Thatcher’s government feared allowing the Scottish football team to use Scotland the Brave
Rod Mills - Express - Monday February 8,2010
In Victorian times it was a tune that struck fear into the hearts of the enemies of the British Empire on the battlefield.
Now it
has emerged that Margaret Thatcher’s government feared allowing
the Scottish football team to use Scotland the Brave as its anthem at
the 1982 World Cup.Newly published documents reveal that ministers and government officials believed letting Jock Stein’s side ditch God Save the Queen in favour of the rousing tune would stoke nationalist sentiments.
And they worried it would be indicative to the outside world of a national breakaway movement, and could legitimise the campaign for independence.
By the late 19th century, the sound of the pipes was universally recognised as heralding the arrival of Scottish regiments, whose military prowess was feared throughout the world. When Scotland players took to the football field to its strains in the 1982 World Cup, it was the first time the side strode out to an unofficial national anthem.
However, it failed to prevent the team from crashing out in the first round, despite David Narey’s spectacular opening goal in the team’s 4-1 defeat by Brazil. The files, newly released by the National Archives of Scotland, show that, in the run-up to the tournament, the then Scottish sports minister, Alex Fletcher, the Scottish Office and the Department of the Environment (DoE) were seriously concerned by the Scottish Football Association’s plan to switch anthems.
| Scotland the Brave | |
| Hark when the night
is falling Hear! Hear the pipes are calling, Loudly and proudly calling, Down thro' the glen. There where the hills are sleeping, Now feel the blood a-leaping, High as the spirits of the old Highland men. Towering in gallant fame, Scotland my mountain hame, High may your proud standards gloriously wave, Land of my high endeavour, Land of the shining river, Land of my heart for ever, Scotland the brave. High in the misty Highlands, Out by the purple islands, Brave are the hearts that beat Beneath Scottish skies. Wild are the winds to meet you, Staunch are the friends that greet you, Kind as the love that shines from fair maiden's eyes. |
Towering in gallant
fame, Scotland my mountain hame, High may your proud standards gloriously wave, Land of my high endeavour, Land of the shining river, Land of my heart for ever, Scotland the brave. Far off in sunlit places, Sad are the Scottish faces, Yearning to feel the kiss Of sweet Scottish rain. Where tropic skies are beaming, Love sets the heart a-dreaming, Longing and dreaming for the homeland again. Towering in gallant fame, Scotland my mountain hame, High may your proud standards gloriously wave, Land of my high endeavour, Land of the shining river, Land of my heart for ever, Scotland the brave. |
A Scottish Office memo to the DoE, sent shortly before the tournament, stated: “When a team from the UK plays abroad, it does not seem appropriate for anything to be played but God Save the Queen. To play the national anthem for one team, but not another, could lead some countries to think that the separate tune is indicative of a national breakaway movement. Presentationally, for the outside world, it might be best if the main flag seen at all the games was the Union Flag.”
A follow-up letter, sent after the SFA’s decision had been made, noted “with disappointment that the Scots will play under the St Andrew’s Cross and use Scotland the Brave.” Fletcher said: “The question of which tune is to be played is left to the sport’s governing body. As such, the secretary of state has no formal locus, and there is no case for intervening.”
Ernie Walker, the SFA’s chief executive during the 1982 World Cup, said the Government was acutely sensitive to the burgeoning independence movement in Scotland, led by the SNP’s Jim Sillars. The Conservative government took serious notice of what they regarded as the threat of a Scottish breakaway, he said. Anything that was seen as predominately Scottish was played down.
In the 1982 and in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, the Scottish national team used Scotland the Brave as its anthem. It was later replaced by Flower of Scotland, following its success in rallying the national rugby team.
New Scotland boss Craig Levein yesterday said he was “excited” after being drawn against European champions Spain in the qualifiers for Euro 2012. Scotland will also face the Czech Republic, Liechtenstein and Lithuania in Group I when fixtures begin in September.
See also:
How Margaret Thatcher used money to change the face of Britain
Thatcher's legacy helps Gordon Brown rediscover the self-employed
Ruined by the union
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