"I was at a concert at Fylde Folk Festival where a group of women orchestrated a mass walkout for when Vin Garbutt came on stage. I respect their right to do that as Vin had a couple of controversial anti-abortion songs. I also respect Vin's right to sing them. As long as there is no hate speech or incitement to violence, artists should be allowed to air their views as much as the next person. The folk community is predominantly left wing and liberal but there are some exceptions and those exceptions are as much part of the community as everyone else. We cannot be liberal and ban the songs we do not agree with!

As to funding, sponsors are allowed to fund whatever they like and refuse funding for what they do not like. The thread that started all this, now below the line, is not about that though. It was a decision by a UK minister to withdraw funding already agreed because they did not like the message of the band being funded. That was political and I must agree that it had little or nothing to do with folk music."

Absolutely spot-on on all points, Dave.