Dazbo was right - if there's no difference between a traditional song and any other song, why make the disticntion at all? Why not just have a "Best Track" award?

Then there would be no argument (but I bet somebody will think of one!)

And Grab is right. It's the Lakeman-bashers (who used the White Hare issue as an excuse to have a go at him), who have weakened the argument and got the rest of us a bad name (hence The Folk Police, etc.)

Maybe next time there's something like this, those people who used this as ammo to try to shoot down Seth Lakeman, Show of Hands, or anyone else they don't happen to like, might consider keeping their opinions to themselves and focus on the important issue, which this time was a non-traditional song being nominated as traditional.

As some of us said, the fact that the nominee happened to be Seth Lakeman is completely irrelevant. It would be equally wrong if one of John Kirkpatrick's or Dick Gaughan's songs had been nominated.