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4th October 2017, 09:32 AM
cIFA, protector of all that is professional, tries again to to create a closed shop for commercial executives of large companies and those objects called consultants, buoyed up by the enthusiasm of of its not-quite-chartered-yet 'trainee' members.
Sounds like a good excuse for more buns and cake - but only for a few, as only those with paid-for-time-off-work and expenses accounts get to vote ...
(not that there is likely to be any kind of plan for addressing the numerous issues - what for example is a 'non-chartered archaeologist'?)
Actual Hole-dwellers have already said things like this in reply ; " I would vote against going forward just now, until a serious and well thought out proposal was on the table to discuss."
a new 'membership' grade eh? - sounds more like this to me:
https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h...mrc&uact=8
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6th October 2017, 01:52 PM
As I understand it only Chartered Archaeologists will be allowed to manage the largest projects and as most MIfA's are likely not to be considered worthy enough to become Chartered Archaeologists this will effectively put a block on the careers of many.
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26th October 2017, 12:19 PM
(This post was last modified: 26th October 2017, 12:20 PM by GnomeKing.)
Yes - I completely agreed; this is a major closing down of access to archaeological work, and planning mitigation. THe IFA was already utterly incapable of effective regulation of poor quality work from corporate members whenever it occurred - it will now be even harder to bring complaints against the 'uber'-chartered executives and consultants (and who else but they will get chartered at present?).
The whole thing is frankly a farce and a @#£^ing disgrace, only made less so by comparison to Brexit. This closure of Authority in regard of our shared heritage should be ringing alarm bells right across the Heritage Sector, including in Universities. As it stands effective decision making on major aspects of local and national heritage/development planning will increasingly be made by a tiny number of people, virtually all of whom are not publicly accountable, or even publicly 'visible'.
For those who do care about the corporateization of our heritage, and the take-over of planning decisions by publicly unaccountable bodies, the only possible hope is major mobilization of local and public feeling about heritage and planning in their local areas. Direct pressure must be applied, and applied, and applied again, all over the country....even to the extent putting stretched/under-funded county council systems to breaking point...The often small number of dubiously qualified and unaccountable persons involved in heritage-planning decision making needs to be exposed as a key fact in its own right, and the idea of basic public accountability of planning decisions needs to be very strongly re-asserted; pretty much in every single English County.
The cIFA can not/could never-have-been said to be an independent body in way at all > it will increasingly sit alongside other 'extra-governmental agencies' and 'lobbyists' that the current government would like to deliver all planning and social policy, essentially immune from effective public scrutiny through the current County Council planning system .
The cIFA will (increasingly) directly represent the interests of major archaeological corporations only, rather then the interests of people who want high standards of archaeological work in the UK, and who want proper development-led archaeological mitigation in their local areas.
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2nd November 2017, 02:55 PM
(4th October 2017, 09:32 AM)GnomeKing Wrote: cIFA, protector of all that is professional, tries again to to create a closed shop for commercial executives of large companies and those objects called consultants, buoyed up by the enthusiasm of of its not-quite-chartered-yet 'trainee' members.
Speaking as one of "those objects", I don't get enough time away from the grindstone to meet the suggested levels of CPD and interaction with the professional body etc. to become a chartered individual so I guess that's me and my kind out too.
D. Vader
Senior Consultant
Vader Maull & Palpatine
Archaeological Consultants
A tremor in the Force. The last time I felt it was in the presence of Tony Robinson.
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14th November 2017, 09:14 AM
"cIFA will (increasingly) directly represent the interests of major archaeological corporations only"
Unless members join and make the direction.
The trouble is.. those who sit on the SIGs and Council, on the committees and groups, they control the direction..
IF it is full of corporations , then of course it will lean that way.
CIfA is a member organisation, thus the Members are the ones who decide direction, well those that can be bothered.
