I don't think this is entirely a bad thing. It does mean that English musicians are far less constrained by "the tradition" and feel able to take from it and adapt it as they see fit. This results in much greater diversity.
absolutely, whereas Comhaltas are attempting to enforce constraints upon the Irish Tradition, they are doing this by encouraging competitors to play in one particular style, to win a competition, this attitude is not so prevalent at county level but kicks in at regional level,
it can mean that on occasions competitors even play in a particular style to impress a particular judge, how ridiculous.
comhaltas even enforces rules about no harmony playing in certain competitions.