22nd July 2011, 05:22 PM
Wax Wrote:How about a glossy mag financed by the big bad developers in whose names we do commercial archaeology? Ooh whoops there goes the confidentiality clause.
The commercial archaeologists have their hands tied and are gagged by the nature of the commercial world in which they work. One of the many reasons why it is not the place for the amateur.
There will either be developer driven archaeology or development free of archaeology with the occasional amateur rescue dig. That is what I see as the heart of the matter which the public and the media do not understand. Community archaeology is a very separate animal which is being used as a smoke screen.
commercial archaeologists hands are not tied and we are not gagged by developers at all. we dont produce glossy stuff for citizens because hitherto now we were not required to. by placing an emphasis on explaining and interpretation, pps5 and hopefully nppf, hopefully this lacuna will be redressed
a little less whinging and a lot more explaining is required and the only smoke screen i can see is the one fanned by the vested interests of contracting who are intent on maintaining a closed shop of under represented poorly paid and over exploited diggers with no prospects of a career or getting anywhere near their own jobs
If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers