I don't expect anybody to read the 300 + posts on the thread shown above - I think Bert has been 'outed' for a number of 'crimes'. One I think he should be forgiven for is attaching 'Donald where's your trousers' to Jack Orien.

As to the motives of Bert & Ewan surely they were intent on popularising the music of working people and showing that when people came to the factories and mills from the land to the Industrial Revolution they brought their songs and creativity with them. In the process the songs evolved to reflect the new working circumstances in which people found themselves.

As Marxists they new the 'theory' and if they had to generate some songs and some sources they just did it.

They were clearly dishonest in giving surces that didn't exist - they weren't academic but got adopted as such by others.

Does their contribution to the Second Revival still stand above all others? I think so