As I watch this thread drift down to mid-table obscurity again, and see the relatively sparse dialogue it has stimulated (while people get their knickers in a twist over the floatiness or not of the Unthanks dresses and other such trivia), I can't help wondering what topic could really be more important than this to the UK folk scene.

If the regional folk development agencies disappear, who is going to develop and support the folk audiences of the future? Who is going to introduce people to their rich heritage of music, song and dance? This is a huge issue, and when one considers the money pit that is "high art" in England (I bet the ROH isn't wondering where its next handout is coming from), a complete disgrace.