Oh, alright McGrath - it was pointed out in the Radio 3 Music Matters discussion on Sunday, with Billy Bragg, Martin Carthy and Alan Howkins, that the presentation of English folk song in the school curriculum hadn't enhanced its street cred or any other sort of cred.

Gun control in the UK has generally been tighter than in many other countries and got tightened after the Thomas Hamilton Dunblane massacre. Gun-related crime in England seems mostly to be linked with the illegal drugs scene. The worst incident I can think of so far this year is the girl who was shot for her mobile phone. The other nasty recent development is people being attacked by car thieves on steal-to-order jobs.

Kitty