Tom, I'm not talking about opinions here on this forum (wherever it is; I no longer see this thread when I go to "Forum Home" or the mudcat.org main page thread list). I'm talking about the hypocrisy in this particular movement, which is fairly blatant. It is NOT just moderate political views being expressed to counteract extreme political views (definition of "extreme": whatever the ~other guy~ is saying). This seems to be an attempt to silence the other guy, that's all. The following is from the BBC News article referenced (and linked) in the first post in this thread.

"Music has been a very powerful political tool, usually for the left. What concerns me is that the BNP could do the same thing from a far-ight perspective." - Joan Crump, founder of "Folk Against Fascism."

The movement may have had its origins in the objections by artists to use of their own songs for purposes to which they do not subscribe, but as applied it seems to be premised on the principle that only the left have the moral right to use folk music for political purposes. And that is, indeed, "political use of folk music for me, but not for thee." The people who most loudly decry the use of folk music by ~those people~ to push ~their~ political causes, seem to be the first to object to any suggestion that they shouldn't use folk music themselves to push their own political causes on any audience who just showed up to hear some good music.

Now the actual expression of the movement, if it comprises singing songs that give their own point of view, I'm all for that. What I'm calling out is the notion that folk music must be the exclusive province of only one camp. When that becomes fact, it will only be because freedom of speech has ceased to exist.