"the spiteful bile that lies within The English Folk World. "

I'm afraid that I'd have to agree with you on that one, Lizzie. When I came back into the folk scene 15 years ago after a break of 25 years, I was appalled at how factional and, in places, authoritarian it had become. I am, by nature, an anarchist - by which I mean that I dislike central authority in all aspects of life. One of the things that attracted me to folk music way back in the mid-60s was that it was young, vibrant, local, individual and even feral. Above all it seemed relevant - young people regaining their heritage from the old fogeys. Nowadays, at every level, right down to sessions and singarounds, there are all too often people who want to dictate how things should be run - even down to saying just what folk music is. Personally, I'm getting totally pissed off with it; it takes away the enjoyment, discourages newcomers - especially young people, who seem to be regarded as a nuisance (look at the The Butlins Folk Festival thread)- and, to be honest, is one of the reasons why I'm getting less and less involved in the folk scene. I can't be arsed any more with the boring bleating old traddies who seem to think that it's their music. So, should the rest of us occupy folk music? Unfortunately, the young, idealistic radicals who form the backbone of most demonstrations simply aren't interested in folk music. Hardly surprising, really.