But by promoting themselves and this seeming* narrow world view as they do, and thus promoting their value system, they do folk music a disservice. Music must always earn its survival by touching people's hearts, or it deserves to be lost. By making some arbitrary definition of a Tradition (based on the historical accident that these songs/singers happened to be around immediately before and/or during the so-called Revival but were miraculously not tarnished by it), and then appearing - repeat appearing - to elevate this music above people like Dylan and Simon and many many others who are actually a valid part of the flowing rapids that are the real English/Celtic tradition, they are skewing history, and seeming to promote a distorted set of values. It's not really their fault. There are a lot of people who do this in the folk world - who value a work by it's provenance, as if it was an antique, rather than by its soul - which is how other music (traditional or otherwise) is judged by everyone else. It wouldn't matter, but its one of the chief reasons why our national music is derided by the majority of people in this country. And that's a shame, no?

*I'm sure the individuals behind mustrad may well be broad-minded and have wide musical tastes. It's the manifesto - and the way they talk to people as a result of having to defend the indefensible - that's the problem.