A New National Anthem for Scotland?

Imagine if the United States stopped bullying Canada and just invaded and conquered it. If you can imagine how Canadians would feel, you may have some idea how Scots feel.

As fans of the movie Braveheart know, the Scots fought bravely against imperial England but were overwhelmed by its much bigger and better equipped military forces. Adding insult to injury, their national anthem is the emimently stuffy "God Save the Queen." But that could change.

First Minister Alex Salmond wants to hold a competition to allow Scots to choose their own national song. He's campaigning for a little know folk song - "Scotland Will Fluorish." The lyrics include the words, "Let the Scots be a nation proud of their heritage, with an eye to the future and a heart to forgive."

After winning a historic majority in recent Scottish Parliamentary elections, Salmond's party is pursuing an ambitious goal: independence. At the same time, the song that could replace "God Save the Queen" is being promoted via a Facebook group (Make ‘Scotland Will Flourish’ the national anthem) and several YouTube videos.

After listening to the song, I had one question; where are the bagpipes?

But don't despair. There are a number of songs that could vie for the title, and some of them will surely feature what is widely considered Scotland's national instrument.

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