ANTHEMS stir all kinds of strong feelings and for that reason are not a subject to be trifled with.

Australia, for example, had decades of dispute over whether God Save the Queen should be replaced and national competitions to decide the front runners if there was a to be change.

Waltzing Matilda and winner Advance Australia Fair both had vocal supporters quite apart from those who didn't want "The Queen" to be ditched.

So it is not really surprising that Hyndburn MP Greg Pope hasn't been overwhelmed with support for his bid to blow the whistle on the national anthem being used by English sporting teams and their fans.

He makes the point that the national anthem is British, rather than English and since the Scots and Welsh have their own rugby anthems we might take up something like Jerusalem as a substitute.

But only a mixed bag of a dozen MPs have so far signed his Commons Early Day Motion and both the Football Association and the Rugby Football Union have turned down the idea.

The FA say that "The Queen" is the English as well as the UK national anthem and they want their players to continue singing it "with great passion."

Which all goes to show that while Mr Pope might have done some service in sparking a debate people will continue to sing exactly what they want to sing - regardless of what politicians might wish.