THE OPEN ROAD, PART 2..
Well, our travelling visitors have finally travelled on, having left a good deal of havoc behind them. Not just their physical effect on the local environment which, incidentally, included the ultimate insult of nicking the rope from around the village cricket square for use as a washing line, but also the feelings that have been aroused among the Dibley locals.
Those feelings are, as ever, mixed. There is relief that the invasion has come to an end but also a feeling of frustration at the inability of `the authorities` to take action more quickly and positively to assist the travellers to `move on.` Now I realise they may be thwarted by rules and regulations which demand proper process when dealing with any form of eviction and of course there is the issue - of which we here have been reminded in recent days - that the travellers `have rights.`
You hear a lot these days about `rights,` but I fail to see why these travellers should be able to just turn up, park themselves where they please, create mayhem whilst they`re here and leave behind a catalogue of `environmental issues` which have to be cleaned up after them, all at the expense of the local taxpayer. But of course upholding the rights of local taxpayers not only come at a price but also seem to come second to those of capricious itinerants.
And so, as their big white 63-Reg. BMW, caravan, trailer and white van depart the scene, our travelling friends have a new direction of travel going forward, supposedly to Essex. And almost as annoying as their sojourn here in deepest Kent has been, are those two seemingly very modern phrases `direction of travel` and `going forward.`
Especially `going forward,` which seems to have originated, like so many other abuses of the English language, in America, from whence it has gained a strong foothold over here. It`s almost as if it`s `cool` to use the phrase, when in reality it is simply annoying, inane and totally meaningless. For example, when F1 in America appointed Steve Sexton as its President, it was announced that, "He will be a tremendous asset to our operation going forward." As if F1 can go in any other `direction of travel.` Maybe they should wake up, smell the coffee and move on at the end of the day. Just like our recent visitors.
Those feelings are, as ever, mixed. There is relief that the invasion has come to an end but also a feeling of frustration at the inability of `the authorities` to take action more quickly and positively to assist the travellers to `move on.` Now I realise they may be thwarted by rules and regulations which demand proper process when dealing with any form of eviction and of course there is the issue - of which we here have been reminded in recent days - that the travellers `have rights.`
You hear a lot these days about `rights,` but I fail to see why these travellers should be able to just turn up, park themselves where they please, create mayhem whilst they`re here and leave behind a catalogue of `environmental issues` which have to be cleaned up after them, all at the expense of the local taxpayer. But of course upholding the rights of local taxpayers not only come at a price but also seem to come second to those of capricious itinerants.
And so, as their big white 63-Reg. BMW, caravan, trailer and white van depart the scene, our travelling friends have a new direction of travel going forward, supposedly to Essex. And almost as annoying as their sojourn here in deepest Kent has been, are those two seemingly very modern phrases `direction of travel` and `going forward.`
Especially `going forward,` which seems to have originated, like so many other abuses of the English language, in America, from whence it has gained a strong foothold over here. It`s almost as if it`s `cool` to use the phrase, when in reality it is simply annoying, inane and totally meaningless. For example, when F1 in America appointed Steve Sexton as its President, it was announced that, "He will be a tremendous asset to our operation going forward." As if F1 can go in any other `direction of travel.` Maybe they should wake up, smell the coffee and move on at the end of the day. Just like our recent visitors.
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