"can i just point out Steve the title of this thread.

it isn't about what Jim thinks about folk music - its about what is happening in our folk clubs."

Sure you can point it out. And can I just point out that the bulk of my lengthy post was about what has happened during my very limited experience of folk clubs, right on topic, I'd say. A small amount of it was intended as a lament for the bickering from people whose knowledge of just a few of the hundreds of folk clubs in this country, whilst slightly better than mine, falls way short of making them folkie gurus. You might get just a bit closer to earning that (quite likely unwanted) accolade if you've spent decades working with traditional singers and collecting and archiving folk song. I think that deserves a little more respect than has occasionally been shown in this thread. Humbly yours, as ever. And stop feeling so threatened, Snail. This is opinions, not an expose on the truth of evolution (some gremlin will not let me use the required accent).