"As far as being a professional, with commitment and "determination and focus and hard work", goes - well, that's true of all jobs and professions. It takes all of those things to be good in anything, but to single out a few for an award seems daft."

So you don't think it should be celebrated when someone does something exceptional? It's not daft to "single out a few" because .. there are generally only a few people doing exceptional things in art! By definition, doing something out of the ordinary means it doesn't happen every day.

I mean, I work hard, sometimes very hard, but I've never recorded an album, let alone a very good folk album that a lot of people seem to like. I don't expect to get an award.

Also, I don't think it's useful to mix up art/entertainment (for which awards that recognise artistic excellence are entirely appropriate) and the travails of a hard working life (for which an "award" should be a decent pension). Really, in a just society,your mate shoudln't have had to go through all that in the first place. Awards don't come into it

But you seem to be taking the Folk Awards a lot more seriously than anyone receving them does. There's no money attached to them. They don't set anyone up for life.