'The whole point of the thread' smacked, to me of insufferable smugness; what WLD described as 'far too damn pleased with much too little in the way of achievement'.

I'd add to that a far too prevalent attitude of reluctance to pay for what you get. A Sussex club organiser says no-one complains. Not quite true. Brian, you've got an audience who doesn't want to pay more so you pander to them. You say contracts are agreed well ahead and it's 'the artist's choice' whether to accept. No it's not. It's a choice between not very much or nothing.

The issue of tradarts funding is no blind alley where axe-grinding gets done but crucial to the existence and continuance of our cultural heritage. England, specifically, lags far behind any other I have looked at and this is explained partly by the low esteem in which its population (including, pointedly, those who choose to call themselves 'f*lkies') hold their inheritance. To be proud of doing it on the cheap and talking down to artists, telling them they should be glad of what they get is unacceptable and insulting.