I could also call McColl an English folk singer, songwriter, labour activist, actor, poet, playwright and record producer. None of which gives him any particular qualification to define what is or is not folk.
That is the point I was making. What puts him on any kind of pedestal to lord it over the rest of us as being the final arbiter of folk? Does stuffing a finger in the ear give the required credibility to define folk, or is it merely a device to block out dissenting opinions. I like some of his compositions but have not the slightest interest, or belief in his views whether it be on politics or folk music.