5th January 2006, 12:29 AM
Standards and guidance are a useful, strong tool - that is why curators and consultants use them in briefs, WSIs and specs. That does not mean that the IFA are powerful, or in a position to enforce them by themselves.
Curators are much more powerful, and in the S&Gs the IFA have given them a tool that helps them to enforce standards - which is in part what our taxes pay them for. Also, curators have power over all contracting/consulting archaeologists, not just IFA members.
On effective action and timescales - what do you expect them to do? send in a hit squad and say 'stop work at once'? they would get arrested by the police! Effective action from any professional body can only be in the form of disciplinary investigation and sanctions afterwards, and the IFA have shown that they are willing to do that. Before they do it, they are bound to carry out a thorough investigation. Do you think that can happen quickly? However, the 6 months was my figure not theirs. The actual example I gave was effective action by the IFA in 2 weeks. Seems bloody fast to me. Once again, I encourage you to actually try it to see if it works before you condemn it.
You are still too busy making baseless, broad, unspecified attacks on the IFA without providing any evidence (as I have for the opposite case) to actually address the real issues or to look at what the IFA actually does do.
You say the IFA do not honour their mission statement. I say that is not true - but the impression I also get is that you personally will not put your action where your mouth is. You want action from others but won't take any yourself. You devote a lot of energy to writing complaints in this forum in very general terms, but won't write a single letter to the IFA giving specifics.
At the outset of these discussion some months ago I was a fairly lukewarm, if long-term, IFA member. The upshot of the discussions is that I am now far more strongly committed to them than I was before, because I have been made to really think about what they do and what they have achieved. All I can say is that without the IFA, British archaeology would be in a much worse state than it is.
1man1desk
to let, fully furnished
Curators are much more powerful, and in the S&Gs the IFA have given them a tool that helps them to enforce standards - which is in part what our taxes pay them for. Also, curators have power over all contracting/consulting archaeologists, not just IFA members.
On effective action and timescales - what do you expect them to do? send in a hit squad and say 'stop work at once'? they would get arrested by the police! Effective action from any professional body can only be in the form of disciplinary investigation and sanctions afterwards, and the IFA have shown that they are willing to do that. Before they do it, they are bound to carry out a thorough investigation. Do you think that can happen quickly? However, the 6 months was my figure not theirs. The actual example I gave was effective action by the IFA in 2 weeks. Seems bloody fast to me. Once again, I encourage you to actually try it to see if it works before you condemn it.
You are still too busy making baseless, broad, unspecified attacks on the IFA without providing any evidence (as I have for the opposite case) to actually address the real issues or to look at what the IFA actually does do.
You say the IFA do not honour their mission statement. I say that is not true - but the impression I also get is that you personally will not put your action where your mouth is. You want action from others but won't take any yourself. You devote a lot of energy to writing complaints in this forum in very general terms, but won't write a single letter to the IFA giving specifics.
At the outset of these discussion some months ago I was a fairly lukewarm, if long-term, IFA member. The upshot of the discussions is that I am now far more strongly committed to them than I was before, because I have been made to really think about what they do and what they have achieved. All I can say is that without the IFA, British archaeology would be in a much worse state than it is.
1man1desk
to let, fully furnished