Flat backswing need help!

I think Brian and Martin have identified the key points. You are already standing up as you come into the ball which opens the club face.

Ok chaps so on a whole i need to;relax,stay more stable on the back and front swing let the arms do the work and maintain my spine angle which will be less 'over the ball'??? oh and swing through and not up!!?? and maybe slow my backswing down a tad.

That sounds like quite a lot to think about (too much ). I would concur with seeking a stable/solid base, and rotating around the spine. Anything that doesn't make sense toss out.

I'd forget the recommendations to relax, let the arms do the work, swing through, and slow down. Each of those have their flaws.

I don't like the word relax as it promotes positioning body parts in places that are not condusive to swinging a golf club. People begin to get their chins on their chests (blocking shoulder movement), shoulders slumping (adding tension to the arms and hindering movement), a rounded back (preventing proper posture, and making stable spine rotation not possible).

I also don't agree with letting the arms do the work. To me that suggests stiff arms, and tension in and around the arms.

I think swinging thorugh should be a reaction to the rest of the swing, not something you force. After impact the ball is gone, and anything that occurs after that will not effect the balls flight.

I don't like the suggestion of slowing down the backswing either. How much do you slow it? How do you know when you've slowed it too much, or not enough? If you want to work on tempo for your swing you could cout 1,2,3 like Ernie Els (1 as you start back, 2 as you get to the top, and 3 at impact).

Put a broomstick across the back of your shoulders, horizontally. Bend at the hips at about 35 to 45 degrees. Take an easy backswing and then follow-through to a finish. After a few swings this way....do the same thing without the broomstick only this time put your arms together as if you were holding a club. Swing this way and you've got a pretty good idea how you should swing a club around the axis of your spine. Your swing will not be too flat if done this way.