How times have changed

William the Conqueror, Macbeth and Canute Beowulf, the epic poem telling of a fight against a dragon called Grendel who devours men in their sleep Scotland was ruled by one man after King Malcolm of Scotia, king of the Scots and Picts, defeated the Angles of Lothian in the Battle of Carham in 1018 Wolves, wild boars and beavers roamed the countryside.

THE 21ST CENTURY - THE AGE OF ...

Celebrity Love Island and Vicky Pollard Internet blogging, gangsta rap and -the highest form of art -sharks pickled in formaldehyde.

Scotland, in a nod to self-rule, is governed by 129 squabbling politicians in a parliament built to resemble an upturned boat.

Chavs -or "neds" in Scotland -roam the streets looking for fights.