Well we all know that the English acoustic scene has consistently undersold itself. The reasons are complex and debatable.

However what is undeniable is that those of us who have lasted the course - that is spent the last forty years or so hoping that the situation would somehow right itself - we have witnessed collectively the best of English musical talent ignored and sidelined in obscurity. Now after a lifetime of neglect, many are dying in obascurity in the way that American blues legends did - and we put that down to racism in the 1960's.

That is to say the English public never got to hear the best songs, the funniest comedians, the most gifted musicians. It is not that they were rejected - they just simply never had a chance - they never even were offered a platform.

When I was a kid there was a sociology textbook called the The Rise of the Meritocracy which offered a formula

Ability x Effort = Achievement

For English musicians , this has never been true. We are still somehow lumbered with a coterie of of under achievers who couldn't devise two minutes of memorable music if their lives depended on it. They hoover up the arts council grants, the top festival bookings, their record companies make sure they get all the column inches in our folk magazines.

If you can do anything to redress the balance with a radio station, please do.

Roll on the meritocracy.