Have a bit more of a think about this, Dick. There are two categories of "non-resident" floor spot guests, those you know and those you don't. Of those you know, some will be good and some will be crap. Of those you don't know, some will be good, some will be crap but the difference is you don't know until they get up there to either enhance or ruin your evening. If you have a really popular club, in this regard it's quite right that you get to call the shots. Another consideration that kicks in, especially if your club is very popular, is that your regular, loyal residents will turn up ready to strut a bit of their stuff. A willy-nilly policy of letting outsiders, known or unknown, good or crap, take up the limited available time is that you may be frustrating your regulars. It could be that a few of 'em could do with a bit of frustrating at times. But it's a difficult balance to achieve, the club organisers are on a hiding to nothing and they deserve a bit of understanding even if they come up with rules that jar.

Our club died in 1996 but a few of us continued to keep the fire aflame by setting up a session (largely tunes but with lots of songs too) in the original folk club pub. That session ran for twenty years and was hugely popular. As time went on we learned the hard way that you have to be a bit tough on drop-ins. Some were brilliant and became regulars. Some turned up rarely and added a welcome leavening of the dough. Some weren't too good, didn't really cut it despite our encouragement and didn't hang around. A few were useless/domineering/full of ego/loud/insensitive accompanists/wanted to do rock and roll/wanted to bang a bodhran or rattle spoons all night/thought they were the dog's bollocks/were doing a takeover bid/ignored the very casual protocol that was, er, unspoken and lightly-worn. Worst of all, they were the bad pennies. It's quite hard to stop being too nice to say anything. It's easier to be tough at the outset. We have to remember that going to a folk club or a pub session is supposed to about everyone there, players and listeners alike, having a good time. You will definitely know, considering your long experience, that there are wreckers everywhere. If a folk club sets rules that are there to support their regular and loyal residents and to be cautious about drop-ins, just live with it. The rule has downsides. But I'm afraid I'm with the guest, notwithstanding his abrasive approach.