National anthem of Scotland

National Anthem of Scotland
Flower of Scotland (de facto)

National anthem of  Scotland
Adopted	None currently officially adopted by the Scottish Government (as of 2024)

Part of a series on the
Culture of Scotland
History Timeline Prehistoric Roman times Middle Ages Early Middle Ages Kingdom High Middle Ages Davidian Revolution Wars of Independence Late Middle Ages Renaissance Early modern Reformation Colonisation of the Americas Glorious Revolution 1707 Acts of Union Jacobitism Enlightenment Lowland Clearances Highland Clearances Industrial Revolution Romanticism Modern
People
Languages Scottish Gaelic Broad Scots Scottish English Pictish Norn
Traditions Clothing Hackle Burning of the Clavie Burns supper Common Riding Crofting Saining Scots law Scottish clan Skalk Up Helly Aa Units of measurement
Mythology and Folklore
Cuisine
Festivals St. Andrew's Day Hogmanay Burns supper Tartan Day Lanimer Day Imbolc Bealltainn/May Day Lùnastal Samhainn
Religion
Art
Literature
Music and Performing arts Folk music Scottish highland dance Scottish country dance Scottish sword dances Mod Keening Waulking song Opera Puirt à beul Border Ballad
Media Radio Television Cinema
Sport Golf Curling Football Haggis hurling Hailes Highland games Horse racing Rugby sevens Rugby union Shinty Shot put
Monuments World Heritage Sites
Symbols Flag Coat of arms National anthem Lion Rampant Thistle Tartan Celtic cross Celtic knot Scottish inventions and discoveries
Scotland portal
v t e

There is currently no agreed national anthem of Scotland. In sporting events and significant national situations, songs are used as de facto Scottish national anthems, most notably "Flower of Scotland" and "Scotland the Brave". The Scottish Government has not formally adopted an official national anthem of Scotland, and said in 2015 that it had "no current plans in this regard" to formally adopt a national anthem of Scotland.^[1]

In 2004, lawyers for the devolved Scottish Parliament advised that it was within the legal competence of the Scottish Parliament to choose a national anthem for Scotland, countering the suggestion that it would be a matter reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.^[2] This ruling prompted some interest in the idea, and a petition to the Scottish Parliament's petitions committee supported by the Scottish Green Party was referred without recommendation to the Scottish Executive, but they decided to take no action, considering the issue not to be a political priority.^[3][4] There have been subsequent attempts to re-open the debate on a national anthem for Scotland.^[5] In 2006, the Scottish Parliament Enterprise Committee denied a motion from Scottish National Party MSP Michael Matheson on the subject.^[6]

There have been attempts to establish an agreed and official national anthem of Scotland. In November 2014, a petition was lodged to the Scottish Parliament – "Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to officially recognise 'Flower of Scotland' as Scotland's national anthem".^[7] In a Consideration of Petition letter from the Scottish Government dated 13 February 2015, it acknowledged that "Scottish Ministers believe a national anthem is an important part of a nation’s culture and heritage". The Scottish Government advocated that the "national song should be an anthem for all the people of Scotland with our diverse heritage and traditions. Scotland has many fine tunes, both traditional and contemporary, including ‘Flower of Scotland’, which could be stirring national anthems, but it is important that any choice has wide public support".^[8]

The Scottish Parliament decided to close the consideration of the petition, on the basis that it believed that "consideration of whether Scotland should officially adopt a national anthem and if so, what that might be, should not be led by the Scottish Government or by any single political party". At the time, in November 2015, the Scottish Government confirmed it had "no current plans in this regard" to formally adopt a national anthem of Scotland.^[9]