Rennie blasts "embarrassing" tycoon Trump

Who, exactly, does Donald Trump think he is? 

We know from the Aberdeenshire golf course issue that he thinks all government entities should bend to his will. He doesn't take too kindly to people who have a different point of view, no matter who they are.

He's had a right go at Alex Salmond - sending him a letter basically telling him that nobody will ever visit Scotland if he allows offshore wind farms to be built.  The letter is as thuggish as you would expect from someone who is far too accustomed to deference from others:

"I have authorized my staff to allocate a substantial amount of money to launch an international campaign to fight your plan to surround Scotland's coast with thousands of wind turbines.......it will be like looking through the bars of a prison and Scotland's citizens will be the prisoners."

He goes on:

"Luckily tourists will not suffer as there will be none"

He says he's doing this for his late mother's sake because "she would not believe what you were doing to her beloved Scotland". Apparently there are no jobs in green technology and countries like China are laughing at us.

It's the sort of unbelievable, ill informed arrogance we've come to expect from the tycoon.

Willie Rennie said in retaliation that the "embarrassing" tycoon would be laughed at by Scotland and goes on to explain why it's so vital to look after the environment and build a sustainable future.

First Mr Trump accuses Scotland of being the laughing stock of the world, now he threatens to launch an international campaign.  What Mr Trump needs to understand is that Scotland will live up to our responsibilities to tackle climate change. 

"This letter is a rather desperate attempt by a rich man who is used to getting his own way, but his latest tizzy is embarrassing.  Instead of the world laughing at Scotland, Scotland is laughing at Mr Trump. “Global warming, limited fossil fuels and rising energy demand mean we need to create a sustainable energy resource that meets our needs and protects the environment for our children’s future. That means we need to use a range of technologies from on and offshore wind, tidal, wave and emerging technologies.  Mr Trump’s dislike for turbines several miles from his golf course should not derail Scotland’s ambition. “I would urge the First Minister to listen to Mr Trump but no more, and no less than anyone else.  We won’t be bullied by Mr Trump and his millions.”   

Trump's representative brands elected councillor "a disgrace"

Whatever you might think of the controversy over Donald Trump's golf course in Aberdeenshire (and I was and am firmly on the side of its opponents), surely you can't help but be concerned about the appalling behaviour of the tycoon's representatives.

The low point was threatening to make an 85 year old woman pay legal costs and branded her son's home a slum. This week, when plans for a supremely ugly club house were approved by Aberdeenshire Council by some margin, George Sorial, Trump's representative on earth, had the cheek to abuse Cllr Debra Storr, calliing her a "disgrace" and saying she'd be out of a job come May.

Now, whatever party she's in, whether I agree with her or not, Debra Storr has been a friend of mine for a very long time. She's a fundamentally good person who will always act in a principled way to do what she thinks is best for the people she represents. I will not stand by and hear her called names in public by anyone, let alone the arrogant representative of a rich tycoon who doesn't have much respect for the democratic process or community engagement. There can be no doubt that Debra was extremely robust in her criticism of the plans for the clubhouse, as she has been about the entire development. but that doesn't matter. Rich men should not be throwing their weight around like that, end of story.

And now it seems that, after all the disruption caused by Trump and his cohorts, he may be about to walk away from building his promised hotel and holiday homes because of a proposed wind farm in the waters off the coast. Clearly the benefits of renewable energy are lost on him.

All of this could have been avoided. All he had to do 4 years ago after the original rejection was to submit a slightly altered plan and this could all have been resolved easily. Instead, there's been an almighty and ongoing dispute which has left its scars on the local community which may now not get the benefits it was promised.

It may well be acceptable in America to slag off political opponents for all sorts of spurious reasons, like the fact that they speak French, but we shouldn't put up with it here. I am annoyed that the leader of Aberdeenshire Council was prepared to allow one of the councillors in her authority, regardless of who they are or what's gone on in the past, to be publicly abused in this way.

We all end up poorer when rich men think that governments at any level are inconveniences to be bossed around.

Trump says resident who refuses to sell "lives in a slum"

If you had any doubt about signing up to buy a piece of the land threatened by Donald Trump in his Aberdeenshire development, then think about what he said yesterday about the man whose home his development could destroy.

It made me so mad to see this hugely rich American describe Michael Forbes' home as a slum and to say that he lived like a pig. Michael Forbes loves his home and he has the right not to be forced out of it.

In which I acquire a plot of land in beautiful Aberdeenshire

As regular readers will know, I've been a long term opponent of Donald Trump's plans for a golf course, hotel and housing development in Aberdeenshire. Suffice to say that I don't feel that he has shown sufficient respect for the democratic process, and he has been very unpleasant to people I care about.

I have to say I felt sick when I discovered yesterday that he planned to call this new development the Great Dunes of Scotland. Given the destruction to the Dunes and wildlife necessitated by this project, those words have a very cynical and taunting edge to them.

I find the idea that compulsory purchase orders could be used to remove local people from their homes to build this resort quite objectionable. Like Stephen, I've added my name to the list of co-owners of a plot of land in the middle of this development which will make the process of compulsorily purchasing the land a great deal more complicated. It's a similar idea to that tried out against the third runway at Heathrow which many signed up to.

If you feel as strongly as I do about this, please sign up to "The Bunker" and encourage others to do so.

Vote for your biggest Eco-Villain of the Decade

The Guardian is running a poll to find out who we think is the Eco-Villain of the Decade.

For me, the choice was easy - the person whose actions have caused real harm and distress to people I care about. I can't describe the sadness and anger I feel about all the issues surrounding his planned Aberdeenshire golf course.

Even reading that, the arrogant and horrible way his son talks about my friends, by implication, at least, and dismisses their concerns makes my blood boil. Time for a cup of tea, I think.

Justice Done for Trump Councillor

I am not surprised, but am delighted nonetheless, that my friend and Aberdeenshire Councillor Paul Johnston has been cleared by the Standards Commission of any breach of the Councillor's Code of Conduct in connection with remarks he made in opposition to Donald Trump's controversial planning application.

Paul took the very brave step of reporting himself to the Commission rather than wait for Aberdeenshire Council to do it.

I don't know all the ins and outs of the dynamics of the Aberdeenshire Council Lib Dem administration, but I have known Paul, Debra Storr and Martin Ford for a very long time and all 3 of them are dedicated, honest and thoroughly decent public servants.

All 3 now languish either on the fringes or outside the Aberdeenshire Council Group. Until I heard Martin Ford speak at the Scottish Liberal Democrats conference in February last year, I hadn't really understood why he had used his casting vote to refuse the application when he could have saved himself a lot of personal grief by voting to defer the decision, which was the only other option available at the time. He explained so well that it was the proper procedure that he should do that and that any other applicant would simply have lodged an amended application.

Martin was stripped of his key planning chairmanship. A few months later, Paul was threatened with the Standards Board by the Chief Executive of Aberdeenshire Council so he took the matter there himself. In a breathtakingly unjust act of pre-judgement, his fellow councillors decided he was guilty before the investigation was complete. Debra's actions at that meeting, supporting Paul, led to her eventual resignation before she was expelled from the Group. Aren't her actions, defending him from what was essentially a kangaroo court, in the DNA of anyone calling themselves a Liberal?

Now, a lot of water has gone under the bridge since the rejection of Trump's application. A lot of arguments have been had, toys have been expelled from prams at a huge rate of knots.

However, it is time to draw a line under all of this and move on. I believe that it's vital that Paul, Martin and Debra play a full role in the Lib Dem Group again. We can't afford to lose good people like them.

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