The Fredösphere

Last week my friend Steve confessed to an unhealthy attraction to the British national anthem.  Is it a coincidence that the anthem came to my attention again today?  The boys at WRCJ -- a team of radio geniuses, by the way; the world classical radio is lucky to have them.  Imagine if Howard Stearn spent more time with his hands on classical music and less time with them inside other people's clothing, or his own -- discussed the Royal Scottish National Orchestra's attempt to dump the English national anthem and choose a new national anthem specifically for Scotland.

It seems that "God Save the Queen" hits an awkward spot somewhere around verse six, wherein the English army is exhorted to crush the perfidious Celtic menace to the north.  The RSNO is asking Scottish visitors to its website to listen to, and vote for, one of five proposed replacements:

A Man's a Man.  The title has P.C. problems, but the text is a Robert Burns' fanfare for the common Scot, and might serve as a clarifying counterpoint in a country where the men where skirts.
Flower of Scotland.  Already considered by some to be Scotland's de facto national anthem, it wastes no time, gloating over England's retreating army in verse one.
Highland Cathedral.  Madonna picked this one as a wedding march, and the tune was written by two Germans; if that doesn't disqualify it, whatever would?
Scotland the Brave.  This is the one tune I recognize.  Additionally in its favor, no armies were massacred, or even described as being massacred, during the making of this song, which words were penned by, who else?  Robert Burns.
Scots Wha Hae.  Another example of Scots defining themselves mainly by their unenglishness (and, judging from the title, their contempt of English grammar and spelling).  A commentator at this website ominously says, "I will let the reader make up your own mind whether it is a poem of patriotism or something deeper."