And I note that you call me "a bully","sour", someone who indulges in "carping, sneering, arrogance" and suggest I am demanding the respect (I am) convinced (I) so richly deserve.

I think you'd better retract that. It's verging on an ad hominem attack and seems to be based on a wilful misunderstanding of my point. I haven't "attacked" any individual musicians on this thread or elsewhere and neither would I do so. However, I will disagree with opinions if I think they are wrong.

And my opinion is the central misapprehension in your comments is that you believe criticism exists for the benefit of the musicians (Quote: "criticism, if it is designed to encourage performers to use their talents to the full, is immensely valuable"). I would argue that criticism is for the benefit of the paying public to assist us in making informed choices about how we spend our meagre surplus income. What you describe is something musicians can do amongst themselves - a kind of self-help as it were. What I describe is what I read in music magazines and other sources to find out about music I might like.

And please don't shout at me. When you do, you remind me of a teacher I had back in the mid-seventies who shares your real name. I learned back them that you don't learn much from those who resort to shouting.

Finally - and I don't need to add this - I think the Good Soldier is great at what he does and I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing him live. Had I been a critic/reviewer, he would have got a good one!