28th October 2011, 05:13 PM
diggingthedirt Wrote:As a regulatory move it is not only fair, but also seen to be fair – an essential prerequisite to a proper functioning competitive market.
We need to move much much further in this direction. Commercial archaeology’s problems are structural, and solutions therefore need to be found at that level.
I think this misses the point slightly. It may be seen to be fair to an outsider and non archaeologist, but we on the inside are not convinced by some of the mechanisms within the IfA, and this is clearly illustrated by the low membership of archaeologists, the low number of curators willing to take up the RO preference, and by the very fact we are having this discussion. Brushing it under the carpet will not get rid of the problems.
And the structural problems you mention are well embedded within the IfA but not within its ideology, which is great, but with some of those who make the decisions.