And the imperialism of Kipling doesn't put you off, IB?

Not in the slightest. Kipling's essential humanism resonates out of and beyond his time, however so conservative, or otherwise reactionary it might be; thus, it excites in me a depth of appreciation for my Own Good Culture that otherwise I simply wouldn't have - and for that I am eternally grateful. Kipling also wrote Exceedingly Good Songs which are an absolute joy to sing, invariably to the superlative settings made by Peter Bellamy, but often I'll find a traditional tune that fits them like a glove, as in the case of Puck's Song, which I sing to the Morris tune London Pride (aka Idbury Hill). In both my work and recreation I am absorbed in the past (traditional songs & stories, Medieval art & music etc.); but in my life I am a happily modern man glad to be alive when & where I am with an awareness of history as a process of continuity. That continuity figures in much of Kipling's work, both in terms of the broader strokes of history and the role of the individuals taking part in it (see The Land) and the essential relationship between the two. Because of this, and his richly perceptive awareness of the social, political & cultural complexities of his own time, I think he still has a lot to tell us about ourselves and each other, whether we want to hear it or not.