Context 161 - September 2019

56 C O N T E X T 1 6 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 Director’s cut Heraclitus and Parmenides in the world of Trump The IHBC has been working through some substantial changes in recent months. Many members and NewsBlog readers will know of comings and goings in personnel, our constitutional developments, new business planning and much more.While often complicating planning for the future, balancing such change while preserving continuity is both fundamental to conservation practice and natural to conservation concepts. Polarisation and conflict between the apparent inevitability of change and the necessary logic of continuity are deeply embedded in our culture. The very roots of our thinking, in Greek philosophy, have in one corner Heraclitus’ change – best expressed in his aphoristic observation that ‘you can never step into the same river twice’ – and, in the other, Parmenides’ stasis, focusing on the logical absurdity of change, represented in this example by the argument that Heraclitus’ river is – and is only ever – his river, and so can never change. Given that polarised legacy, it has been left largely to the holistic take offered by conservation, as a distinctly modern and interdisciplinary practice, to articulate formally how we can make change and continuity work together. The sophistication required for such management is well represented by the late evolution of disciplines that manage tensions between change and continuity over those based on affirming either. Planning, for example, is a place-based discipline that mediates change, and as such is a naturally a successor – by a century and more – to change-led practices such as architecture and engineering. Later still in the evolution of development disciplines, conservation professionals appear. Usually in more complex situations, they fight hard against associations with the ossification of place and data, highlighting a different way of looking at change: giving more respect to continuity as they work with places; valuing existing communities; and highlighting more subtle priorities such as public interest and amenity. Society may recognise both continuity and change, but it is only with modern – even post-modern – disciplines such as conservation that we have developed the methodologies to integrate the management of both. In this context, more pragmatic conservation professionals – such as our members and readers – have typically focused less on disputing the fundamental nature of change and more on managing better those phenomena that generate or restrict it. The IHBC’s recent AGM represented well the institute’s collective approach to change in the context of continuity, as past president David McDonald took over the chair from James Caird, previously our consultations consultant. Similarly, their close partnership when exploring our new governance proposals – engaging with branches on the ground, and stakeholders across the sector – indicated the strengths common to both officers, as each in their own way addressed concerns about the greatest of corporate changes: those arising from constitutional modernisation as noted below. The IHBC’s structural continuity in the context of change is represented in the ongoing focus on delivering our Corporate Plan 2015–20 (CP20). As your director, helping deliver the aims of CP20 are my central duty.While all entail change of some sort, continuity is preserved through regular reporting on our successes – and failures – in line with that historic plan. CP20 continues into the future too, as its effectiveness means that it will form the foundation for its successor – our Corporate Plan 2020-25, currently under developments and provisionally titled CP25.With that as the strategy for managing change beyond the IHBC’s horizon, we also face more immediate priorities where change and continuity need careful balancing. Governance The evolving governance proposals adopted at our 2019 AGM represent well our members’ professional approach to change that respects continuity. Those ideas are now with our solicitors, as part of a detailed review process in advance of scrutiny by charity and other regulators and interests. To date no issues have been raised with our broad strategy, and we will bring members up to date as soon as we have any substantial progress. Trustees and more As well as maintaining a strong body of trustees familiar with our ongoing plans and operations, we have new national officers appearing in post and on the horizon. Lone le Vay, already deeply involved with our south east branch – including plans for our 2020 annual school on ‘Old Towns: New Futures’ in Brighton next June – has been elected as vice chair to succeed Kathy Davies, building on her substantial legacy. Similarly, following extensive calls