we want to participate in a continuing living tradition where lots of people sit in small places to sing and play. This is what we do. This is what our generation has been doing since the 60's.This is why the big guys can make a living and sell lots of CDs.

Exactly so, except that I think there is a pyramid. It is crucial to the meaning of folk music that we sit around in sessions enjoying each others tunes and songs and the banter in between and also crucial that we have clubs with the chance for both the talented and the, erm, not quite so talented people to perform. This underpins everything right up to the headliners at concerts and festivals.

For me, the awards are irrelevent. They probably don't have much positive effect on what we do, our buying and concert going habits and possibly the opposite. They fail to honour the hard work done by all the second and third line of performers who work tirelessly and are just above the bread line at best. They also fail to ejoocait the meejia who still lampoon us with ridiculous beards, sweaters, tankards and Laura Ashley prints and the fact that they aren't televised means that they also fail to make the general public curious to explore. I'd sooner see the money ploughed into sponsoring young people at workshops such as Hands on Music or Shooting Roots or even to subsidise super morris sides (Demon Barber/OEG) going into schools to try and blow the morris isn't cool myth.

As for the White Hare, I think it was naivety on Seth's part to call it trad although I can understand why he might have done it. Although the story is based on legend and the tune might be an adaptation of a song heard as a child from a local source, that source is not identified as having a traditional root - sing the song unaccompanied, does it work? No. It has its roots more in modern pop culture than the tradition. The panel, the Beeb and Smooth Ops should have had the wit to see this for themselves and query its validity and frankly I see them and his record comapny as more culpable than Seth, it also causes doubt over the validity over the rest of the awards.

Nevertheless, the guy and his wife are going through a hard time right now with the birth of their twins, three months premature. Maybe we should just swallow hard and draw a line under this one.