An Important Petition

I've no idea how many of you saw the documentary You've Been Trumped about Donald Trump's tactics and bullying during the construction of his golf course in Aberdeenshire.  

If you did see it you will recognise the man on the right.  He's David Mills and he built a lovely home on the edge of the Menie estate.  Trump wanted to buy it in order to demolish it as it 'blocked the view to the sea'.  Mr Milne refused all approaches.

Not to be outdone Trump built a fence around Mr Milne's property and billed him for it.

Last month the Trump organisation submitted detail plans for another golf course, south of the one recently completed (although part of it is already collapsing) to Aberdeenshire council.

Now Mr Milne has decided that the Scottish Government should be forced into providing a public enquiry into the Menie project.  Through the 38 Degrees website Mr Milne is asking for those who, like himself, consider the public should be told how politicians and other relevant public servants - including the police service of course - conducted themselves throughout their dealings with the Trump organisation. Only a full public enquiry will get to the bottom of this matter.

Please sign David Milne's petition.  Although it states 15,000 signatures are required, I suggest many more are needed to ensure it is brought to the attention of the Petition Committee and taken seriously.  If you need further information read Alicia Bruce's interview with Alex Salmond when he viewed her photographs which were recently displayed in the Scottish Parliament.

If I remember correctly after You've Been Trumped was show on television, Alex Salmond said he would look into various aspects. If I recall correctly he wrote one letter to Grampian Police asking for an explanation about the arrest of two journalists.  The matter was never concluded.

May I also ask you to encourage friends to sign by sending them the link to the petition page.  I offer my appreciation in advance.

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On Sunday night BBC 2 Scotland broadcast Anthony Baxter's film You've Been Trumped.  It can be view here in iPlayer for the next 13 days.

Although I saw the film in St Andrews some months ago, viewing it again reconfirmed my view that it is a classic case of the powerful trampling all over the powerless, regardless of the law.  In fact the law behaved in a despicable manner throughout to the local residents.

This development broke many laws - tampering with water supplies to residences, flattening dunes in a sight of special scientific interest, borderline trespass and harassment to locals - that would not be tolerated were it not done by a billionaire.

What is so sad is that the golf complex will generate a pitiful number of jobs - a few greenkeepers, caddies, plus a handful of other staff - but nothing worthy of the damage done to the local community.

The Menie dunes will keep moving and not even a billionaire will be able to stop them. Off-shore windmills could be the least of Trump's problems.

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The Tale Of A Politician And Two Magnates

Scotland's First Minister is certainly under fire this week over his relationships with two of the western world's business tycoons.

The faux fury of opposition leaders was rather pathetic - a generous description - at FMQs yesterday when they questioned Alex Salmond about his tea drinking and dining habits in the company of Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump. (To call Donald Trump 'The Donald' is a misuse of what is normally regarded as an affectionate style of nickname by the media).

Rupert Murdoch is displayed as a tyrant these days although it's not so long ago he was wined and dined by the great and good - and not so great or good - of British politics.  Today these same politicians are depicting Murdoch as singlehandedly ruining British politics.  Of course it's true that Murdoch is influential, as would be expected of a person who owns The Times and the best selling Sun, but surely his influence is overestimated.  Murdoch didn't destroy British politics - the leaders of British politics, by default, made Murdoch influential. Murdoch is only as powerful as politicians have allowed him to be.
He's not the first - and won't be the last - newspaper proprietor to gain influence in Britain.

Now British politics wants Murdoch banished from Britain's shores, but will his removal improve British political life?  Of course not, because so many politicians have been cosying up to media owners/editors for years and have alienated themselves from the public. It's so much easier to meet with a media boss than to face a room full of voters who have no hesitation in voicing their everyday concerns.

Today's leaders David Cameron and Nick Clegg consider themselves 'people friendly' when their advisors organise the media's presence at one of their public Q & A sessions. But the voters recognise just how staged managed these events are. Remember when Mandelson was caught on film 'directing' one of Tony Blair's 'public' meetings? No politician today has the skill to communicate directly with the public without the use of umpteen press officers who distribute press releases daily to Britain's media.

Certainly Alex Salmond's association with the media mogul has created world news and gaining international attention can do little harm to the First Minister when he insists his actions were all concentrated on keeping jobs in Scotland. Can the opposition parties prove otherwise?  No. 

One of Murdoch's staff acted immorally and Murdoch is aware his empire will never fully recover from the justifiable fall out. If he decides to sell the Sun and The Times there's little doubt the new owners will also meet with political leaders. It's the skill of the leaders which will establish the level of these relationships but I would suggest that offering a cup of tea during any meeting is not recommended.

As for Donald Trump's petulant, contradictory performance at Holyrood this week, it's hardly worth mentioning. His response, when challenged to provide evidence that building thousands more wind farms would destroy Scottish tourism, must have made his PR office shudder with embarrassment: "I am the evidence. I  am considered a world-class expert in tourism."

Will Trump's brash outpourings affect overseas investment in Scotland?  I think not, but he can be given a little credit for bringing the serious issue of windfarms back to the top of the Scottish political agenda.

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Salmond vs Trump

Last week's post on the latest Trump outburst resulted in some strong views from commenters, so I decided to investigate the proposed Aberdeen Bay offshore windfarm to see if Donald Trump's actions would have any impact upon Marine Scotland's decision.

Talks took place last week between Trump and the developers with the result being the video upload to Youtube some hours later and scathing attacks on the First Minister in the MSM.

The European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre, which is managing the Aberdeen project, started life in 2004/5 when a joint venture between AREG (Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group) and AMEC (now the Swedish utility company Vattenfall) began developing plans to build and operate an offshore wind farm. Over time the project's scope developed to combine a commercial wind farm with a deployment centre and technology enabler.

The Aberdeen windfarm proposal was boosted, in 2009, with the news that the European Commission was considering investing €40m in the project and the venture partners believe it it was the potential to become a European test centre and a UK renewable energy hub.

The current partners of Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm Ltd (AOWFL) comprise of Vattenfall Wind Power UK, Technip and AREG and in August 2010 AOWEL was awarded exclusive rights, by the Crown Estate, to develop the project in a zone off the City of Aberdeen.

The project consists of up to 11 wind turbines with a maximum power generation of up to 100 mega watts. The wind turbines would export the electricity onshore to a new substation and then to the National Grid. The windfarm would be 2 kilometers offshore and with a maximum height of 195 metres and a maximum rotor diameter of 150 metres. These are massive turbines and will very possibly be seen from space. They will not be 'permanent' fixtures as they will be dismantled and removed when the proposed EOWDC is decommissioned at the end of the 22 year Crown Estate Lease period (environmental statement 8).

It's difficult to find any financial breakdown of this project's costs but certainly Mr Trump's tactics leave much to be desired by some.  Will his behaviour have any effect on Marine Scotland and Scottish Ministers' decision?  I doubt it. The Scottish government has invested too much in this and other projects to be influenced by Donald Trump.

I'll allow him the last word - an excerpt from a letter to Alex Salmond:

"As a matter of fact, I have just authorised my staff to allocate a substantial amount of money to launch an international campaign to fight your plan to surround Scotland's coast with many thousands of wind turbines."

He wrote: "Please understand that I am doing this to save Scotland."

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From The Desk Of Donald Trump

Donald Trump is considering shelving his plans for his luxury golf resort on the Mennie estate near Aberdeen after claiming his ambitious project is being threatened by an offshore windfarm.

The proposed windfarm is backed by the European commission and will be a testbed for some of the most advanced offshore wind turbine designs.

This past week Trump had internet conference talks with the the joint venture owners Vattenfall, engineering firm Technip and Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group.

I take it the talks weren't too successful in Mr Trump's quest to"... save Scotland." or he wouldn't have taken to expressing his opinion via YouTube.

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Trump Falls Short

Ever since Donald Trump bought the Menie Estate and dunes in Aberdeenshire, back in 2005, somewhat half-heartedly initially I supported his golf project which he promised would be 'the world's greatest golf resort'.

Over the years I began to take more interest in Trump's golfing paradise and eventually friends who live nearby - and others - convinced me his paradise was only an illusion. Specifically, one friend emailed me last year saying: 'The complex will never be completed.  Only the golf course will rise out of the dunes'. Around that time I changed my opinion.

It would appear my friend has a crystal ball.  Today Trump flew into Aberdeen and announced he is postponing his plan to create the 'world's greatest golf resort'.  Why?  Because of the global financial crisis.  But didn't the financial crisis occur in 2008?  Didn't Trump insist he had the finances organised to complete the project?

Last year two young film makers were arrested because they were intruding on Trump property. Eventually they were released and their film You've Been Trumped was shown in Aberdeen last Friday. Owing to the 'amazing response' it received, the cinema decided to give it an extended run.  Trump has denounced the film as 'a fraud'.

Trump is a bully. His business style may be suited to the American people but it's not welcome here.  His remarks about being inundated with Scots desperate to play his golf course are nonsense.  I live in an area surrounded by golf courses and golfers yet none has shown any interest in the new course. "It'll be too costly" is the usual comment or "St Andrews is just down the road and the Old Course will never be bettered."

Andy Wightman is a highly respected land rights expert who has been keeping a close eye on the Trump development.  He has a website on which he is recording 'Donald Trump's Ego Trip'. Along with other material there are some short videos which show the character of the American and his entourage.

I'll leave you to decide if Trump will ever complete his resort, plus his latest idea of a ballroom. The golf course will open, of that I have no doubt, but the promised investment, both financial and employment, will be a long time coming.  If it ever does.

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RGU Doesn't Do Sensible

Caricature by Bob Smith

Kenneth Roy is enraged by the actions of Robert Gordon University to bestow an honorary degree in business administration (DBA) on Donald Trump at what is being described as a 'special ceremony' on 8 October.  I must agree with Mr Roy's opinion.

The official statement from RGU claims that it is 'in recognition of his business acumen and entrepreneurial vision and the long-term future his company is planning for the north-east'.

In recent years I've thought the quality of honorary degrees have deteriorated to 'celeb' level, thus negating the few well deserved degrees, but to give such an accolade, at this time, to Donald Trump reduces those issued by RGU to laughing-stock level.  Trump hasn't produced anything yet unless you count his ability to insult those who disagree with him.  Presently there are a few bulldozers on the land he purchased but no fairways are in sight.

Wouldn't it have been far more sensible for RGU to withhold this honour until Trump completes his project?  I forgot, universities don't do sensible, they're too intelligent for that.

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Bully or Investor?

Yesterday, I had written part of a post about Trump and his golf course in Aberdeenshire, when one of my readers mentioned a newspaper article in a comment. My post was related to that particular article and it was then I realised I had to come off the fence about Trump's golf complex on the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire. Until now I've given the American the benefit of the doubt, thinking it would improve the economy of Scotland, but I have to confess I was wrong.

The comment, from cynical Highland, which affirmed my thoughts was:

'This man is a far greater danger SB as he will overide our liberties for alleged economic reasons.'

Who is 'this' man'? Donald Trump.

A couple of documentary film makers, Anthony Baxter and Richard Phinney, were shooting a piece about the impact of the resort on residents and how Trump received planning permission. They are reported to have been filming allegations that the water supply was cut off to local residents for some days. George Soros, Donald Trump's mouthpiece in this project, insists the problem was 'immediately rectified'. Wouldn't Scottish Water be involved in such an incident? For a pipe to be damaged, whether accidently or not, it's not a case of clicking a button on a computer to rectify the situation. It takes days to rectify pipe problems and for Soros to say the pipe was repaired immediately is a lie. No such repair can be done immediately. Living where I do I know full well, that with the full attention of Scottish Water, even such a small problem takes at least 3 days.

I digress from the point of this post. Why did the police arrest the two documentary makers for breach of the peace, hold them for hour hours, handcuff one, take their DNA, take photographs and fingerprints just because George Soros phoned them to say these two film makers had 'burst' into Menie House, Trump's home at the resort when they insist that Trump's local manager, Paul O'Connor, freely agreed to be interviewed on camera and that their film proves they entered the building with permission and never filmed any documents.

Soros states:

\We genuinely have an open-door policy [but] it's not acceptable to have two people burst into an office unannounced.'

The statement by Soros that the documentary makers filmed documents is either correct or lies. The two documentary makers insist their film will show they are lies. I can't believe that Soros didn't have enough staff around him to stop two men accessing his filing cabinet(s).

It's not often I'm on the side of unions, but the NUJ require support in this matter. Also there's the serious question about the reaction of the police. Here, in this rural area, police behaving in such a manner would be questioned. It's now up to the people of Aberdeenshire if they want to question the Trump organisation's tactics to avoid openness in their dealings.

My thought is that every Scot wants a fair and sensible police force. In this case it would appear Grampian Police have acted on impulse rather than knowledge. Could it be that they were biased because a foreign investor is more important than the freedom of British journalists. There's an underlying murkiness here from both Trump and Grampian Police.

To those of you in Scotland and abroad who said Scotland would rue the day they allowed Trump to be involved in owning land in this country, my sincere apologies for saying you were wrong.

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Today's Non-Story

Donald Trump has offered to buy the lower Manhattan site where a Muslim group plans to build an Islamic community centre for 25% more than the current owners paid for it.

Trump made the offer yesterday in a letter to Hisham Elzanaty, an investor in the Islamic centre.

"I am making this offer as a resident of New York and citizen of the United States, not because I think the location is a spectacular one (because it is not), but because it will end a very serious, inflammatory and highly divisive situation that is destined, in my opinion, to only get worse," he wrote.

He further stipulated, as part of the offer, that if a mosque is to be built, "It would be located at least five blocks further from the World Trade Centre site."

Trump said he would pay cash for the site "with an immediate closing." There was no immediate response from Alzanaty.

Could it be that Trump will learn there are some things money can't buy?

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Trumped Again?

Things aren't running too smoothly for Donald Trump's billion pound golf course in Aberdeenshire.

Since he received the planning go-ahead for his project there have been many protests at the way in which the Trump empire has handled matters - not least his treatment of people who have homes in the area.

The pressure group Tripping Up Trump has claimed to have bought a 'significant' piece of land owned by Michael Forbes, whose home on the Menie Estate is under threat from compulsory purchase. TUT said they had used the same land rules, adapted to Scots law, used by the Heathrow anti-expansion protestors to buy a plot of land near the airport to block the construction of a third runway.

It was confirmed by the Glasgow-based firm of solicitors Bready & Co that TUT has now acquired land at Mill of Menie to defend the homes under threat of compulsory purchase. 'The Trump Organisation will now have to deal with many more objectors than they anticipated' they stated.

TUT spokesman Martin Glegg said thousands of members of the public will have the chance to sign up and have their names placed on the deeds, creating a major legal headache for any compulsory purchase order.

"It won't just be a few local families Trump would have to take to court to compulsory purchase it will now be hundreds of others," he said.

I wish them every success with this latest venture. Trump's behaviour at times has left families in despair and they deserve all the support they can gather to stop Aberdeenshire Council purchasing their homes under Compulsory Purchase legislation. Let's not forget, initially Donald Trump only wanted Mr Forbes' land and no other. When Mr Forbes refused to sell that is when Trump turned nasty, really nasty.

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Compliments Trump Style

Yesterday, Molly Forbes lodged legal papers with the Edinburgh Sheriff Court against Donald Trump, reputedly one of the most successful businessmen in the world. She is protesting about Donald Trump's ability to change the planning permission he was granted recently. The Two Doctors has further details.

The Times takes up the story this morning. Molly Forbes, as some of you may know, is the mother of Michael Forbes who has refused to sell his property at Balmedie, near Aberdeen, to Mr Trump. Allegedly stamping his feet during one of his daily tantrums Donald Trump raved:

"Over the years, my representatives and I have often seen Mr Forbes and he has always been dirty, sloppy and unkempt in his personal appearance and demeanour,” Mr Trump said.

“While he is a terrible representative for Scotland, whenever the cameras are rolling, he parades in front of the press looking groomed and wearing a kilt — he truly enjoys the attention that he would never have received without Donald Trump. In a recent television interview that was broadcast in the United States, Mr Forbes made Scotland and its people look terrible. He is a loser who is seriously damaging the image of both Aberdeenshire and his great country.

“His property is a disgusting blight on the community and an environmental hazard, with leaking oil containers, rusted shacks and abandoned vehicles dumped everywhere. It is a very poor image and representation for the world to see of Scotland.

“Instead of wasting the court’s resources, he should spend time cleaning up his land so it does not look like a slum — and a low-level slum at that. Perhaps he thinks that by creating an eyesore I will pay more for his land.”

How's that for compliments? It pleases me that I'm not within the aim of Mr Trump's venom because I would be reviled for looking like a downtrodden bag lady some days.

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Has Scotland been Trumped?

Aberdeenshire councillors on the Formartine Committee gave the go-ahead for the preparatory work to be carried out to stabilise the shifting sand dunes around what would become the championship golf course Donald Trump wants to build. A masterplan for exactly what is planned for the estate is expected to be ready for submission next year.

Mr Trump Jnr (pictured above) said of the work which started yesterday: "This is a long-term project, it's one component of many that is getting underway.

"We are trying to deliver the greatest golf course anywhere in the world, we believe we have the land to do that, we believe we have the team to do that. Golf has been a major passion for my father.

"There have been a couple of detractors that don't want this to go forward. It's getting ridiculous and childish. We have been under incredible scrutiny. That will never be enough for some of the extremists.

"I think maybe the stunts we have seen will be their last hurrah."

I supported this project initially but the more I hear from Donald Trump the more I realise we're being duped. The man and his hangers-on are bullies. They have no regard for Scotland whatsoever and their determination to ruin lives and crash through their plans is not the way I want to see business done in Scotland.

The arrogance of Trump & Co knows no bounds and being rude about the opposition isn't the Scots way. 'The greatest golf course anywhere in the world' - Mr Trump, you're dreaming.

We (Scotland) have St Andrews, about 100 miles to the south of your project and it has a world-wide reputation as the home of golf. The Old Course is part of an ancient community which supports visitors whether golfers or not. St Andrews doesn't suffer so much from the lengthy haars which drift in from the North Sea. The Aberdeenshire coastline is well known for haars which never clear all day.

I live in an county which is well known for the number of excellent golf courses it provides and know many golfers. Not one has expressed any desire to play on Mr Trump's invention and it is widely thought it will be a place for the wealthy to come, play, then go away.

When there is the choice of St Andrews, around a 45 minute car drive from Edinburgh airport and Mr Trump's course a 2 hour drive, most golfers will chose St Andrews because it is the best.

I would like to wish success to this project but now, sadly, I don't see it being of any benefit to Aberdeenshire or Scotland and that's why I feel Scotland has been trumped.

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Trump's Tortuous Tactics

Donald Trump, after receiving permission from the Scottish government to go ahead with his golf course complex in Aberdeenshire, gave Susan Munro his personal assurances that he did not need her land.

"The last thing Mr Trump said to me was Susan, I don't need your house, I don't need your land, I have plenty, we'll be good neighbours'. It's been my home for almost 30 years, but the council will just give in to Trump.

"This is only the start. Aberdeenshire has made a big mistake letting them in because nobody is going to benefit at the end of the day except Trump. It's our heritage, a protected bit of land."

Ms Munro has lived at Leyton Cottage for the past 28 years and now Formartine Area Committee has agreed the magnate will be allowed to expand the development to include five 'parcels' of land the tycoon is yet to acquire. The Committee voted nine to two in favour of recommendations to grant planning permission.

Of the five areas of land, situated in and around the site of the two proposed golf courses, four are privately owned by locals and a car park is owned by Aberdeenshire Council. Despite not having included them in the original planning outline, Trump International Golf Links Scotland (TIGLS) now insists they are a 'must-have' in order to create a 'world-class destination'.

Donald Trump Jnr and project director George Sorial insisted the organisation would continue to negotiate with the affected landowners and were hopeful a resolution could be met before moving to compulsory purchase orders.

The four home owners intend to challenge the current applications in court.

Why Formartine Area Committee voted in favour of the planning permission I have no idea. What I do know is that Donald Trump and his band of merry men are bullies. When the Trump project was first given the go-ahead by John Swinney, folk I know who live in the area told me Trump would want more and more land. I didn't believe them. I do now.

This project is becoming more and more distasteful with every day that passes.

Source: Herald

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