'The Star is here to represent the views of this city and has been for far more than a century'
There is plenty The Star team is united on. Yet our views often differ. I was surprised to read that Coles is one of them
There is a lot Sheffielders agree on, but a few things we don't.
What are the main bones of contention? Hmmm, actually the more I think about it, the less I know.
We all surround ourselves with people who have similar views and read things which confirm our beliefs.
That's just human nature. It is uncomfortable to be pushed out of the zone where everything you believe is 100 per cent correct, even when that only exists in our heads.
The Star is here to represent the views of this city and has been for far more than a century. We love to get your letters.
It is very rewarding to receive thanks for writing a story that helps. Less so to be the unfortunate person to answer the phone to somebody whose loved one has just been jailed and it is all our fault for writing about it. The whole office can hear those calls without putting it on speaker.
There is plenty The Star team is united on. Yet our views often differ. I was surprised to read that Coles is one of them.
You'll have read David Walsh's brilliant column in Saturday's paper. If not, go and find it online please. I would love to know where you stand.
He's not wrong ... we are in for a long wait.
But I lack his belief that there is cause for optimism because we have been let down so many times before. In fact, I am more furious than positive.
Every time I look out of our office window, the view is spoilt by our once beloved department store - grey, unloved and now unworthy of such a prominent position.
It has been five years since everyone was made redundant and the promise that the lights would be on for Christmas turned out to be a joke not even worthy of a cheap cracker.
We must not underestimate the task.
In 2021, a survey found so many broken and outdated systems an upgrade was estimated at £70m. We all know that as the carbuncle (sorry brutalist lovers) stands there abandoned, the condition of the building worsens daily and bills rise.
The crowds gathered outside Cole Brothers for the switch on of the Christmas lights in 1974. A lot of great shopping was done and profit made before it shut. Then, in 2024, the city council sold a 250-year lease to developer Urban Splash. In March of this year the company obtained planning permission for shops, cafes and offices.
Surprise surprise, there are no tenants yet.
Why do we put up with it? Maybe I just need to drink chamomile tea and breathe deeply ... but it is really hard to sit back and watch things get worse when you love a place.
I was once told off by a very prominent Sheffield business boss after encouraging somebody to protest, during a debate on a national radio show.
They'd asked if they should just put up with soaring electricity prices which meant they couldn't afford to use the items necessary for their disabled partner to survive.
Protest, I said, but not alone or you'll find yourself in the dark with no back-up.
But, I was warned as if I was a child, encouraging dissent is always bad. Me? I thought all Sheffielders were brought up to believe we had the power to change things if we stood up, together.
So we're absolutely united in wanting better, but we're not always united on how to get there.
The same is very much true of Doncaster Sheffield Airport. If you look at any online comments, we still can't decide what it should be called - let alone how much money should be pumped into getting it back up and flying.
I loved travelling from Doncaster and was a big supporter while it was open. It is 25-minutes from Sheffield city centre and was a dream to use. But the best bit about it was also the reason it closed. There were no queues, you could park just across from the entrance and walk over. That's because I never saw many people using it. In fact, I know of a couple of occasions when friends flew back to Doncaster with only a couple of other passengers on their flight.
So while I would dearly love it to reopen, I can't - hand on heart - declare that millions of taxpayers' money should be thrown at it blindly.
Of course, it could and should be made to work. But we've already seen it fail once so anybody wildly singing its praises needs to have a very good chorus line about exactly why this time will be different.
You'll have read both opinions in The Star over the years and yours may well be completely different.
That's what we're here for.
You can always get in touch with us, share your thoughts and make Sheffield's feelings known. Write to The Star, Fountain Precinct, Balm Green, S1 2JA or email [email protected].