r AS REG_ 12 YEAR OLD

COMPETITION

cii.i.vAS REGAL 12 YEAR OLD SCOTCH WHISKY

Revised version

Jaspistos

SCOTCH WHISKY In Competition No. 1624 you were asked to supply a new National Anthem, monar- chic or republican, more in tune with the trends of our multicultural society.

Alrady by 1836 a pacifist bootmaker was attempting to soften and update one verse of our dreary National Anthem, which of course can only be made drearier by well-meaning tinkering. The words have been attributed to the aptly named John Bull (d. 1628), the organist at Antwerp Cathedral, but the first line harks back to the Bible (1 Samuel x 24): 'And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.' Dreary though it may be, there's more to be said for it than for most of its counterparts. Imagine having to chant smugly, as a little Norwegian, Va, vi elsker dette Landet som det sager frem' (Yes, we love our country just as it is).

I offered you a choice of mood for your versions. The trouble was that the jokiest of you were too cruelly satirical (And countless passport-holders from Hong Kong . . . "Vellypleezed all-Blitish sing- along" '), and those who took their task more seriously tended, hardly surprisingly, to be dull. I've divided the prize money between the best of both approaches. The winners, printed below, get £14 apiece, and the bonus bottle of Chivas Regal 12-year-old de luxe blended whisky goes to Geoffrey Riley.

In our destiny is written Vision of a Greater Britain! Immigration, integration Are the life-blood of our nation!

Come, ye workers of all races, Refugees from distant places, Bring to us the rich addition Of your culture, creed, tradition.

We will house you, teach you, feed you. Bring your children, too — we need you! Help us gain our great objective: Make our goods more cost-effective.

Strengthen us by force of numbers, Rouse our country from its slumbers, And we'll win our deathly tussles 'Gainst the dreaded power of Brussels!

(Geoffrey Riley) Glorious things of thee are spoken, Britain of the melting pot, Where equality's not token, Multi-ethnic, polyglot. From the Severn to the Humber, From Tintagel up to Perth, Let them flourish, without number, All the cultures of the earth.

Patois, Hindi, Gujerati, Rise to sing the nation's praise, Joined in accents loud and hearty By Ghanaians and Malays. At the mosque or 'neath the steeple, Swathed in turban or sarong, May our pluralistic people Chant with pride our common song.

(Beverley Strauss) O Land of Zeus and Allah, Of Isis, Brahma, Ra, Of priest and ayatollah, As well as Christ and Jah, We weave the richest carpet, All colours in your praise, We trade in one great market But walk our different ways.

Upon a land of princes The sun has truly set, But in our varied voices We still call Britain great; As one vast congregation, Each to his God devout, We sing a common anthem And drive division out. (Frank McDonald) Come, gods, direct your smiles Over the British Isles; Spare no expense, Whether your image be Mono- or polythe- Istic, or neutrally Blind Providence.

Come, gods with several heads, Keep us safe in our beds, We're of your party; Rule us in Cantonese, Hausa and Canarese, Eskimo, Nepalese, And Gujerati.

We're the top, We're the chosen nation, We're the top, White, black and Asian, We're every race and colour under the sun, We're the best By any test, Second to none. (Paul Griffin) We happy breeds Are multifarious, Accents and creeds Many and various, And none dare bring our progress to a stop; We don't mind who's the bottom, We're the top. (Stanley J. Sharpless) Though in many creeds believing, Let us all together stand, Of each Faith the truth perceiving As we pray for this our Land. May our myriad, varied facets Make her like a jewel glow, And the richness of her assets By united efforts grow.

May we, as a single Nation, By adoption or by birth, Through our peaceful integration Show the races of the earth How, their differences transcending, They can live in harmony, As we, each on all depending, Make our Britain great and free. (0. Smith)