"I now see it as a dirty business that ultimately corrupts the art form it is supposed to be saving."

Oh for the days when we could afford to be purist! Unfortunately, everybody now knows how to play the game.

"Folk music and dance would be better, imho, running in the opposite direction whenever one of these fly-by-night Arts Management wonks comes calling...The beauty of the traditional folk arts is that they really do not need to engage with this baloney; they've survived and flourished without intervention for centuries."

Really? And are you proud of the place they occupy in contemporary British society right now? Proud of their status, the general level of public engagement with the national heritage in the form of traditional arts? I'm not. When people hold up Scottish and Irish tradition as a shining beacon and ask what they've got that the English tradition has, I've got one answer: money. Status comes from being acknowledged and supported at national government level, both in policy and financially. That ain't gonna happen if you keep your head in the sand and run away from government "handouts".

"They are not, and should not be, reliant on consultants and quasi-governmental handouts. Art as welfare is not edifying... or even usually worth seeing/hearing."

Right - so that counts out most of the professional arts companies in this country, including the RSC, ROH, Royal Ballet, and most of the regional theatres and venues. And a substantial number of folk festivals, companies and projects which have all, at one time or another, been in receipt of government subsidy. I'd love to know how these have all been "corrupted" by the government's dirty money.

Happily, EFDSS is moving into the 21st century and looking forward, and not getting tangled up in such ridiculous and reductive perspectives.

Welcome Katy.