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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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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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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