Hazel Mollison: Should Scotland grow up and ditch our resentment of England?

FOR thousands of rugby and football fans, belting out Flower of Scotland is a stirring expression of national pride, and just as much a part of the experience as the post-match pint.

Meanwhile, many Scots will no doubt echo tennis star Andy Murray's 2006 joke and declare their support for "anyone but England" during this summer's World Cup.

Most of us usually treat the exchanges on these occasions as just a little bit of friendly rivalry. After all, don't Canadians love to poke fun at Americans, and New Zealanders sometimes resent their larger neighbour? However, rugby legend Jim Telfer has urged Scots to "grow up" and ditch the anti-English banter once and for all.

The coach of Scotland's last Grand Slam-winning rugby side wants a new, more "mature" anthem, saying: "We need to stop defining ourselves through England, and it would be a sign of maturity if we got ourselves a decent national anthem."

The former Scotland and British Lions player, whose Grand Slam-winning side was the first national team to adopt Flower of Scotland, was speaking ahead of this weekend's clash and on the 20th anniversary of the 1990 victory over England at Murrayfield that clinched the slam.

At the time Scots had several reasons to have a collective chip on their shoulders. Margaret Thatcher had introduced the poll tax north of the Border first, and devolution was a far-off dream.

A lot has changed in the intervening 20 years though, so isn't it perhaps time we stopped dwelling on the past and forgave the English?

Dr Robin Tait, an amateur historian, believes it is time to leave this resentment in the past.

He said: "It doesn't do anyone any good. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being proud of being Scottish, but if we want to be attractive to outsiders, then we need to get over this kind of attitude.

"The differences between us are always stressed. There's a perception that Scotland is getting a raw deal from England, which is not the case."

There's certainly a long list of English villains we love to hate. These range from Edward I, the original "Hammer of the Scots" (top left), to Paul Gascoigne, who dashed our hopes of Euro 96 glory at Wembley.

For hundreds of years we've felt like the ignored or patronised smaller neighbour.

If you delve into the history books, its easy to find plenty of reasons to fuel this feeling.

Of course, there are the exploits of King Edward, Hammer of the Scots. And on his only return to Scotland after the Union of the Crowns, James VI tactlessly lectured his countrymen on the "superiority of English civilisation".

All that was all several hundred years ago though. Surely we can let go now, can't we?

There are certainly more modern issues too. Mrs Thatcher's poll tax being foisted on us ahead of our southern neighbours, and it took 700 years before the English eventually returned the stolen Stone of Destiny to Scotland.

We had to wait two decades for our own parliament, despite voting for it in a referendum in 1979.

Yet can we really blame all these gripes on an entire nation, rather than their one-time political elite – a regime under which many English felt hard done by too.

Christine Grahame, who represents the South of Scotland for the SNP, feels that the country has now moved on.

She said: "I think now we have a devolved parliament, things are more relaxed in the UK. To be pro-Scottish, you don't have to be anti-English. It's possible to read too much into Flower of Scotland. The people chose it, but it doesn't refer to current matters with England.

"I think the Nordic nations have got it right. They're independent, but still have a close relationship."

Paul Scott, vice-convener of the Saltire Society, however, believes it's not quite time to forgive the English.

He said: "We have to defend ourselves. It's as if they're a big brother sometimes, and trying to keep us out of the picture. Public opinion is dominated by broadcasting and London tends to ignore Scotland.

"We still have no control over the most important things, such as defence and foreign affairs. We're paying for these ridiculous nuclear submarines in the Clyde that nobody wants.

"It's not about going around reliving old battles. We shouldn't linger on the past, but consider the future. We want a friendly relationship with our neighbour, rather than being a subordinate."

In fact, some could say the English have more reason to resent the Scots now. With the Barnett formula in place, we still get a higher share of public funding. We've also managed to vote for benefits such as free personal care for the elderly and cheaper university education.

One adopted Scot, Andrew Coulson, a retired Edinburgh University professor, feels things have improved since he moved in the 1980s. He is now leading a local campaign to recognise the Battle of Pinkie, one of the most important battles in the history of Scotland.

He said: "I think any kind of anti-English sentiments are an intellectual dead end, but Scots are less likely to go down that route now. I think there is a much more mature attitude to Scottish history now."

Of course, when we take a deep breath and think about it, there is no reason to hold ancient grudges against our nearest neighbours.

We can be grown up about things, but wouldn't it be dull if we couldn't have our fun at the same time?

So, come on and sing with me, Oh Flower of Scotland...

IF NOT THEM, THEN WHO?

EVERY nation needs a rival. So, if we are to bury our differences with England, who could take their place?

Norway: Not only did the Vikings come raping and pillaging Scotland in the ninth century, they now get away with charging outrageous prices for beer, but it's hardly a rivalry to stir the blood.

Lithuania: We've drawn them one too many times in World Cup and European qualifiers, but chanting "We hate Lithuania more than you" doesn't have much of a ring to it.

Ireland: They've blatantly stolen our income from Hollywood movies by tempting producers with their landscapes and lower costs, but can you hate anyone who gave the world Guinness?

France: Yes, we did sign the Auld Alliance, but that was mainly based on mutual hatred of the English. It's easy to let the stereotypical Frenchman get up your nose. The only problem is, they're not English.