The McWhirters were rabid right-wingers and not really very nice people IMHO, and The Freedom Association seem to have carried on their tradition of small-minded tory tosserdom into the 21st Century. Any organisation that has Norman Tebbit as a member strikes me as being deeply suspect.

But Countess Richard often flings in words like 'Xenophobic' and 'facist' whenever any discussion on the subject of English national identity cames up (and avoids debate - slagging off people's spelling and grammar is not a good debating skill - it's a poor attempt to belittle the other person involved in the discourse). I suppose she thinks Billy Bragg, Coope Boyes and Simpson, Mike Harding and Tom Robinson are all right-wing facist bigots for supporting 'Roots' as a manifesto for English culture in popular culture.

Anyway, I feel ambivalent towards the idea of an English Parliament (preferring regional assemblies, which would allow the various regions to be more independent of any power base in the South East of the country). The West Lothian question needs addressing in some way whatever happens.

One thing I would agree with the countess on though is the appropriation of traditional music by any political organisation is to be thundered against. However, the role of individual political activism in folk music (especially during the revival) can't be denied, and has provided us with some fine music over the years.