Article taken from the Heritage Journal *Read this*

[Tafflaff (Rob)]

Read this I think we need to issue a  post onto this journal , as they seem to paint all detectorists with the same brush.


Legalised metal detecting? “No thanks, we’re French (and we give a damn about our resource!)” – Official.
17/08/2009 in Metal Detecting | by heritageaction


As Paul the vexatious blogger with incredibly itchy underpants says in his blog: “The “partnership” between British archaeologists and the country’s band of takers of the past continues to do its damage abroad. On the 7th July this year in what appears to be a coordinated action, the metal detectorists of France banded together and sent a synchronised packet of questions to Frédéric Mitterrand, the French Minister of Culture and Transport. They want a “pact” like the Brits have, they want “respect”.

Strange… that people that have been defying the law should be asking for acceptance and respect. Whence comes their encouragement? Clearly they are inspired by Britain, nowhere else, where their Anglo Saxon pals are legalised, praised, paid for finds and called (by the British Culture Minister) “unsung heritage heroes”.

Well, Thatcherism and “grab-wot-yer-can-as-it’s-everyone’s” seems to hold no more charm for the French thinking classes in matters of history than it does in anything else. In France, like in Ireland, archaeologists regard resource conservation as their primary duty and see no reason to compromise on that because someone “really really enjoys digging it up M8”. In France there is no PAS to paint metal detecting to the government and public as somehow positive in order to ensure its own continued funding. And in France the Minister of Culture is not driven to sacrifice the resource in order to pursue his own inclusive social agenda relating to certain elements of society. Oh no. Minister of Culture Mitterrand is not ex-Minister of Culture David Lammy. See his answer and his assessment of the British system delivered to the National Assembly with no nonsense and (to our ears) infinitely refreshing Gallic panache:
“If these measures have in fact permitted the number of declarations of the discovery of metallic archaeological objects to increase, they have in no way allowed a reduction in the number of attacks on the heritage caused by the use of metal detectors. All the same, they allow a more exact measurement of these attacks”

The Portable Antiquities Scheme will be holding a pan European conference shortly – to explore how its ideas are great and can be exported to Europe we hear. Minister Mitterand has not been invited. Nor anyone from France. And so Britain persists in harming its history and pretending otherwise for how else can PAS justify itself? The process is well known and is called Quango creep.

Compare and contrast our good friend George. Out in the fields all weathers. Finding new rock art. Adding to everyone’s history….. and no question of damaging it. No question of concealing it. No question of taking it home. Or laying claim to it, God help us! Or selling it. Or being given a reward. Or having to be begged and flattered and pursued and educated at great expense for ten years to report it.

From the Heritage Action Journal       http://heritageaction.wordpress.com

[altinkum]

i started to read it until i seen the name paul the vexatious blogger with incredibly itchy underpants this bloke is a f***ing idiot.he's living in poland or somewhere even modern day archies ignore his ranting's he's just an attention seeker

[Mark]

This does not surprise me as I have heard this sort of one dimensional us vs them argument many times before.  The usual diatribe of detectorists being a thorn in the side of real archaeology is clearly evident in this journal, and yet, in Britain the vast majority of new archaeological sites are found by detectorists so we are in fact keeping many archaeolologists in employment, and of course the PAS gives many archaeologists comfy desk jobs, and the fact that at least half of the finds in most museums are found by metal detectorists still does little to convince the bigots of our worth.  It seems that most archaeologists cannot (or will not) make the distinction between the illicit detectorists and the ones who are honest and care about our heritage.  

[DIGGA]

AS MARK SAID   HALF THE SITES  WOULDENT EVEN  OF BEEN DISCOVERED  WERE  IT NOT  FOR SOME  DETECTORIST FINDING IT FOR THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE   ,,,,,,,,,,,,,  CLASSIC  EXAMPLE  ON  TIME TEAM TONIGHT  THEY  DISCOVERED  A MASSIVE  ROMAN  VILLA ,,,,, FOUND  COINS  ETC ,,,,,, THEN  ON CAMERA SOME ARCHY  SHOWING OFF THE COINS  DROPPED ONE  (a coin  that  is )  and they  couldent find  it  so  they  called over  a bloke   with a detector ,,,,,,,,,,,,  TOOK HIM  ABOUTY  5  SECONDS    &*$    HOW   EMBARESSING  FOR THEM  TO   BE SHOWN UP   ON  CAMERA 

[Spooyt Vane]

the vexatious blogger with incredibly itchy underpants and a few of his cronies are prats of the archeological world. Wanting a ban on  metal detecting. Dont give
him the time of  day.

[robson (chris)]

ywhy ban metal detecting like digga said where the ones that find most of the sites then the archi guys take over and take all the cred

[handyman [Alan}]

Lets not forget that some archaeologists are just as unscrupulous as some of our detectorists.

it is not unknown for archaeologists to develop their own personal collection of finds, after recording and researching the various artefacts. it has also been known for these private collections to be later sold on.

i hope that the vexatious blogger with incredibly itchy underpants is clean from any such actions, somehow i suspect not, as his comments suggest a 'keep off, i saw it first mentality'

[U.K. Brian]

Now thats a bit hard. They retain items for training purposes only.

Then they retire, sell them off and pocket the money.

As for the pact in this country, I've reported finds then the arrkies approach the landowner to stop you searching the rest of the land.  Zorro will remember mentioning to me that his club was asked to assist in the dig Time Team were involved in at Llandeilo Roman Fort.
It was two friends of mine who discovered the site and found some Roman silver. They were not even informed that the site was to be investigated.

So the "pact" is not that good.