Well we do need scholarship as well, Dick. Of the right kind, of course. The political leanings of the protagonists are, I suggest, at best marginal to the discussion and could lead us astray. If you don't like so-and-so because he was allegedly a Marxist, then you're free to avoid his music/writings, but you may just be missing something if you do. I regard Wagner's politics as throughly detestable and I won't buy any of his music (though I won't turn the radio off if Wagner comes on). That's my personal choice which I don't try to sell to anyone else, and I might well be missing something. The fighting starts if I criticise someone for not being of the same opinion.