to think that if you're in Team GB you should sing the national anthem

[ClaireFromWork]

Ddail Mail I'm afraid but honestly, if you're in a team that represents the United Kingdom then surely you should be prepared to sing it. Esp if you're captain of the team.

linky

YANBU. I particularly like the second verse:

O Lord, our God, arise,
Scatter her enemies, And make them fall.
Confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix, God save us all.

I wish that one was in our hymn book.

Whoops, bad spacing there. Still loving the knavish tricks though.

Totally agree. Talked about this last night - there is a Scottish athlete who is refusing to sing and making a political point of it. Great, if she wants independance for Scotland she should refuse to play for Team GB, but I guess her 'principals' only stretch as far as making a childish and selfish twat of herself over the national anthem.

Just Team GB then? Lots of sportsmen and women don't join in with their national anthems. It doesn't mean they don't love their country.

Knavish tricks - I like it :)

'Knavish tricks'. Must try and fit that into a conversation today.

Totally agree - both DH and I commented that it was very obvious that the 2 Welsh players were not singing, particuarly poor from Giggs as captain.

YANBU

ALso loving "knavish tricks".

Exactly re. Scottish footballer taking a stand on it. there's no "I" in team etc etc.

I think I agree.

Whatever people's personal feelings are, when they are supposed to be part of a team, and as the team of the host country, and on the world stage with all eyes on them, I think they should have presented a united front.

It's just a song.

It wasn't about not joining in, which doesn't bother me. It was about making a political point in what should be an event where politics are put to one side.

Don't see a problem to be honest. Scotland and Wales have their own anthem and the National anthem does mention 'rebellious Scots to crush'

As long as they aren't flicking v signs while it's playing they can keep schtum if they don't want to sing.

I do agree but I don't think RG sings the welsh one either.

YABU. Giggs never sings the Welsh one either, so why would he sing the English one?
Team GB was repeatedly referred to as England in the football commentary last night. I think that's more shocking, and indicative of how people actually see the team, that Giggs not singing.

Optional verse:

Lord, grant that Marshal Wade,
May by thy mighty aid,
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
and like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush,
God save the Queeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen.

Loads of sportspeople dont sing it usually.

No, YABU, you can represent your country at sport without having to support nationalistic sentiments of the country. If the sports selectors want to make nationalistic jingoism part of their selection criteria then they're free to do so, whilst they select on purely sporting grounds, the athletes are free to do whatever they want.

Not singing it because you're that's just your MO is just about passable (though again a bit off as he's captain) but using it to make a point like Kim Little is crap.

Maybe she could sing this one instead:

God bless the prince, I pray,
God bless the prince, I pray,
Charlie I mean;
That Scotland we may see
Freed from vile Presbyt'ry,
Both George and his Feckie,
Ever so, Amen.

I don't mind if you choose not to sing because you want to have a think or just soak up the moment etc (or if you sound like a dying cat!) but if you want to make it political then you shouldn't be in the team.

We do not learn god save the queen in Scotland.
We have our own national Anthem as does Wales.
Perhaps if England had their own anthem instead of gstq or better still another anthem could be used as the Uk one, then more people would sing along.
Scottish athletes can only compete in uk team as there is no Scottish team, yet, they don't have to be happy about all aspects of it.
The "proud to be British" concept is alien to a lot of people in the UK as many of us would never relate to being British.
We are Scottish, Welsh or Irish, British generally means English to a lot of folks.

So republicans can't be in the Olympics? You sure that's what you want? Doesn't Britain do freedom of speech any more? It's based on national teams, so how else can people participate?

Some sports people don't sing it because it breaks their focus.

I think the other problem is the that England doesn't have its own national anthem so uses God Save the Queen. I don't think the UK and English anthem should be the same.

In the intrests of openess I should point out that I am Welsh.

perhaps he just doesn't like singing. Who cares? Just get on with watching the game!

You could turn this around, couldn't you?

AIBU to think if someone is a brilliant sportsman or woman playing for our country, we should be proud of them and support their choices?

I mean, which would you rather, we pick the best people for a sporting event and cheer them on, or we get Charlotte Church and the Magdalene college choir to bone up on their long jump so we can get a nice sing-song out of them?