Diane is as usual correct. John MacKenzie is as usual almost unbelievable. It is curious that Mr Harris does not appear to appreciate any of the issues. Simple version follows.

The BNP took up distributing recordings made by (largely English) performers of folk and similar music and song through its merchandising arm (Excalibur). It did so by buying the recordings wholesale. The wishes of the recording artists and where relevant composers were not taken into account, and many such people who were opposed to the BNP found their work, names, and images used as if they supported the BNP.

The BNP has a programme via related organisations of supporting and funding folk-related events - so that it can use the "essentially English" nature of them to inspire bigotry against those it does not find sufficiently English. The policy is set out in the BNP's own handbook for its activists.

The BNP has its own folk-alike singers (singer songwriters) like David Hannam who compose and perform contemporary folk-ish music that contains anti-immigrant bigotry.

THe BNP has cloned the identities of a considerable number of mudcat members who also perform folk and similar music and song, and presented those cloned identities as if they were supporters of the BNP.

The BNP is a neo-nazi party. Its principal policy is racial prejudice, but it is also crammed with criminals and through its links with organisations like "Redwatch" it supports the intimidation by violence of its opponents.

The preponderance of performers and creators of folk and folk-alike music and song wish to make it clear that they reject the platform of the BNP, and do not wish their work, names, or images to be exploited by that party in any of its works. They say (and rightly so) that the BNP is evil. They would find the use by the BNP of folk music and song (because of the bucolic, white-populated imagery, reminiscent of "the Haywain" painting, of traditional English and other British folk music and song) to symbolise a purer past, free from coloured immigration quite repulsive.

Nazi Germany adopted volkslieder as party songs. The same must not happen here.