'What has IFA ever done for us...?'

[BAJR]

So will we ever have a clear statement from the IfA with a timescale?

[GnomeKing]

"competitive tendering is not a good thing, but at least has the benefit of allowing the developer/client to get the archaeology looked at within a reasonable time frame. regional government offices dealing with the archaeological needs of an area would only lead to excessive bureaucratisation and lack of flexibility"

It ain't necessarily so..and even then, at least with Accountability and the Possibility of Democratic Remedy... rather than shrugging ones shoulders; "s'just The Market, innit mate?"

A bigger problem would be a government intent on raping public services, to the benefit of private wealth - that is what caused the current free-for-all...

[kevin wooldridge]

I often work in a country (Norway) where archaeology is properly regulated by law and indeed developers might need to wait in queue for the archaeological resource to be assessed/mitigated....but the system works. Whats more development is often turned down if the archaeology or landscape is thought important enough to preserve. Developers fit around the restrictions or they develop sites where there are no archaeological implications.

I don't quite understand how anyone could argue that the UK system of always deferring to speculators is adequate or even desirable. Why don't we just say 'No' a little more often. I am sure the speculators would find something else to do with their borrowed cash....

As to the suggestion of wholesale nationalisation of the archaeological resource.....YES PLEASE!!

[Dinosaur]

I often work in a country (Norway) where archaeology is properly regulated by law and indeed developers might need to wait in queue for the archaeological resource to be assessed/mitigated....but the system works. Whats more development is often turned down if the archaeology or landscape is thought important enough to preserve. Developers fit around the restrictions or they develop sites where there are no archaeological implications.

I don't quite understand how anyone could argue that the UK system of always deferring to speculators is adequate or even desirable. Why don't we just say 'No' a little more often....

Eerrr, a lot of developments in the UK get stopped, re-designed, moved etc because of archaeology. A publication report I'm in the middle of writing at the moment is being severely handicapped by the fact that we effectively only trial-trenched the site, then the block of flats that they were putting on the site got re-designed to leave the archaeology in situ, meaning that I've got not-a-lot to write about (actually loads, shame we couldn't dig any more, Meso-Med with everything between, but it's all still there under the flats for someone else to play with in 50 years, and is now Scheduled). A large part of consultancy work is advising clients not to build where they wanted to, and there are a lot of pipelines that are a lot more bendy than the designers originally envisaged :face-huh:

[troll]

Greetings to all. Again, I`m with Kevin on this one. I`ve banged on about regulation for years and in the absence of a viable body to whom I would envisage as an accountable entity capable of adequate policing, the government is all we have. Don`t get me wrong...I`m certainly not a fan of British Government but I am a firm believer in working in a country that takes pride and responsibility in its shared heritage. Just about anyone caring to extoll the virtues of Britain as a nation leans heavily upon the "tradition" and the long and sceptred history of our fair Isles (however one cares to interpret that) in any marketing regime or political diatribe. A bit rich methinks when as a nation, we throw our built and buried environment to the wolves of competitive tendering in an un-regulated free for all environment. Before you explode into the old chestnut " It`s better than the old Rescue days....".....I agree. But, and it`s a big "but"........is it not time that we evolved? What on earth is wrong with a nationalised heritage? A system where finite (and world class) heritage assets are enshrined in statute law, heritage becomes a core subject in an holistic educational curriculum, archaeology ( above and below ground) is preserved in situ and incorporated into new builds, grey publications are reborn as dynamic documents delivered to schools, colleges and universities, museums are treated as national treasures and archaeology becomes enshrined as a profession with obligations to the tax-paying public. Back on thread........ The IFA would continue to drive professional and ethical standards, monitor and police RAO`s and themselves would be answerable to their own regulators. All above board, accountable, modern, progressive and dynamic. Curators would actually have teeth!:face-approve:

[GnomeKing]

Hail Troll - (wow i never knew there was an Ultimate!)

[troll]

Point taken. Verily. However......

This is the U.K !

Gnomey......I`ve only just spotted the "Ultimate" tag meself! Cool ! Do I get to put MBAJR after me name and get to strut about with a clipboard and indulge in pointing whilst smelling of coffee and tweed?

[Dirty Boy]

and?
for how much longer?
tell me, what special magical property there is in the air or water which makes the UK immune to nationalistic disintegration and conflict?

The Scots have a poor history in warfare and spend most of their time drunk and headbutting each other
The Welsh are too busy chasing sheep
The English channel all their latent agression into failing every sport they've invented

:o)

[Dinosaur]

But Boris has already assured the Chinese that we're going to win the 'wiff-waff' in 2012! :0

[Sith]

But Boris has already assured the Chinese that we're going to win the 'wiff-waff' in 2012! :0

I'm waiting for my call up for wiff-waff GB. I've been monopolising our dining table to practice for months.