Well, I for one, can see exactly where S O'P is coming from and, to be honest, enjoy his arguments and ideas. Not being a "folk singer" in any sense of the word (I come to traditional music hungry for tunes, not words), I have no axe to grind.

[I can certainly remember the northern folk club I used to attend in the mid-'60s as being a very staid, middle-class affair - recently transmuted from a "folk dance society" into a folk club - run by two elderly ladies and a doctor who were nice people but very patronising to young aspiring performers. Mind you, as my heroes at the time were Leadbelly, Broonzy and Brownie McGhee, I suppose they had every right to be sceptical!]

But, to return to the point, Suibhne's posts are not incomprehensible in any way. Perfectly understandable - just read a little more closely if you really don't get the point. And they're fun, always interesting and I enjoy riffling through them for the sparks. If you don't agree with the ideas, your choice, but why be derogatory?