Thieves steal Derby's Christmas lights

[Chippiewill]

The switch-on of Derby's festive illuminations could be delayed after thieves stole more than £20,000 of Christmas lights and equipment.

The lights were stolen from storage at Markeaton Park using the cherry picker lorry which would have been used to install them in the city centre.

Contractors could struggle to find replacements before this year's ceremony, the city council said.

The theft took place at about 05:00 GMT on Thursday.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-15701380

I would laugh so hard if they got returned on the first of December with a note saying that it's finally appropriate to put them up..

[-:Undertaker:-]

Just about sums up our country today; a nasty place to be, full of nasty people.

[Jordy]

Just about sums up our country today; a nasty place to be, full of nasty people.You've finally reached the point of some right-winger no longer worth listening to throwing around opinions like that, "oh the countries down the pan" etc.

Go to most parts of Europe, Asia, Africa or South America, most places on the globe infact and you'd be laughed at for describing Britain as a nasty place to be full of nasty people. It's by no means perfect but it's a damn sight better than most.

[GommeInc]

This is such a selfish act... I hope karma catches up with them and bites them hard on the bum :/

[-:Undertaker:-]

You've finally reached the point of some right-winger no longer worth listening to throwing around opinions like that, "oh the countries down the pan" etc.

Go to most parts of Europe, Asia, Africa or South America, most places on the globe infact and you'd be laughed at for describing Britain as a nasty place to be full of nasty people. It's by no means perfect but it's a damn sight better than most.

Oh so Britain is a nicer place to be with nicer people than it was a few decades ago, well if you think that then you're as out of touch as the Tory Party you support is. Old ladies and men who pose no threat to thieves being brutally attacked when mugged just for the sheer evil joy of it, community joys (such as this) being purposely trashed just for the sake of it - this country is on a downward slope, there's no doubt about it.

Thats why so many people leave each year you see, and so many comment on how nice the people are where they've moved to; people giving you a passing smile on your way down the street as opposed to scowling listening to iPods, people looking after their houses even if they don't have two pennies to rub together rather than leaving their houses to fall apart - respect and pride in themselves, their property and for where they live.

That is the Britain i'd like to see returned.

[Chippiewill]

I'm not exactly what kind of magical fairy tale you're dreaming up, there's always been violence and there always will be. Just because many like to paint a beautiful picture of the past, 9/10 it was worse.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I'm not exactly what kind of magical fairy tale you're dreaming up, there's always been violence and there always will be. Just because many like to paint a beautiful picture of the past, 9/10 it was worse.

Who said there was never any violence in the past? For example with the old ladies and gentlemen being attacked when being mugged (we've all seen the horrific pictures these days) this never used to happen, certainly not on this scale before. Muggings and theft still occured, but senseless beating of a defenceless 80+ year old who poses no threat? that is evil, sinister and is relatively new to our society.

The past had its problems no doubt about that, but why can't we take the good things from the past [see post] and apply them today?

[Chippiewill]

The past had its problems no doubt about that, but why can't we take the good things from the past [see post] and apply them today?
Because good is only good if there's bad. Those things still occur in places, Norfolk is generally a friendly place where people are happy to help.

[Jordy]

Oh so Britain is a nicer place to be with nicer people than it was a few decades ago, well if you think that then you're as out of touch as the Tory Party you support is. Old ladies and men who pose no threat to thieves being brutally attacked when mugged just for the sheer evil joy of it, community joys (such as this) being purposely trashed just for the sake of it - this country is on a downward slope, there's no doubt about it.

Thats why so many people leave each year you see, and so many comment on how nice the people are where they've moved to; people giving you a passing smile on your way down the street as opposed to scowling listening to iPods, people looking after their houses even if they don't have two pennies to rub together rather than leaving their houses to fall apart - respect and pride in themselves, their property and for where they live.

That is the Britain i'd like to see returned.It's called progression, that's why I listen to my iPod as I'm "scowling" down the street. They didn't have the option to do that 50 years ago, they didn't choose to reject iPods and be polite instead. The whole smiling at people in the street thing is ridiculous these days, 50 years ago everyone would of known each other due to going to the local church on a Sunday, helping out each other and seeing each other in the local pub. Now these things are somewhat out-dated or no where near as popular, it's progression. And that is why most no longer smile at others down the street, because they don't know their neighbours, and quite frankly it's questionable whether anyone ever did smile at each other anyway.

Sick crimes, petty crimes etc have always been committed, there's no change there. I wouldn't of felt any safer walking down many street 20-30 years ago than I would of done today.

People moving abroad has also always happened too, how do you think we managed to fill up colonies such as the USA, South Africa and Australia full of white people? The UK isn't, hasn't and never will be everyone's cup of tea, maybe you're one of them people. Other than the odd prisoner and orphan sent over there, most chose to go over there for a better lifestyle and have done for the past 300 or so years. Look at how many people from other countries want to live here, no doubt outnumbers it and says something about how the UK is still a very desirable place to live, for instance there is very little organised crime in the UK compared to what you might think. I'm sure if you travelled a bit more you'd come to appreciate how many places across the globe are far worse than here. I was in Finland a few weeks back which is somewhat similar to your social utopia with the place looking ridiculously smart and clean and the people generally quite traditional and true to their origins. They're also particularly motivated and hard-working people, more so than in the UK but try get on a bus and there's no concept of queueing or manners, the British surpass almost everywhere in this respect.

You're 18 or 19, how do you know what it was like in the past? You've probably spoke to elders and read media who see the past in rose-tinted glasses because it's human nature. You can't call anyone out of touch, last time I spoke to you, you were miserably failing your A Levels, no idea what you were doing with life whilst friends went to university, failing to grasp being socialable and planning on hanging back another year at college and didn't even have a job therefore not even contributing usefully to the country (working and paying tax?). Don't pretend you're in-touch or understand how society is, or was.

People would have always stole £20,000 of christmas lights with little security whatever decade we're in.

[-:Undertaker:-]

It's called progression, that's why I listen to my iPod as I'm "scowling" down the street. They didn't have the option to do that 50 years ago, they didn't choose to reject iPods and be polite instead. The whole smiling at people in the street thing is ridiculous these days, 50 years ago everyone would of known each other due to going to the local church on a Sunday, helping out each other and seeing each other in the local pub. Now these things are somewhat out-dated or no where near as popular, it's progression. And that is why most no longer smile at others down the street, because they don't know their neighbours, and quite frankly it's questionable whether anyone ever did smile at each other anyway.

And thats exactly my point, has 'progress' really been progress?


and quite frankly it's questionable whether anyone ever did smile at each other anyway.

True actually, I know from myself that its older generations that return one in the street.


Sick crimes, petty crimes etc have always been committed, there's no change there. I wouldn't of felt any safer walking down many street 20-30 years ago than I would of done today.

I'm not talking about 20 to 30 years ago, i'm talking about maybe 40 or 50 years ago. We all have heard of it, people used to be able to leave their front doors open - shopkeepers didn't need awful metal grid shutters on their shop fronts for fear of it being smashed up, bus stops could be made of wood and weren't set alight every other night, you could walk down the well-kept alleyways which didn't require ugly, large metal gates to block people dumping rubbish behind houses.

And thats all been swept away, you can have your progress for the sake of your iPod - personally i'd much rather we had a return to manners, smart streets and respect for the neighbourhood you live in.

As Margaret Thatcher observed when she visited Toxteth in Liverpool.


People moving abroad has also always happened too, how do you think we managed to fill up colonies such as the USA, South Africa and Australia full of white people? The UK isn't, hasn't and never will be everyone's cup of tea, maybe you're one of them people. Other than the odd prisoner and orphan sent over there, most chose to go over there for a better lifestyle and have done for the past 300 or so years. Look at how many people from other countries want to live here, no doubt outnumbers it and says something about how the UK is still a very desirable place to live, for instance there is very little organised crime in the UK compared to what you might think.

Oh right, has nothing to do with the welfare state then.


I'm sure if you travelled a bit more you'd come to appreciate how many places across the globe are far worse than here. I was in Finland a few weeks back which is somewhat similar to your social utopia with the place looking ridiculously smart and clean and the people generally quite traditional and true to their origins. They're also particularly motivated and hard-working people, more so than in the UK but try get on a bus and there's no concept of queueing or manners, the British surpass almost everywhere in this respect.

Sounds like our country just a few decades ago before it was swept away in the 1960s cultural revolution, a very nice sounding place that we could learn a lot from and take back the parts we've lost.

How about that? agree with me there?


You're 18 or 19, how do you know what it was like in the past?

How do I know what Nazi Germany was like? err well because see, in history you look back at accounts of the past and through that evidence you then make a conclusion based on what you've seen, read and heard.

I thought you did history?


You've probably spoke to elders and read media who see the past in rose-tinted glasses because it's human nature. You can't call anyone out of touch, last time I spoke to you, you were miserably failing your A Levels, no idea what you were doing with life whilst friends went to university, failing to grasp being socialable and planning on hanging back another year at college and didn't even have a job therefore not even contributing usefully to the country (working and paying tax?). Don't pretend you're in-touch or understand how society is, or was.

Because many parts of the past are desirable, just because its the past doesn't mean we can't take the bits we like from it and implement them again now does it? no, I think you've been very angry ever since I decided to start criticising the Conservative Party and I touched a nerve there didn't I?

In response to the false slurs at myself such as 'what i'm doing in life'/'being sociable'(???), not true at all as I never said any of that. But nice try. But if you want to discuss this in more detail and apologise to me/prove me wrong for the slurs then i'm on MSN for you.


People would have always stole £20,000 of christmas lights with little security whatever decade we're in.

Oh right, i'm sure they would have.

Maybe you ought to take a leaf out of your own book..


You're 18 or 19, how do you know what it was like in the past?

Pot. Kettle. Black.

[Inseriousity.]

I'm trying to remember the name of the book where they dispelled the myth of 'back in the day'. In Victorian England, they used to wrap some collar with spikes in it around the necks of their victims leaving them for dead and taking their valuables... I'd rather get beaten!!:P

Back on topic though, horrible that they've stole christmas lights but should be fairly easy to spot. Just look for someone with 'Merry Christmas from Derby' in their front room and youve caught them!

[-:Undertaker:-]

I'm trying to remember the name of the book where they dispelled the myth of 'back in the day'. In Victorian England, they used to wrap some collar with spikes in it around the necks of their victims leaving them for dead and taking their valuables... I'd rather get beaten!!:P

I'm not saying the past was absolutely perfect. My point is simply that we should attempt to bring the good bits back, and i'm encountering such rabid opposition and yet I don't see why? don't people want to live in a nice place and improve their surroundings/behaviour?

[Chippiewill]

Because:

a) There are good things about today
b) This is not the past
c) A lot of the good things were contingent on bad things

Yes, I'd love all those good things, do I think they're achievable? Doubtful.

[sophiethenerd]

D:

That really sucks. I know how cash strapped the council is atm and they do not need this.

[Accipiter]

Our country needs force, become a Jedi young England, we know how much we loved swords.

[GommeInc]

From what I remember we were at our moral peak in the 40s/50s/early 60s. It dropped soon after. Wish I could remember the study as it was quite interesting. Basically the war saw us at our more vigilent and friendliest. Children could roam the streets willy-nilly and acted what is to be considered good. It dropped around the time industries suffered and the destruction after the war turned us into to depressed psychopaths. Basically, jobs made us happy and the War made us sad. Blame the Germans.

[Jazz]

How immature.. I think that these kind of people just need to think about others before themselves.

[Ford]

I blamegypsies.

[beth]

well, that's derby for you.

[Zuth]

For saying I live next to derby, Markeaton Park isn't exactly the safest place to store them, anyway, it's still a sick crime.

[DPS]

LOL thats like when people steal the train cables and ****... while the trains are running! and like the tracks