“Dawn it seems to me that in accepting the results many people (including you) are also accepting that the end justifies the means. In a democratic and free society such processes are totally unaceptable as a method of good governance. A gradual erosion of democracy leads eventually to the tacit acceptance of human rights abuses. Who will stop this?......apparently not you, you will just accept things as being beyond your influence and therefore not your concern.”

“Stephen -
Since when did the council (with whichever party in charge), do what the local electorate wanted ?
But then why should they, when the majority can't be bothered to get off their backsides and vote in the elections in the first place.
These councillors are a law unto themselves, with big egos.
I'm surprised the roads weren't called Skelton St, Williamson Way or Care Crescent.
I understand what peoples gripe is but I'm happy with both choices - whoever made them.”

“Derby Councillor Lucy Care chalked up Croft's 89-percent margin of victory to the fact that the Tomb Raider series was conceived by the now defunct, Derby-based studio Core Design. We personally think the name won because the poll was on the internet, where video game fans could easily flood the ballot box. Yes, you named a road in a town in the U.K. that you'll probably never visit. We live in very, very strange times, friends. And it's kind of amazing.”

“Dave, Steve Bloomer Way was in the hat, (did you vote for him?) Reading gaming blog sites and some comments that read along the lines of "who are these people?" and They're dead aren't they?, not "cool" and Lara Croft is the only name - etc. Some gamers are hoping Derby will have things like Sonic Hedgehog Park and other nonsense, this shows the type of people who have abused the system to get what they wanted - Just for a laugh!”

“Chris, thanks for giving that explanation for the benefit of Angela.........Yes, that is exactly what I meant but she failed to see it.”

“Dawn, the point is that local decisions should not be made in a worldwide forum. It is not democratic and does not reflect the true wishes of Derby people. The method is fatally flawed but at the same time quite acceptable to the Lib-Dems who currently control our council. The outcome is a minor issue compared with the method.”

“I'm really surprised the Derby City Council didn't just opt for Westfield Way or John Forkin Road.”

“Dave - I'm a huge Rams fan but we can't name all our roads after former players & managers (for one thing there aren't enough streets). I don't know if you are trying to score political points with your comments about the city council but you are shooting yourself in the foot with the phrase "finger on the pulse". Whether you like it or not Lara Croft is a global phenomenon born in the hugely important creative industries cradle of Derby in the 90s that resonates with many millions of people today whereas a 70s player/manager means nothing to to people who aren't local football fans of a certain vintage. Would you like to reconsider your "finger on the pulse" comments?

BTW: Congratulations City Council for facilitating the naming decision, whether by accident or design.”

“Angela I think the point Stephen is making is that we would not expect such an important matter as the Recycling/Incinerator plant to be decided on by the same voting method.
Voting on the X factor is quite trivial and people vote by calling a number, there is no control or limit set to the amount of votes each person makes so it might not be as fair a system as it could be. There have been on-line votes for naming things like the Blue Peter Dog or Budgie, these are not going to have an effect on the day to day life of people. This vote was just a bit of fun for the gamers, they'll have a laugh about it and forget about Derby and the street name within a week or so, we have to live with it, so it is not as trivial as naming the latest Blue Peter pet. Just as the Incinerator plant is not a trivial matter. However I would not put it past this council to adopt the on-line voting system for such matters.
It is a very serious matter and, regardless of whatever name was chosen, the decision making method is seriously flawed.”

“Well I'm pleased with the choices, whoever made them.
Just how old is the Mercian regiment ? Around 2 1/2yrs isn't it? But I agree with the choice.
Why is it ok to call a road after the name of a plane engine , as was suggested but not a computer game heroine, when both were invented in Derby.
As for not knowing who Lara Croft is in 50yrs time, my 16yr old son will be able to tell his grandchildren and show them where Core design was when she was invented but he hadn't a clue who Brian Clough was until we told him.
I love the history of Derby and am proud of it but Lara Croft and the industry around it started here and is part of our history too.
Surely mixing the old with the new is the way forward.
I'd love to survey the under 30's for their opinion as to the name choices and after all , they are the ones that will have to live with the name longest.
I don't think the council could ignore the majority vote and after all, they were naming two pieces of road so the local voters also had their say.
Personally Lara Croft got the vote from the 4 members of my household.”