Hmmm ... as you reap then shall you sow.

If the early practitioners hadn't been so damned exclusive - insisting that a popular movement be turned into a middle class pursuit (I can remember turning up at The Grey Cock in Brum in the 70's and being told ...your influences are Ralph McTell, I'm sorry we've got to draw the line somewhere - you can't sing here!) . then you wouldn't have the nonsense of a folkmusic that repels a large part of the population.

Surely a degree in folk music wouldn't raise an eyebrow at a French, Irish, or American University. And far from being a passport to unemployment, if we had a truly living folk culture - it would be widely respected.

best wishes

Big Al