"but having got the acknowledgement from Jim that it's ok to write songs using traditional forms"
Never been the slightest question of this and it would not be my place to suggest otherwise.
My mentor and late friend, Ewan MacColl, probably wrote more new songs using traditional forms than most of us have had hot dinners - he chose not to call them folk songs.
"but I still want to know what we call them?"
Why bother - they're your songs and hopefully, perfectly acceptable in most folk clubs (providing they fir in with club policy).
"But don't worry, he isn't precious about it."
But does he have a consensus, or even support for it - that's what this is about - communication, being able to understand what each of us are on about
You can call them what you want - in my opinion, dogmatic attitudes like that have not only made the subject a no-go area, but have buggered up the folk scene for many thousands of us who opted out when we found we were not being given what was advertised when we paid our hard-won pennies at the door.
You want to argue with Ewan by claiming he wrote folk songs and spent a lifetime arguing that they weren't - bit late I'm afraid - but feel free to dig out the old Ouija board when the fancy takes you.
Jim Carroll