I will admit I was puzzled and more than a bit annoyed that the thread had been removed. I was aware that the Carr joke was not directly relevant to Folk Song, and hence my mention of MacColl and others who have written songs and collected from Gypsy Folk.
In retrospect it was a knee jerk reaction, and a bit ham fisted. I am more than grateful to Mike for his erudite posting above, which crystallises the thoughts that I had banging around in my head. It must have taken some time to type. Thanks Mike.
I am busy gilding a flat cart for a Romany Gypsy family in Blackpool, and I will be there tomorrow. I will see what is said if anything, and report back, providing the thread is still active!