I WATCHED with great pleasure, admiration, and envy, as the talented singers of new South Africa sang their wonderful anthem for their football team in the match against England at Old Trafford, Manchester.

I dreaded the approach of the usual solo, operatic style singing of our own dire national anthem and, on this occasion in particular, was left cringing and appalled by an anthem I have always detested for its lack of musical merit.

The embarrassed faces of our team and fans seemed to convey the same sentiments.

I am 33 now and, in all my life, have never met anyone who did not think that our national anthem was the most pitiful and appalling in the whole world. As we move towards the new millennium, I have just three questions to ask of the establishment:

1. Who chose the national anthem?

2. Why?

3. When can we choose for ourselves?

This could be the best chance we will ever get to choose.

As we approach a time of historical significance regarding a Scottish parliament, a Welsh assembly and yet-to-be-announced arrangement for Northern Ireland, there will be a new England, too.

I think it would be nice if each nation could choose an anthem to epitomise its own identity and aspirations, such as, for example, the current 'Flower of Scotland,' as well as a collective and unifying British national anthem agreed by all, which would be used on those occasions when the UK countries wanted to be represented together.

My own choices would be 'Jerusalem' for England itself, and 'I Vow to Thee, My Country,' for all to share, which would, by the sentiments of the verses, be particularly meaningful if we all finally made peace with each other.

However, I do know that there is also a strongish lobby for 'Land of Hope and Glory.'

It would be fun to hear other people's views on this.

J M HADFIELD (Mrs), Gillibrand Street, Darwen.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.