For the record, most of Jim Carroll's posts seem perfectly reasonable to me. In my opinion a lot of the things that he says NEED to be said.For far too long the British folk scene has been collapsing into a lazy, pop-tinged mush and it needs shaking up. I can't help noticing that his detractors don't seem to have many counter-arguments and seem to rely either on accusing him of some, vaguely defined 'moral turpitude' (nonsense!) or in insulting him.

There are a few good clubs still out there (particularly that outstandingly brilliant one in Lewes!) and there are some great singers. I've heard two excellent young singers recently who have blown me away - and they both seem to have discovered the folk scene for themselves. But will they get the support and appreciation that they deserve or will they be driven away by a surfeit of the 'I-haven't-rehearsed-this-I'm-reading it-from-an-exercise-book' brigade or drowned out by members of the audience joining in uninvited?