This question of MacColl's desertion and political beliefs, etc., brings us to the general question as to whether you can separate the man from the music - or indeed, any famous person who achieved great things in their lifetime, from what they may have been like as a person or done in their personal life.

My view is that MacColl was certainly no saint and did things I may not approve of, but nobody's perfect, and to me his legacy in terms of the songs he wrote, his contribution to the Radio Ballads and the folk movement in general is the most important thing to me and outweighs anything he did outside of his involvement in folk music.

MacColl's case is not unique - many people hate Wagner because he was anti-semitic and Hitler was a fan of his. He was also a bit of a sponger and an adulterer at times, and probably not a very nice chap in many ways, except he was a doting husband and father to his second wife and children. But my view in this case is, I would prefer to judge the music on its own merits and not be influenced by what its composer was like as a person. It might be difficult to separate the two things, but I like to try.