‘Please Mr President, we know you are busy, but can you get our bridge sorted?'

In this chapter I will consider the difficulties that can arise between ‘the public’ and heritage practitioners over the ways in which heritage is perceived, used and managed. These conflicts and difficulties usually revolve around two themes: (1) what is heritage? and (2) how can you use it in the present? Two case studies will be presented that illustrate affective and emotional dimensions in heritage and the degree to which people are passionate about heritage matters. The two case studies operate at different scales, but are linked by the intensity and tenacity of the participants; they also reflect an intensity that is in contrast to the measured responses of the heritage professionals who are also ‘players’ in the two cases. I will conclude with a proposal for a different, more inclusive approach to heritage management that reflects the nature of such engagements.