Trump’s Scotland Saga – The Latest
The war of words continues between Donald Trump's Trump International Golf and parties opposing his Scottish project on environmentally sensitive lands in the Scottish northeast.
The Scottish Parliament intends to hold a public inquiry into the mega-project which has been a PR nightmare for Trump since it was rejected by the planning committee of the local Aberdeenshire Council.
The Donald has remained stubbornly insistent that his plans will do no irreparable harm to the local environment.
But there are signs that he's willing to reconsider, at least a little.
However, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Scotland and the Scottish wildlife Trust don't find much comfort in the proposed changes.
They have consulted a course architect who assures them a championship course can be laid out and built away from the sensitive lands in question.
Of course, that doesn't fly with the Trump people and there's no surprise in that. Trump has his own architects and he's understandably going to side with their design which allows Trump's real estate development talents their full rein.
There is a typical "he said, she said" attitude as both parties trade charges of failing to communicate with the other side.
If there's anything for Trump to learn in this it's this: never assume that the Trump name, Trump political connections and Trump money will automatically pave the way.
The Donald is learning that lesson the hard way.
This whole idea of 9 hole links in Aberdeenshire is a commercial venture of benefit to Trump. I play golf and have lived in neighbouring Moray for many years. There is no requirement for this venture as there are adequate well established full golf courses in Scotland already. If there had been merit in a course in this location someone would have done it long ago, especially with all the oil “Barons” around Aberdeen. Keep the Yanks out of Scotland, we don’t need them, their money or their hare-brained schemes.
The attraction both for The Donald and for the Scottish government is not so much the golf, I’m afraid, but the real estate. Trump builds golf courses so that he can make 10 times the money developing and selling the surrounding land for residential or tourist construction – which his company develops, of course. Golf is just the foot in the door…you’re right about Aberdeenshire having plenty of outstanding courses. Alas, there is a bigger picture, here.