I was at Sidmouth and went to the launch, which I thought was great. I was expecting the speeches first, just like Mr Harris. But I thought that was because I am, even worse than an ageing hippie, a red nappy baby(US usage red-diaper). The left also has its traditions, some of which are boring and alienating. Why not try doing it differently for once? The point was not for folk music to single-handedly defeat the fascist hordes but to make it clear that we will not let the BNP sing, dance or speak claiming it is in our name.
On a slightly separate tack, thinking about how to counterxenophobia in folk music while preserving and developing music in the folk idiom, perhaps it is time to challenge the Ewan McColl dictum that you should only sing the music of your own country. (He notably failed to follow his own advice). Dogan Mehmet shows how Turkish tunes can revitalise English music (and for all I know English tunes revitalise Turkish ones). Perhaps we should be on the look out for non-English folk musicians to invite to our clubs and events. Some of us might consciously include the odd "foreign" folk song in our sets. Last week at Bodmin Folk Club the evening concluded with 2 Londoners, a Scot and an Ulster-man joining a "Proper Cornish" couple to sing a Cornish anthem. It was done quite unself-consciously but made an interesting point. Trouble is African music is, musically too difficult for me, better brush up on my Japanese:) Jane B