equal cultural footing.........which bleeding annexe of the planet Zog are you currently inhabiting?

And every seat at Stratford is subsididised by how much, every seat at Covent garden by how much.....And your Public Library won't even let you put up a poster for a local folkclub because that means them getting involved in rank commercialism - The Amadeus Noseflute Quartet are up there with the 'acceptable' folkies (a sizeable part of whose acts seems to be telling you of how they were sudsidised for writing and performing something totally unmemorable).

PRS gets the money no problem for some dotty opera that about three people listen to on the 3rd programme. But hey when you pop in and do a session for afternoon radio somewhere or other - actually they're doing you the favour publicising your minority music, they'll log the play - but hey who knows if you'll get anything. (I do! you won't))

Try suggesting that folk music in England could learn an awful lot in terms of populism and hiring a decent record producer from American Country Music and then you will really hear the howls of derision - you can't improve on the perfection that they consider themselves to have attained.

English artists influenced by americana are the real untermenschen of the folkscene in England.

equal footing....it means they kick you with one foot, then the other.