Thanks Dave. Why Keith started this series of attacks on me in the first place is neither here nor there, not do I know why. I assume I put him right on so etching and he doesn't like that. It is only recently that I have set out to deserve his vitriol, because you can't educate pork, you can't reason with fools and to be frank, he stifles debate with his dogmatic stupidity.

I decided to not put up with this, and his crassness has been the result.

Regarding professional names, I admit I am one of many people who protect their private lives. I used my real name when I was chairman of an NHS Trust but when I moved over to the dark side, it was deemed a good idea to do this. That much I keep quiet about. Why? Well, Keith, his pet worm and Goofus are good reasons for starters, before you look at the unhinged people who stalk those who they see as in charge of something they feel strongly about.

The professional side of me has responsibility that the private person doesn't. Be buggered to being stifled in this, a forum for giving your real views. This is the real me, and Ian Mather is giving Ian Mather's views. I may be influenced by what I see, hear and deliberate in my professional life, but you get the real me, not the one that has to be diplomatic. The professional me wouldn't argue the toss with ignorance. Far too busy arguing with ideology and expectation, both of which are honourable and get their information from reliable sources.

Keith's lack of knowledge of the folk would is rather interesting too. I used to think most folk performers working under assumed names were for tax reasons (ha ha) but of course, many join Equity which requires individual names and many just like a more snazzy name. When I was in a punk band, I too had a daft name and with the advent of iTunes, the odd PRS type cheque has been dropping on the doorstep from those times and I have had to get the daft name registered on my bank account... (Not enough to drop a Rolls Royce into a swimming pool. In fact, last year, it paid for Mrs Musket and I to have a weekend away. My fault for being a crap song writer...)