So, the leveller says of the middle classes; it is not their music. Then denies it when responding to my observations? In which case, you forgot to remove your waffle before denying it.. Ah well.

Whinging envy is an interesting term. I first used it in the mid '80s when (name dropping, sorry..) Vin Garbutt was staying at our house as we had booked him for a local gig. He had a line in his head and was trying to develop it. The line was "It's not fair, all the work's down there." Many will know, it eventually became his song, "Not for the first time."

I did tell him I felt uncomfortable with music that crossed the line from dreaming of equality and fairness, (noble thoughts in my book,) and whinging envy. Vin is an excellent example of using song for social comment. There are many songs by many songwriters around over the years that go from shouting for fairness to wanting to be part of the other side. Not quite so noble..

Sorry, (forget who it was now, no matter,) I don't wear red braces. I just get on with life, moan about bits of it, am grateful about other bits of it.

One thing I do moan about is people who in my experience who try to hijack an abstract such as music and link it to some political ideal. That is wrong. Folk is not about matching it to a philosophy, lifestyle or income level. It is about folk, meaning everybody. Its bad enough right wing groups singing John Barleycorn at their meetings without others putting labels on it.

If one person who has a lifestyle that fits the "middle classes" label happens to get a guitar out and play in a pub, then the new age of folk, (to get back on thread,) is upon us.

Methinks it was there from the beginning then...