As some of you know, I am nothing if not positive about our efforts as a race to destroy ourselves and everything about us. We are doing an excellent job of this and would clearly receive an A* if there were an exam called "How To Destroy The Earth".
Now Folk Music has a rare tradition above almost all other forms of music, of conscious compassion for our fellow Earth travellers, the less able and more needy, those subjugated by industry and the state, the loss of innocence and so on, but amongst the other forms of music making efforts to wake others up to the damage being done to our planet - there are good examples in chart pop, hip-hop, rock, classical, even punk - folk music seems to be lagging behind in what would seem an obvious avenue for ecological consciousness raising.
There are some exceptions : Kate Rusby (bless her soul) played at the recent Climate Chaos concert alongside other more mainstream acts, Steve Knightley made a lightly veiled comment in "Witness" about sea level rise, and there are certainly artists on the more verdant fringes of the genre plying their trade at "green" festivals, but it's minor stuff, and Whither Fairport?
Fairport have not been afraid in the past to address political issues (Jewel In The Crown is the most overt example) but is it that they do not now wish to wear their hearts on their sleeves, or is it that the climate issue is not an appropriate subject for folk (even though it affects all folk), or something else?
I tried, to little avail, to engage a few people in my Forest Friendly Folk idea, but was met with universal negativity by musicians. We are facing something that is far bigger than just rainforest loss now - but still the folk community are not mobilised
Insularity could be the death of us all, but folk can potentially connect with many people who are in a position to make a difference; we are a pretty bright lot, all in all. Such a shame it's not happening.
