Q: how many archaeologists does it take to ruin an industry?

[P Prentice]

edwardajames i hope there is a future for you
when you hear working archaeologists bemoaning their fate, decrying their pay, and villifying their employers, remind them that their legacy speaks for them

[trowelfodder]

There are actually archaeologists that are trying to make a difference, that have stuck their necks on the line to improve pay and conditions, that have lost jobs because of it and kept trying!!

Theres the diggers forum and those involved in the diggers charter, theres those that travelled to the BAJR conference on standards in York. There are union reps and members.

What these need is support not a blanket "why isnt anyone doing anything?" this is pretty insulting to people like David and Chiz and all the others who work really hard!

What have you done? How does this thread help?

[Jack]

Yep, the children are the future................

But changes to planning guidelines will dictate what form that future takes.

Archaeological conditions attatched to planning applications are the bread and butter for most archaeological fieldwork

It seems that 'we' the public have little or no say on what the changes to planning regulations are going to be......................so all we can do is hope and wait:face-stir:

Unless anyone has the ear of a senior civil servant..............or a bunch of lords or MPs..................or half a million or so names on a petition

[GPStone]

There are actually archaeologists that are trying to make a difference, that have stuck their necks on the line to improve pay and conditions, that have lost jobs because of it and kept trying!!

Theres the diggers forum and those involved in the diggers charter, theres those that travelled to the BAJR conference on standards in York. There are union reps and members.

What these need is support not a blanket "why isnt anyone doing anything?" this is pretty insulting to people like David and Chiz and all the others who work really hard!

What have you done? How does this thread help?

Nicely put! :face-approve: !

It's not good enough to deplore the state of archaeology when we all have an individual and collective ability to do something about it, or at least contribute to doing something about it.

[Kel]

Unless anyone has the ear of a senior civil servant

Civil servants carry out the instructions of the government, whichever political party is in power. They don't actually make the decisions. They can advise ministers on the legality of something that the government is proposing, but ultimately they have no say over whether it goes ahead or not.

[moreno]

I appreciate the frustration which is apparent, yet a construtive approach would be helpful, I'm fairly sure we know what the problems are...
We may not sometimes, always or ever agree but I do appreciate the efforts that many people have and are making towards promoting solutions.

[P Prentice]

count the number of respondents in this and the similar threads and then ask bajr how many hits they get
is it my cynisysm that has turned people off or is it that there really is no consensus for action
when the local authority planning archaeologists are neutralised in the forthcoming pogrom and nobody can then ask for archaeological mitigation, who will hire an archaeologist then?

[Unitof1]

my take on the current pps is that the applicant should find an archaeologist before they apply and that we then tell them what we think they need to do, and then we do what ever it is needed to our standards and the result may etheir result in archaeological conditions on the development or no further archaeological conditions. No curator needed.

[P Prentice]

in noddy land but not the real world unit

[BAJR]

In noddy land... though that may be coming sooner than you think.

P PRentice is right though... once people not only said, then supported... now a lot of people just shrug and read. many more just keep heads down.