18th March 2011, 02:37 PM
P Prentice Wrote:.... how are we going to convince the idiots who elected the odious that they want us more than a hospital bed?
Indeed and that is why I think the present governments policies need to be opposed across the board and that archaeology needs to affiliate with other 'cuts' campaigns....and not just look at itself in isolation. My trade union Prospect have already declared as much, refusing at the last annual conference to pursue a singular heritage cuts campaign separate from its general campaigns against all cuts.....
Rescue is a non political, non-affiliated body soley concerned with campaigning on behalf of the archaeological resource in all its manifestations. I can't think of a better organisation behind which all UK archaeologists can unite to fight the cuts.....but will they. Probably not!!. And if you can't convince people/organisations to unite behind a group that have spent over 30 years campaigning on exactly these issues, what chance is there that they will create a new Frankenstein monster from the dead and rotting corpses of the old. Probably very little!!
I don't want to sound a Jeremiah , but I can already see this campaigns sole ambition (from the institutions anyway) ending in a letter to a national newspaper signed by the 44 archaeological professors and a few other greats and goods, a small noise on the Today programme, maybe a question in Parliament on a wet Wednesday afternoon, lots of hand wringing but a general appreciation that 'we did what we could' and then let hang all of the potential in Andy and JS Stone and David's polemics.
How can I be so certain......30 years beaten battered and bruised by UK archaeology, a ton of lost oportunities and many many broken promises. I just wish that wasn't the case and I think if we could inspire a campaign led through Rescue we might be onto something. Not least that even if we failed in achieving all our goals, we would at least realise we can unite and fight on all kinds of issues, if there are enough of us willing to do so. I suspect that some organisations in UK archaeology would not be cherishing that prospect....
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...