The Dunes of Aberdeenshire

Martin Ford has been fired, the first and probably not the last casualty in the Trump Scotland golf controversy.

Ford was head of the planning committee for Aberdeenshire Council in northeastern Scotland who cast his deciding vote to reject The Donald's massive golf resort plan for the area.

Yes, it was a close vote - 8 to 7 with that 8th vote belonging to the chairman, Mr. Ford.

The recent history of this story has been widely reported here and elsewhere. But the story just keeps getting crazier and no journalist worth his salt could let it go without update and comment.

So here's what we have so far. It's a political power struggle, pure and simple: the Aberdeenshire Council is up in arms that Ford has kissed off a gift from the God of Development, Donald Trump (let's not overlook the other 7 members who voted against it, too).

The Scottish Parliament is frightened that the other Trumps of the world - say those uber-wealthy Al Maktoums from Dubai, for instance - will figure that the Scots are anti-progress and give them a miss.

So Scotland's MPs have now taken control of the proposal for their own "review" in a bid to placate Trump, hang on to the project and maintain the view that Scotland is "open for business".

Meanwhile, back at the Council, the elected officials have voted to get rid of the bad smell, aka, Martin Ford, for doing his job in a way they didn't like. I wonder if someone whispered that notion in their collective ear.

The Council had received a letter from Trump, you see, who promised them that his golf project would be "a masterpiece" and more environmentally friendly than the undeveloped land currently is! The man is unbelievable and politicians swoon at his every utterance.

Nothing in the Machiavellian world of politics is ever as simple as it seems. This is NOT a case of naïve local elected officials who don't know from haggis.

But it IS about undermining authority and creating a web if mistrust between elected officials and bureaucrats carrying out their duties as best they can.

It is also about short-sightedness resulting from greed. By all accounts, Aberdeenshire is a highly prosperous area of Scotland where employment is high and wages are strong.

But the lure of a Disneyland-like golf resort along with Trump's promises of massive tourism and wonderful job creation are like a siren song to a sailor.

And these sailors, like those who have heeded that seductive music in the past, are heading for the rocks, as well.

Martin Ford was interviewed last Friday by an Aberdeen radio station, Original 106, on his decision to reject the Trump bid.

You can listen to it here.