Peter Wilson’s Wrap

But then we know that community projects in the north east of Scotland come with golf courses attached and that other great philanthropist, Donald Trump, has been doing his bit of late to strengthen community links in and around his Menie Estate by seeking to compel his neighbours to sell up and move on. All this is not news of course and I had predicted in the last Wrap that Aberdeenshire Council would roll over at its recent meeting and have its tummy tickled by Trumpy’s team. All the Donald was asking in return for his affection was for the Council to grant Compulsory Purchase Order status over his neighbour’s properties but the righteous councillors of Aberdeenshire couldn’t bring themselves to deliver yet. Prior to the meeting it was widely reported that this was a bridge too far for even the Aberdonistan tribal leaders and that they would vote against the proposal but, at the very last minute, they found it within themselves to vote not to vote. Yes, rather than attract Don Combleone’s ire (to be fair, he only threatened to sue them) they chose to defer a decision in the hope that before they are forced to do so, their benevolent master will have made an offer that the troublesome Menie home-owners can’t refuse.

Problem is, whilst the Sunday Times’ Gillian Bowditch seems to have taken the Trump shilling by repeating the entirely spurious line that opposition to this particular project sends out a message to would-be inward investors that they aren’t welcome in Scotland, opposition to the development is growing. Indeed, even though Gillian considers those who question the motives of the developer and the supposed benefits that will accrue from his new-town-with-golf-course-attached to be “misanthropic extremists”, serious money from the likes of soap company Lush – substantial funders of environmental campaigns – and celebrity support in the form of local hero Tilda Swinton are bringing a new and highly visible scrutiny to the Donald’s project.

With such luminaries now backing the ‘Tripping Up Trump’ campaign and the ‘Menie Liberation Front’, it’s a development that’s obviously of some concern to senior Trump-ette, Sarah Malone, who feels ”the motives of these individuals are fundamentally flawed and irresponsible. Left to their own devices, both groups would see the country grind to a halt, the oil industry and economy collapse and people out of work.” Clearly in Sarah’s eyes (and to paraphrase the late Bill Shankly) golf isn’t a matter of life or death: it’s far more important than that.