Giles Coren

[BaaLocks]

Wrote this in The Times yesterday:

"Because it is all I think about, obviously. That and how the only reason it isn’t my son with his little throat cut by Hamas or my 12-year-old daughter being . . . well, I can’t write those words . . . is that when my grandparents fled the Nazis under cover of night, leaving parents and relatives behind to die by gun and gas and typhus, they were lucky enough to end up in Derby rather than Hebron. 

Should I be writing about that? Would that help? Because I would find it almost impossible not to make a joke about what a craphole Derby is (it really is, there’s no point writing it) and how Grandma and Grandpa finally ended up in Stanmore, which is not a lot better, but is at least on the Bakerloo Line. I think it’s fine to joke, even now. I think that’s what people, and more especially Jews, do when the darkness falls (as it falls so often for us)."

Obviously, I think the bit about the current situation in Israel is off limits for this forum but I'd be interested the last time he's been to Derby and why he finds it such a great point of amusement to call it a craphole. Always was a bit of a twonk, despite having a wonderful father and sister, so I guess not much more to expect but still.

[Andrew3000]

2 hours ago, BaaLocks said:

Wrote this in The Times yesterday:

"Because it is all I think about, obviously. That and how the only reason it isn’t my son with his little throat cut by Hamas or my 12-year-old daughter being . . . well, I can’t write those words . . . is that when my grandparents fled the Nazis under cover of night, leaving parents and relatives behind to die by gun and gas and typhus, they were lucky enough to end up in Derby rather than Hebron. 

Should I be writing about that? Would that help? Because I would find it almost impossible not to make a joke about what a craphole Derby is (it really is, there’s no point writing it) and how Grandma and Grandpa finally ended up in Stanmore, which is not a lot better, but is at least on the Bakerloo Line. I think it’s fine to joke, even now. I think that’s what people, and more especially Jews, do when the darkness falls (as it falls so often for us)."

Obviously, I think the bit about the current situation in Israel is off limits for this forum but I'd be interested the last time he's been to Derby and why he finds it such a great point of amusement to call it a craphole. Always was a bit of a twonk, despite having a wonderful father and sister, so I guess not much more to expect but still.

For me, Derby is a craphole. It has become worse over time. The city centre is ugly apart from one small area the cathedral quarter and sadler gate. Outside of this is dreary, with either a despairing or aggressive atmosphere. The theatre is in an all but abandoned part of an indoor shopping centre. The assembly rooms stands empty on the edge of the most boring and featureless market place. There are hardly any decent restaurants, few independent shops and derbion is soulless. We've not opened up the river in a pleasant way and the river gardens are not safe. We blocked the view of St Mary's Church from some approaches with a ghastly hotel.  It is badly planned and increasingly barren.  All that is being built are apartments and university buildings that dont seem sustainable.  There is little to do there.  It looks like a town in recession. Its in a hideous spiral of decline. Sadly, I'd prefer to be in almost any other city. For me, its only saving graces are DCFC, its proximity to the  Derbyshire countryside and the people i love. So, in your view, why isn't it a craphole? 

[i-Ram]

2 minutes ago, Andrew3000 said:

For me, Derby is a craphole. It has become worse over time. The city centre is ugly apart from one small area the cathedral quarter and sadler gate. Outside of this is dreary, with either a despairing or aggressive atmosphere. The theatre is in an all but abandoned part of an indoor shopping centre. The assembly rooms stands empty on the edge of the most boring and featureless market place. There are hardly any decent restaurants, few independent shops and derbion is soulless. We've not opened up the river in a pleasant way and the river gardens are not safe. We blocked the view of St Mary's Church from some approaches with a ghastly hotel.  It is badly planned and increasingly barren.  All that is being built are apartments and university buildings that dont seem sustainable.  There is little to do there.  It looks like a town in recession. Its in a hideous spiral of decline. Sadly, I'd prefer to be in almost any other city. For me, its only saving graces are DCFC, its proximity to the  Derbyshire countryside and the people i love. So, in your view, why isn't it a craphole? 

…. and it’s for that reason you had no choice but to resign as Head of Tourism for Derby City Council.

[Alph]

I think Derby is a dump too. I plan to leave as I get older. It's just work and schools that keep us here

[maxjam]

I'm not saying its a dump, but I've moved 3hrs to the north 😛

 

[AndyinLiverpool]

I don't go to Derby often but each time I do, I think it's a craphole

[Ram-Alf]

Ahhh bless him, He needs to take that 4x2 off his shoulder. 

https://www.thenational.scot/news/19457975.giles-coren-slammed-sickening-comment-death-journalist-dawn-foster/

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/richard-eden-giles-coren-accused-of-parking-his-car-in-disabled-spot/ar-AA1i3P2t

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

Derby was very much turned into a craphole with the Westfield, an obsession with University accommodation and a council who closed the glasshouses in Markeaton meaning there is not a bloom to be seen in the summer.  They've also wasted hundreds of thousands on waterfalls that don't work and pointless steel ring modern art .

A craphole by decision making.

[SSD]

Most of my life I've lived in Derbyshire and I love the county. Beautiful scenery, wonderful people and the football team isn't bad either. Decided to move to Derby for ease of work. I'm not sure whether it's because I've lived in the city awhile now, the place is getting worse every year.

The main streets are full of drug users who don't seem to be getting any help by the local authorities. A night out is a no go in a couple of areas, there's been so many stabbings recently in bars and I only stick to the pubs I know nowadays. The shopping centre ruined the city. Far too big for the city population, meaning other areas receive hardly any footfall. The council have wasted so much money on projects and buildings that we don't need. Instead of rebuilding the Assembly Rooms, they've let it rot yet greenlit a project to build a new performance centre. Where was the logic in that? What's the plan for the old building? Boggles the mind.

Derby Arena I can't stand either. They couldn't even build a velodrome track big enough to host actual competition events because it's too small. Hence having to use it as a events arena to claw back some of the investment. The best thing it has been used for was the COVID vaccines.

The council have tried to make the city too big and grand for years and sadly it has backfired, meaning we have all these social problems and empty shops. And when they have money, they always spend it on the wrong project that nobody asks for.

[cstand]

31 minutes ago, SSD said:

Most of my life I've lived in Derbyshire and I love the county. Beautiful scenery, wonderful people and the football team isn't bad either. Decided to move to Derby for ease of work. I'm not sure whether it's because I've lived in the city awhile now, the place is getting worse every year.

The main streets are full of drug users who don't seem to be getting any help by the local authorities. A night out is a no go in a couple of areas, there's been so many stabbings recently in bars and I only stick to the pubs I know nowadays. The shopping centre ruined the city. Far too big for the city population, meaning other areas receive hardly any footfall. The council have wasted so much money on projects and buildings that we don't need. Instead of rebuilding the Assembly Rooms, they've let it rot yet greenlit a project to build a new performance centre. Where was the logic in that? What's the plan for the old building? Boggles the mind.

Derby Arena I can't stand either. They couldn't even build a velodrome track big enough to host actual competition events because it's too small. Hence having to use it as a events arena to claw back some of the investment. The best thing it has been used for was the COVID vaccines.

The council have tried to make the city too big and grand for years and sadly it has backfired, meaning we have all these social problems and empty shops. And when they have money, they always spend it on the wrong project that nobody asks for.

Agreed will also add Derby is unfortunately surrounded by three core cities which are easily accessible by car and public transport which get millions of tax payers money pumped into their infrastructure every year.

Derby has virtually no chance of competing with these three cities. 

 

 

 

[FlyBritishMidland]

Probably says more about me, but I had to google him to find out who he is.  It did lead me to his sister though, which was much better!!

[EtoileSportiveDeDerby]

45 minutes ago, SSD said:

Most of my life I've lived in Derbyshire and I love the county. Beautiful scenery, wonderful people and the football team isn't bad either. Decided to move to Derby for ease of work. I'm not sure whether it's because I've lived in the city awhile now, the place is getting worse every year.

The main streets are full of drug users who don't seem to be getting any help by the local authorities. A night out is a no go in a couple of areas, there's been so many stabbings recently in bars and I only stick to the pubs I know nowadays. The shopping centre ruined the city. Far too big for the city population, meaning other areas receive hardly any footfall. The council have wasted so much money on projects and buildings that we don't need. Instead of rebuilding the Assembly Rooms, they've let it rot yet greenlit a project to build a new performance centre. Where was the logic in that? What's the plan for the old building? Boggles the mind.

Derby Arena I can't stand either. They couldn't even build a velodrome track big enough to host actual competition events because it's too small. Hence having to use it as a events arena to claw back some of the investment. The best thing it has been used for was the COVID vaccines.

The council have tried to make the city too big and grand for years and sadly it has backfired, meaning we have all these social problems and empty shops. And when they have money, they always spend it on the wrong project that nobody asks for.

Very harsh on Derby city council,. Name any other council who had the foresight of building a 20M squid vaccinodrome, ready a pandemic.

It is news to me that you can cycle in it as well, very clever design. I sleep easy at night knowing that my council tax is always well spent

[Ram-Alf]

1 hour ago, Gee SCREAMER !! said:

Derby was very much turned into a craphole with the Westfield, an obsession with University accommodation and a council who closed the glasshouses in Markeaton meaning there is not a bloom to be seen in the summer.  They've also wasted hundreds of thousands on waterfalls that don't work and pointless steel ring modern art .

A craphole by decision making.

Not forgetting that walk through green garden that was dying within a few weeks on the market place, The carbuncle that is the Assembly Rooms which was burnt to death almost 10 years ago...and yet to be replaced, More flats where Debenhams used to be, Flats where the DRI used to be, Flats on the industrial estate off Traffic street.

It's not Derby's fault that we have had town planners who are as thick as mince, And on the original article by Coran, My Mother who came to the England after the War with my Dad(Army)moved into a house on Joseph Street not far from the BBG, She said and I quote..."you won the war and you want me to live here with a toilet outside and no bathroom" she bailed after a few weeks back to Austria, Only to be sent back by her Mother 😊

   

[TigerTedd]

6 hours ago, Andrew3000 said:

For me, Derby is a craphole. It has become worse over time. The city centre is ugly apart from one small area the cathedral quarter and sadler gate. Outside of this is dreary, with either a despairing or aggressive atmosphere. The theatre is in an all but abandoned part of an indoor shopping centre. The assembly rooms stands empty on the edge of the most boring and featureless market place. There are hardly any decent restaurants, few independent shops and derbion is soulless. We've not opened up the river in a pleasant way and the river gardens are not safe. We blocked the view of St Mary's Church from some approaches with a ghastly hotel.  It is badly planned and increasingly barren.  All that is being built are apartments and university buildings that dont seem sustainable.  There is little to do there.  It looks like a town in recession. Its in a hideous spiral of decline. Sadly, I'd prefer to be in almost any other city. For me, its only saving graces are DCFC, its proximity to the  Derbyshire countryside and the people i love. So, in your view, why isn't it a craphole? 

Unfortunately you’re not wrong. I love derby, and I’ll always be a derby boy. But I’m glad I live in Derbyshire.

I go out in derby occasionally, and it’s crap. My daughters about to reach the age of misadventure, and I wonder where she’s going to have her misadventures.

I suspect she’ll just end up staying at home with her mates and a bottle of gin. Which as a dad I’m very pleased about. But that seems very boring compared to nights at Zanzi, D&E, Time, the Pig and Truffle, the Bless, Union 1, Blue note (I know that’s still there, but it’s probably s*** now, everything else is).

Oh nostalgia. I’d say she’ll end up drinking diamond white on the park, but kids don’t even do that anymore. 

[DarkFruitsRam7]

Normal people from a particular place are allowed to call said place a craphole. Posh, privileged twonks aren’t. 

I don’t make the rules.

[Premier ram]

Most cities in this country are crap in parts Derby’s no different , I love my city

[1of4]

As much as I dislike saying it, Derby is a craphole. Where are our grand public buildings that I see in many other towns and cities, when travelling around the country?   

From the 1960s every council in charge of our town/city, have done their utmost to remove any building of historical interest we had. To then replace them with some of the most gross architecture imaginable. 

When we had the chance to redevelop the market place, the old market, the bus station and the ice factory. Look at what eyesores we've ended up with.

I await with interest to see what the proposed concert/music venue will end up looking like.

[Eddie]

Since The Worm Has Turned closed, it's a Belgian beer desert.

Can anyone enlighten me as to where there might be an oasis?

[Gee SCREAMER !!]

2 hours ago, TigerTedd said:

Unfortunately you’re not wrong. I love derby, and I’ll always be a derby boy. But I’m glad I live in Derbyshire.

I go out in derby occasionally, and it’s crap. My daughters about to reach the age of misadventure, and I wonder where she’s going to have her misadventures.

I suspect she’ll just end up staying at home with her mates and a bottle of gin. Which as a dad I’m very pleased about. But that seems very boring compared to nights at Zanzi, D&E, Time, the Pig and Truffle, the Bless, Union 1, Blue note (I know that’s still there, but it’s probably s*** now, everything else is).

Oh nostalgia. I’d say she’ll end up drinking diamond white on the park, but kids don’t even do that anymore. 

I remember these as a cinema, Pink Cocunut and Paradise.  The fact you were going to these as their later incarnations and you have a daughter about to start going out makes me feel depressingly old.  The Blue Note is still alright to be honest if there's good live band on. It's packed.

Derby was a brilliant night out till about 1999, particularly on a packed all dayer on Sadler Gate on a bank holiday. After that it slowly became the load of b******* it is today.

[Stive Pesley]

2 hours ago, Premier ram said:

Most cities in this country are crap in parts Derby’s no different , I love my city

Hear hear

No matter how crap it is - there is always loads to love about Derby. I've lived elsewhere and I still came back. I live in DE1 and it's brilliant. Wouldn't swap it for anywhere. That's what holidays are for. And yes I do need at least 3 a year, but always 💗 Derby