Good to know that our soul-searching in Wales is of interest!

A couple of further points ...

I think people are too worried about full consensus. The recognition debate doesn't need to have a definition of folk and/or trad to which all parties are agreed. In any arena, you form your coalition on those principles you have in common ... and I think there will be enough of those for you to declare some basic principles. Good grief - I'm writing from Wales where disagreement among factions is a Science! William Williams Pantycelyn, the great hymn writer, wrote in a poem once something to the effect of, "Two opinions in one church, and sometimes eight or nine ... Zeal for the least of things working away in the blind." (Sounds better in Welsh!)

The other reflection I might make is the debate about "English"; not the ethnic minority one, but the indigenous minority one. You'll probably have to be strong on the rights of regionalism in "English" music as the Cornish, the Cumbrians, and probably a whole boat load of others would require this.

Throwing another piece of info into the mill, might I suggest that current folk "activists" in England get in touch with their area's Cultural Olympiad Programmer? I was in a meeting in Cornwall at the beginning of April where the Programmers were discussing certain elements of their event calendar to which the folk/trad community should contribute. Of course, they're claiming they have no money to fund anything but ... it's still worth "swapping howdies" with them and getting on their radar.

BTW, forget not the existence of Folk Arts England. We very much enjoy taking part in the Association of Festival Organizers events which they organize and we've always assumed that they are trac's equivalent in England.

sian