Marje, this thread is a response to a topical newspaper article and the tangential discussion that has arisen from that is not about "the meaning of folk" (apart from the inane offshoot about Billy Bragg!) but about the public perception of it. Taking your comment to its logical conclusion, it probably isn't OK for anyone to give their views about anything folk-related simply because they think that the old, crusty debate about "what is folk," so oft rehashed in usually thin disguise, is utterly shagged out. I think I can say this, as an opinion, without disqualifying myself from commenting on other aspects of folk music, thank you very much.