Over the last forty years, the education of children has changed, as successive governments have loaded teachers with paperwork, and loaded the curriculum with structured segments to teach what used to be learned as part of the other subjects. This has squeezed out a lot of very important items, which were expendable, in political terms.

When I was at school (1945 - 1957), we were taught English folk music an dance, as a part of the curriculum, and actually took part in the annual National Schools English Country Music & Dance Festival, which was held at the Royal Albert Hall, in London. Music and Dance teams from schools all over the country performed on stage (I played a violin solo there at the age of nine).

The result of all this, was that the generation that was part of the sixties revival, actually knew about their nation's tradition and heritage, and were able to appreciate it.

This was one of the expendables that got pushed aside, and recent generations of children have been deprived of that input. So they know all about Boyzone, and nowt about t' folk zone. Unless we can find some way to give back that knowledge to all children, on a national scale, I see no hope that more people will sing the huge mass of wonderful English songs. More, that is, than those who already do, and their own offspring.

Government, of course, don't want to take us seriously, as they want subservient little Europeans to govern, not proud and independent Englishmen, who might object to being led by the nose into membership (junior) of the proposed superstate Europe.

If only there were enough of us that our votes might matter, then they would listen.

Don T.