Oh dear, it's back on the agenda once again…should Flower of Scotland be made Scotland's official national anthem?

You may not have noticed, given how many airings we give it at Hampden and elsewhere, but as yet the Roy Williamson ballad is still not "officially" our national song.

In Holyrood, the scene of endless wise decisions, the Scottish Government is being urged to embark on a consultation process, whereby Flower of Scotland or perhaps a new composition is finally installed as Scotland's official anthem.

So Flower of Scotland is under scrutiny - and maybe imminent attack - yet again. It has had a fragile existence as one of the great songs of our time.

I judge Flower of Scotland on the following grounds: how does it sound in a communal setting, such as at the football, the rugby, or at a pop concert? How well is it married to a crowd? That to me is the acid test of the worth of any national anthem.

In this context I have to say Flower of Scotland is a failure, sometimes abjectly so. Its peculiar beat and musical rhythm invariably leave Scottish crowds floundering. The audience is almost always found sprinting ahead of the band or the pipers down on the pitch.

At both Hampden and Wembley I've heard Flower of Scotland being murdered by Scottish fans - and it was not just down to drink. It is a difficult song to keep pace with, as any musical bod will tell you.

Flower of Scotland is actually at its best in a very intimate atmosphere, with a singer on stage, and an audience no more than humming along. It is a lament more than a ballad, and it requires that degree of intimacy.

This is why The Corries - the original purveyors of the song - performed it best of all. Live on stage, Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne gave it a visceral edge, but were in total control of their creation.

Our MSPs are going to get into a bit of a fix over this. It is patently obvious that Flower of Scotland has appeal, but not universally so, in our country. The song has its detractors, and so the debate deserves to sift through other options for Scotland's official anthem.

There should be an opportunity for composers such as Donald Shaw or Mike Vass - two very fine Scottish traditional musicians - plus others to present a case for a new song. We've had Flower of Scotland for nigh-on 40 years (in fact the song is 60 years old) so let's see where a new search takes us.

I really envy the Swedes. Have you heard their national anthem? Go find it on YouTube. It has glorious, rolling cadences that sweep back and forth and raise the hairs on the back of your neck. It's like an uplifting Presbyterian hymn.

I sat among 15,000 Swedes at the 2006 World Cup for Germany v Sweden - the match in which Henrik Larsson missed a penalty - and the moment of Sweden's anthem was fantastic. As well as a great sound, moreover, the fans all managed to stay "in time".

This is the thing about a national anthem: it should be rousing and uplifting. It shouldn't be bleak or a touch lugubrious - which is what Flower of Scotland, being a lament, can sometimes be.

The late David Taylor, ex-head of the SFA, famously called it "a bit of a dirge". In these unkind words Taylor hit the nail on the head.

Please, let's not go back to Scotland The Brave or Scots Wha Hae and all that stuff. Let's get fresh, let's get new.

Scotland right now is brimming with writers, artists and composers. The talent pool in this country, the more I am exposed to it, seems remarkable. It cannot be beyond us to create a new national song.

I'll happily keep singing along to Flower of Scotland. It has its place. But there can be better, surely?