Sam- I don't recall "The English Taxpayer" subsidising the UK economy to the tune of 31 billion pounds over the last ten years (Like the Scots did with North Sea Oil). I don't recall the English having to tolerate unfair taxes on domestic and vehicle fuel which disproptionately attack northern or remote Scottish communities. I certainly don't recall the English suffering an extra two years of Thatcher's ill-concieved Poll-Tax. Don't make stupid, uninformed points about things you clearly don't understand.

If the English are so happy about letting the Scots, Welsh and Irish free then why is it that last week the commander-in-chief of English nationalism (i.e. William Hague, leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition) announced plans to abolish the devolved parliaments if the Tories get re-elected?

Why are Tories trying to systematically undermine the occupied territories peace initiative by inviting UUP leader David Trimble on to the platform at the Tory party conference to cheers of "Rule Brittannia!" and the waving of Union flags? Why are they forever winging about the handing over of rebel weapons and essentially supporting the failure of the UUP to deliver on the Good Friday Accords which they signed up to?

And it's not just the Tories, BTW, what about the British Labour Party (Emblem the English Red Rose) always hammering on about Scottish National Party "separitists". Why were their referendums on devolution based on a government white paper rather than act of Parliament? Answer- because since then there hjave been 68 ammendments to further limit the powers of the Scottish Parliament.

On the subject of anthems? I think it's pretty pointless to have one when you don't have a country yet to sing about. And they nearly always wine on about (The frankly irrelevant) past rather than the crucial future. I don't like Flower Of Scotland, it's for yobs who drink lager at rugby matches and have their entire history of Scottish culture defined to them by the BBC. I don't like Scotland The Brave becauase it presents a cliched, shortbread tin image of Scotland that we don't need, and I don't like. If we're going to have an anthem let's have Burns' "A Man's A Man" and leave it be. The bloody song will only be sung at Hampden, Murrayfield and pub closing-time anyway.

When we have a free nation - then I'll sing it.