danensis, I'm not really sure what Alan's "case" is or indeed should be. He has devoted an incredible amount of time and effort to the development of his festival, and there has been a persistent level of sniping from certain punters and traders who have not been happy with the way the festival has grown.

With over 300 folk festivals to choose from in the UK, surely if a festival no longer meets your needs or desires, you simply find one that does. I find it difficult to understand why anyone would want to take a pop at people who basically devote their whole lives to producing the best festival that they can. Anyone would lose their rag after a while.

From what I've been able to tell, the Surteeses are the good guys. Even if Shrewsbury isn't your kind of festival, that's still the case.