The sort of scene that Captain Ginger described earlier is not one that I would want to be part of.

Nor me but I perhaps differ from some of the open ones in that I do favour a minimal standard appropriate to the event.

In practice, at the level and type of event I enjoy most, folk club wise, I can only remember trying to persuade one person not to sing. That person was tone deaf and unaware of it - I don't know if anyone has ever cringed at something like X Factor (I've only seen snippets) when you see/hear someone so far off it seems an embarrassment to the person - but that's how I felt for this person.

Session wise, I do have problems with the worst of loud out of time bashings and lets say a tune accompanied in a key the tune isn't in so I do like to see the absolute basics learned.

Otherwise, it's just try your best (and want to try your best - somehow "it's only folk" doesn't fit in with that) with me and that's all I can do too.

Of course, another event may want to set higher standards and may have good reasons for doing so.

All in all, I favour each event to its own and whereas I don't believe and set of entry levels (including none) does any harm to the folk scene (in fact I think the variety increases or choices to find what suits us), I do think those who would have everything run their own way are damaging.