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I reckon it's that archaeology as a whole has been hit with a double whammy - the Recession and the Olympic Games. Both are going to coincide with each other in a very big way.
We all know that the budget for the Olympic Games is going to be more than they say it will be. And where will the extra money come from? Between now and 2012 will be when the economy hits rock bottom and probably will only just start picking itself back up again.
So all the Lottery money's been eaten up for with nothing to go into archaeology for a long while. And where will the extra money come from to fund the excess? The govt will just have to borrow more, causing taxes and the cost of living to rise more, which in turn, as many of you have mentioned has affected the building trade etc that provide major contracts to units. To come full circle the other projects and community based groups who rely on that govt funding to contribute to arcchaeology wont have any because of the Olympic Games's
I guess heritage is the last thing on people minds in times like these (far too young to remember the problems of the 80's) It's a sad thought.
"Kids, go get a proper job and don't take mine" - Derek Alexander
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I'm worried by this 'work for your dole' thing. I wonder what they'll be putting forward for people to do. Archaeology perhaps?
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Somebody said about the Olympics:
"So all the Lottery money's been eaten up eaten up for with nothing to go into archaeology for a long while"
I am bored with bash the Olympics rubbish. A few facts:
1. Very little lottery money goes into professional archaeology projects (museums and attractions yes archaeology no).
2. There is a massive archaeological project for the Olympics going on by MOLAS and PCA and has been for years.
3. There are numerous other archaeological projects associated with the upgrading of sports facilities up and down the country.
4. Olympic games tend to make a profit.
5. There is also the Cultural Olympics to consider.
6. Weymouth the venue for the sailing events has already established a heritage and culture festival as a precussor to 2012 and hope to grow the event ready for 2012 and continue it afterwards. They are following the example of Keil in Germany and the festival established at the Munich Olympics.
7. Much of the money for the Olympics comes from outside the UK and thus represents a massive inward investment in the UK economy.
Dr Peter Wardle
(Who would like to explain in more detail but is not allowed to)
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Well said Dr. W
I can attest that I've seen some very nice projects come out of the Olympics. Its amazing to see how many countries not only need Olympic training bases, but want to establish post-Olympic training facilities in Britain - and how much they are willing to spend on it. If only the British did the same!!
And last time I passed the Stratford end of the olympic site it looked like one of the biggest excavations, with associated numbers of diggers.
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Thanks gonetopot. As I said I would like to explain further....
Dr Peter Wardle
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To add to Dr Peter's list of Olympic spin-offs (and PCA / MoLAS are not the only archaeological organisations working on the main London site) we can add the Weymouth Relief Road.
This project had been shelved some years ago and was only revived because it appeared in the Olympic bid document in order to demonstrate that spectators for the sailing events would actuaslly be able to reach the venue rather than be stuck in the usual summer traffic jam between Dorchester and Weymouth. Advance archaeological works will commence this autumn and last for several months, with further works being undertaken during construction.
On a more general level, my recollection of the last recession is that the government poured money into construction (especially roads) in order to reduce potential redundancies and loss of skills in that industry. If this is repeated then there should be some spin-off work for archaeologists.
Beamo
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Thanks for that Beamo,
The Weymouth relief road is a must if you have tried to get into Weymouth during the summer. How many archaeologists are going to be employed 20?
So how many archaeologists are currently employed on 2012 and spin off projects - 100 200 300? I would guess a percentage of archaeologists are currently employed on Olympic Projects. The number of jobs created was an important factor in the bid judging.
Peter
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I stand corrected.
"Kids, go get a proper job and don't take mine" - Derek Alexander
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I forgot to add all the extra mineral projects - an awful lot of minerals are going to be added to the huge amount of concrete pored in east London.
Peter
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Quote:quote:Originally posted by drpeterwardle
I forgot to add all the extra mineral projects - an awful lot of minerals are going to be added to the huge amount of concrete pored in east London.
Peter
Yes, while the construction industry has hit a crunch hereabouts we are still seeing frenetic sand/gravel extraction.
