Where is it?!
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/newsletter/5blurbs/excav.html
The links from this page don't work as http://www.rchme.gov.uk no longer exists. I know its old, but surely I must be able to access it somewhere?! Grrrrr.....

Apologies if something like this has been mooted and disaproved of in the past, I think I may have read something similar on these boards previously.

What if BAJR, this website, with its thousands of weekly hits, became a body subscribed to by public members as an alternative to the IFA / Prospect?

It would need a name change to distance it from the BAJR jobs service (which must of course continue!). For example UKArchaeology. With even 500 subscribing members, this body could be a powerful and credible representitive voice of the profession.

I'm aware any sort of consensus on any archaeological issue is an almost impossible dream - as the varied views expressed on these forums show. However, we are pretty much agreed that low pay and uneven and uncertain protection in law for our archaeological resource need to be changed.

I'd happily pay ?5 or ?10 pounds annually to register with an organisation formed to lobby on these two issues. If full membership was restricted to active members of the profession, and those with an interest in British archaeology allowed as assosciate members it could demonstrate both that it represented a sizeable portion of the profession, and public support of our aims.

Well, that's two ideas today - must have been all that mattocking increasing blood flow to the brain or something....

It struck me recently that the way things get done in this country is by persistent lobbying on specific issues. With the upcoming BAJR conference set to produce a consensus on what we professionals feel should be changed and how, I think it would be a good idea to get some members of parliament involved. Definitely after the conference when we have an action plan to push, and perhaps invitations to the conference itself could be sent out?

I used this sight http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ (with a quick search under 'archeaology' in the search everything said in the commons since 2001 field, and a few names kept cropping up.
One, Tim Loughton, mentions in a speech he studied Archeology and Classics at university.
Robert Key, member for Salisbury, has spoken about archeaology, iI think several times in relation to the planning process.
There are a few others, as well as the Minister and under ministers for the DCMS.
Perhaps someone with more time could find out more!

Does anyone know? He's the reason I joined the forum!

From the latest SALON-IFA newsletter

Local anger as listed cottage is destroyed by digger

Tewkesbury Borough Council's Head of Development Control, David Jones, has described the demolition of an uninhabited sixteenth-century listed building in Apperley, near Tewkesbury, Glos, as the ?most blatant act of vandalism against a listed building that the council has ever seen?, adding that ?we will seek authorisation from the planning committee to prosecute those responsible?. The Grade II listed Oak House was repeatedly rammed by a digger on Saturday 18 February, leaving what William Morris, the chairman of the parish council, described as ?a beautiful building? in ruins. A fire damaged the roof of the property in March 2002 but the owner, Ruth Greenshield, issued a statement through her solicitor denying responsibility for the demolition and saying that she had planned to renovate the house and live there.


A farmer, Gerald Kinahan, who is also a parish councillor in a neighbouring parish, admitted to driving the digger. He said a builder, whom he refused to name, had asked him to do it, and he had no idea the building was listed. He said: ?I was instructed to do the work by another builder and I just went ahead with it. I thought it was all above board and just did the job I was told to do.?


The police have been informed and are investigating the demolition with the council.

Makes my blood boil just thinking about it! Thought it would make me feel better to share this news with everyone.

Congratulations to Mr Hosty for his newly awarded MIFA. Will his newly acquired status make him adhere to IFA rules? In in the past he has publicaly and privately run campaigns against individuals, behind his self appointed status as guardian of everything archaeological.. All strictly against the IFA 'Code of Conduct'. Or maybe this means nothing.... ?

In one case (at least) he has gone as far as writing to all units 'warning them off the individual concerned'.

In each and every case, to my knowledge, the IFA has not investigated or even been consulted.

I am sure that I will be stuck off and banned from this web site for raising such questions but shouldn't the goal posts be the same for all??

questionly yours??

I have just seen a very interesting article in British Archaeology. (BA March/April2006)

Richard Bradley, who has been working with grey literature generated by commercial archaeology, who previously has said that "field archaeology seemed to be out of control", now admits that his initial "pessimism had been misplaced", and that grey literature is a valuable resource.

As a commercial archaeologist who tries to integrate research aims into all bits of fieldwork, no matter how small, this feels like a victory that a segment of academia now recognises that good work [u]is </u>being done in the commercial sector. Shock, horror!

My weekly trawl of job adverts (for http://www.freewebs.com/outwageuk) has turned up this peach of a job based in the Scilly Isles. I realise that the advert didn't make it onto BAJR but thought folk might be grateful if their attention was drawn towards it

http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/browse/arts-a...94091.html

How about a proper warts and all documentary/series following the trials and tribulations of an archaeological unit/group of diggers?? How they deal with the pressure of the developers breathing down their necks, what they do to keep their spirits up in freezing conditions, how they cope when the portaloo hasn't been cleaned for a good while. Having laughed about this possibility with friends on different digs, we figure this would be the best way of selling archaeology to the public! whaddya think? [8D]

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Hi folks im doing a DBA about Granton on spey is there any on line journals for scotland I can use I found the indexs for society of antiquitys but only had the index`s. Any help would be great.

Cheers