The latest English Dance & Song says that the consultation is still continuing. We are assured that this is a genuine consultation, and that no decision has been made. If true (and I'm ready to give them the benefit of the doubt) the design of the survey is even worse than I imagined, if it's obvious bias is in fact accidental. The only analysis they've provided at this stage is how people feel about "Englishness". There's a hint that a lot of the pressure may be coming from other organisations they work with, who may have no interest in folk music or tradition and perhaps have quite different priorities. This seems to all be part of EFDSS's desire to join the Arts mainstream and abandon the grass roots. When the name change was originally proposed the Chair said she hoped for a "mature discussion" but I haven't seen EFDSS engaging with any of the online debates I've come across, including this one.
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