"And that's good."
Only if they are worth it Al
"something is missing, as far as I'm concerned."
Amen to that
"I will just say the 1954 definition and its adherents have done a great deal of damage to the folk music of England and the UK."
I have reservations about some of it's shortcomings but I think it did far more good than harm
I think those that have insisted that folk doesn't need a definition has robbed it of its uniqueness and bloody near killed it off
If '54 hasn't done the trick then nobody has come up with a better one to date

"just a quick breath after each line of verse"
We have singing exercises for breathing that can extend it beyond that
One of MacColl's Party pieces was to sing a verse of Galway Races in one breath - Tail Toddle he could manage at his best - - 2 choruses and a verse in one breath (I have recordings of him doing it somewhere)
I managed 'Galway' a few times when I was young and Tail Toddle twice
These were exercises - not for public performances
The trick with singing is to be able to manage a snatch break at a comma and a full breath at a full stop - as you would if you were speaking it
Jim