McG. Thanks for reminding me of that. It's worth remembering that privatisation didn't begin with Thatcher. The copyrighters of traditonal song had been doing the same thing long before she came along, and with about the same lack of scruples and justification.

BTW. I always understood that the copyright expropriator of The Well Below the Valley is Christie Moore, not Phil Coulter. If PC copyrighted it that is bad enough. But Moore has spent a lifetime reminding us of his socialist credentials. He more than most should be aware of Proudhon's wise words, and how they apply to folk music.