I have no Brief for Harker or his politics and was infuriated by his attitude to the old collectors, but I find Roud's attack on Harker's expressing a political view offensive and no less "facile"
It has always been recognised that there are social and political implications to folk song (see Brian Peters previous post)   
We would have had no Folk Song Revival if it hadn't been for the politically/socially motivated Workers Music Association and Topic Records
I would describe myself now as a Socialist Humanist with Marxist leanings - does that mean my views are worth less than those who disagree with me?
I have already been accused of "having an agenda" in some of these arguments
About time we put a cork in this one, I think
Jim