The business of jargon -

Just occasionally, there is the small piece on radio that really grabs the old funny bone and gives it a good tweak.

Yesterday, as I was driving through a fantastically first-rate funday morning (on my way to throwing things at the sky) was just such an instance.

Mediawatch has been running an occasional about reporting standards (as distinct from the direct critique of current event reportage) and language. Yesterday morning was one – concentrating on the use of “going forward”. Now reporters are not the most guilty here. It is without doubt the “mot d’an” if not “mot du decade” in business and politic speak.

The term is totally meaningless. It has nothing whatever to do other than to fill a sentence with two more unnecessary words or to detract from the import of what is being said.

Listen to Mediawatch’s piece and I hope that they have included in the MP3 the Irish writer’s version and interpretation of “going forward”.

Listening to that at 100kph is NOT safe driving.