about anything. Jerusalem is OK and a slightly modified Land of Hope and Glory (we sing Land of Smoke and Glory at Stoke City matches) would also be good options.

However, if I was a dictator (benign of course) it would be England Rocks by Down N’ Outz…

So grab a place, find a space
And yell and scream for more

England Rocks, England Rocks
England Rocks, England Rocks

I vow to thee my country. Set to music by Holst. Played at Phil Archer’s memorial service!

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.

Vera Lynn: There’ll Always Be An England
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CBSpERIUFI&feature=related

Because it brings back memories for the ancients

“God save the Queen.”

I’m atheist and a Republican.

I like “I vow to thee my country”. The words are a bit saccharine, but it’s a great tune.

Jerusalem, definitely. Written by a world-class poet, even if he was barking mad. Even though I find myself in agreement with Tim Worstall!

The Marseillaise is the better tune though. We will never trump the french on that.