Not vandalism, usually, I think, but just run-o'-the-mill crankiness, and not enough appreciation of the impact of the written word over a spoken comment in conversation.

"The Living tradition has discounted, sent into exile and trashed many careers of artists who had much more to offer the English folk club movement than party lackeys that the Komissars of the Living tradition allowed us to listen to.
" - weelittledrummer

See, there's a statement that rather boggles the Canadian mind. How are careers trashed? Does the 'Living Tradition' control all venues? Do people say "Oh, I thought I liked that performer, but I guess I'm not allowed to, or I shouldn't?" To my knowledge, here, if you're good, and people like what you do, and you have some ambition, you can play and sing whatever suits you.

I obviously lack understanding of the English established folk community. From reading here, at times it seems wide open to anyone who can keep a tune, whether they're singing Matty Groves or something they wrote themselves, at other times it seems even Matty Groves may be suspect on some obscure level. But that confusion of mine alone suggests the field really is wide open to anyone who finds an audience.