"In fact you miss the point entirely"

Perhaps I did, probably because the point was poorly argued and obscured by polemic and vitriol. This tirade against people's ability to spell and write reeks of snobbishness and intolerance.

The assumption Messrs Bragg et al support the sentiment of Roots isn't unreasonable as they sang on it. Harding seems to play it on a weekly basis (and had Knightly on the show this week defending himself against the very criticism you level at him). Whether it's better or worse than anything Billy Bragg has done is utterly irrelevant - and subjective.

Are words like 'xenophobic' and 'facist' apposite to the issue English cutural identity? They are if they are the only aspects of the subject that are discussed. Whilst the perceived right-wing overtones of English nationalism are well-known, the idea that English identity has to forever associated with them is tantamount to capitulating to this unpalatable and disturbing doctrine.

Truth is, there is a movement to reclaiming an inclusive, multicultural English identity similar to the one's enjoyed by the Irish, Scottish and Welsh. When the English football team plays, flags appear everywhere in a show of support and are flown and waved without people feeling racist, right-wing or self-conscious. It removes the feeling of partialness that is at the core of English self-doubt about their roots and place in the world, even if only for a short time.

Most people don't have any exposure or interest in traditional English music or dance - this is a cultural reference that is lost on them and in some ways many folk musicians are happy to keep it that way - you sense the disdain shown for popular culture from the holier-than-thou brigade when you read some of the posts here on Mudcat and other forums where the presence of the general public can be seen as a positive infringement on the work of these 'carriers of the tradition'.

This discontent heed talks about in his original post is now seeping into folk music, but has been there in many ways too for years. Beer and Knightly's song can been seen as vulgar and trashy by the folk bourgeoisie, but the fact is it reflects the zeitgeist of the present and lots of people who don't normally listen to folk music are taking notice. It's true that some undesirable elements are attracted to it due their misreading of the sentiment, but that problem is not exclusive to just right-wing nutters.