1st April 2010, 11:19 PM
Now quite a lot of this I am liking most muchly.......
One thing that immediately springs to mind is this.....
If we are to impress upon the outside world the value of what we do, we should really express this in a meaningful, incisive and comprehensive way. And, augment this with an overview of the potential for archaeology in the wider community and a social context. Integration with education systems, schools, probation services, community projects, town planning etc etc... We have to get away from the misguided perception that we simply exist to entertain sofa occupants and whilst Tony Robinson is indeed high profile- he is hardly a Brian Fox now is he? Arguably, the PPG/PPS documents at least recognise enough of what we do to slide us into the planning system which is a good (ish) start but...... I wonder how many members of the public realise that unlike any other age in British history, our collective heritage is being destroyed at an unprecedented rate and that without a firmly established recognition of archaeology as a vital profession...public support may be a bit patchy and non-committal to say the least.
Whilst the diggers charter is a cracking idea and way overdue, I am uncomfortable with the feeling that any wish-list concentrates solely upon our needs/desires as workers. If we are to entice diners to eat at our table, surely we should be laying the table first. Have BA cabin staff been lavished with public support? No. Have Railway workers found a place in the publics heart? No. These professionals provide transport, something that the public see as a right and not to be interrupted. Archaeology has enormous potential to resonate with the public sense of what is ethically and morally right and after all is fundamental to any notions (misguided or otherwise) of national "Identity". Archaeology (if presented in its most beautiful and engagingly profound forms) simply has meaning. Planes, trains and automobiles do not. Archaeology should be seen by the public as the national treasure to be cared for properly-not simply thrown to the dogs of competitive tendering in an atmosphere of secrecy and disposed of in a manner largely dictated by consultants and civil servants who simply don`t grasp the gravitas of their responsibilities to the tax-payer.
One thing that immediately springs to mind is this.....
If we are to impress upon the outside world the value of what we do, we should really express this in a meaningful, incisive and comprehensive way. And, augment this with an overview of the potential for archaeology in the wider community and a social context. Integration with education systems, schools, probation services, community projects, town planning etc etc... We have to get away from the misguided perception that we simply exist to entertain sofa occupants and whilst Tony Robinson is indeed high profile- he is hardly a Brian Fox now is he? Arguably, the PPG/PPS documents at least recognise enough of what we do to slide us into the planning system which is a good (ish) start but...... I wonder how many members of the public realise that unlike any other age in British history, our collective heritage is being destroyed at an unprecedented rate and that without a firmly established recognition of archaeology as a vital profession...public support may be a bit patchy and non-committal to say the least.
Whilst the diggers charter is a cracking idea and way overdue, I am uncomfortable with the feeling that any wish-list concentrates solely upon our needs/desires as workers. If we are to entice diners to eat at our table, surely we should be laying the table first. Have BA cabin staff been lavished with public support? No. Have Railway workers found a place in the publics heart? No. These professionals provide transport, something that the public see as a right and not to be interrupted. Archaeology has enormous potential to resonate with the public sense of what is ethically and morally right and after all is fundamental to any notions (misguided or otherwise) of national "Identity". Archaeology (if presented in its most beautiful and engagingly profound forms) simply has meaning. Planes, trains and automobiles do not. Archaeology should be seen by the public as the national treasure to be cared for properly-not simply thrown to the dogs of competitive tendering in an atmosphere of secrecy and disposed of in a manner largely dictated by consultants and civil servants who simply don`t grasp the gravitas of their responsibilities to the tax-payer.