Regarding the Critics Group, mentioned by Hootenanny and others above, it has indeed been mentioned here, and once again I think that Harker gives a balanced view.

He interviewed some people who went to the group, and also gives some of Peggy Seeger's hindsight thoughts about it. As I think I mentioned, it did involve song-writing and criticism, and the application of a techniques from both acting, and, if I remember aright, dance, but Seeger and MacColl themselves were not, Seeger says, subjected to the criticism. Seeger later said she thought that had been a mistake. For me, this difference between the two main organisers and the rest would suggest that the group was not as 'democratic' as it is sometimes said to be.

The criticism appears to have been in terms of political approval and 'authenticity' as well as in terms of aesthetics, singing style, projecting oneself into the song, and so on. But the account given by Harker is very much of MacColl as a teacher, and one who some of those attending found inspirational, whereas others just walked out. At the end of the session there would often be a fairly long lecture by MacColl:'you'd walk a foot above the pavement for the rest of the week. You would end up buzzing. It was special,' one informant told Harker. Another person described the experience as 'trial by ordeal'.People have differing views: some felt it could destroy people, others feel that some participants benefitted and even built careers as a result. Here I am trying to give a sense of the balance Harker tries to achieve between the different views.

The book has quite a bit to say about MacColl's ideas about what folk song was, and how it should be used by the left, informative here. It gives you an idea of the sort of criticism that might have been applied.

There were two BBC programmes about it in recent years, one presented by John Cooper Clarke and one by Martin Carthy. Both are interesting, and there are some recordings of MacColl delivering criticisms within the circle/group. These may still be available on the BBC sounds app. So there is quite a bit on the topic to add to what has been said on here.

See pages 184-191, pages 194 - 198, 213-219 (dealing with the somewhat acrimonious break-up which took place in 1972).