....Over-paid soccer stars, prancing teens
Australian soap, American rap
Estuary English, baseball caps
And we learn to be ashamed before we walk
Of the way we look and the way we talk
Without our stories or our songs
How will we know where weve come from?
I've lost St George in the Union Jack
It's my flag too and I want it back.." (taken from 'Roots' by Steve Knightley"

Nowt wrong with the way Steve's put that to me Keith. Estuary English IS taking over from local accents, particuarly in The West Country. In my opinion, it's entirely driven by the media...and we need to go back to simply being 'ourselves' and being proud and happy to be ourselves too, wherever we come from, whatever our accent may be.

'tis an irony that these sentiments are brought to us with a sound that is heavily influenced by American musical culture.

Mr Knightley and Mr Beer. Please go and listen to the "Voice of the People", absorb your musical heritage and come out blazing.