The National Anthem

Bristol University has dropped the national anthem from some of its graduation ceremonies, sparking a discussion about the song’s relevance to students and the merits of the national anthem more broadly. The university made the change in 2020 and will now sing ‘God Save the King’ at just two ceremonies a year, when a representative of the royal family attends. So why has it sparked a heated discussion this week? Some say the national anthem is too focused on the monarch, which represents an outdated way of running the state and reminds us of a problematic past. Others say it's an important tradition, we have much to be proud of and there is too much snobbishness about displaying national pride. Our panel discuss their views and we consider what a new anthem might sound like. We hear that the anthem originates from a turbulent time for the monarchy. Pollsters at More in Common explain that a small group of the population that are most likely to dislike the monarchy are also the most likely to write political social media posts, giving them a disproportionate say in the debate.