Golfers Denounce Trump

[Simon Fairlie]

Even the magazine Golf Week thinks Trump and other golf course  
magnates are out of order.



See below, found at http://www.golfweek.com/news/2009/oct/02/scotland- 
sale/





ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The home of golf seems to be up for sale.  
Donald Trump and Herb Kohler are living proof that money can buy  
anything.

Trump’s planned golf course on the Menie Estate near Aberdeen keeps  
thundering on toward realization. Trump received good news last night  
when Aberdeen Council refused to rule out compulsory purchase orders  
for four properties hampering the project.

The prospect of four families being turned out of their homes for the  
sake of a golf course does not bear thinking about. I’m sure whole  
villages have been shifted in other parts of the world to make room  
for golf courses, but we’re supposed to be civilized over here.  
Imagine what the families feel like not knowing if they are going to  
continue living in their own home.

The argument for building the golf course is the business it will  
bring into the region. I’m not so sure.

Scotland already has golf courses that don’t seem to be making much  
of a go of it in this financial climate. Look at Turnberry and the  
ludicrous money Leisurecorp has spent on it. The £85 million spent  
will take a long time to recoup.

Why Trump and his people think a luxury resort in Aberdeen will have  
any better chance of success than Turnberry is beyond me. Aberdeen is  
a nice city, but the season doesn’t last very long.

Besides, Scotland doesn’t need any more high-end resorts. What it  
needs is affordable, well-run hotels and golf courses. We’ve got  
courses in this country charging upwards of £150 per round. Why pay  
that when you can visit any number of gems for a fraction of the price?

As for here at St. Andrews, Trump is said to be interested in buying  
Hamilton Hall, the former student residence behind the 18th green  
that was recently earmarked to become luxury apartments.

Trump has competition from Old Course Hotel owner Herb Kohler and  
Irish businessman Dermot Desmond. Kohler visited the property during  
this week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship and is said to be considering  
an offer to buy the now derelict sandstone building.

Former golf course designer Richard Wax is dismayed that this part of  
St Andrews heritage might fall into the hands of wealthy businessmen  
and will only be for the elite.

“The town’s core message is ‘golf for all’ but increasingly, ‘Private/ 
Keep Out’ signals are being generated to the detriment of the image  
of the town,” Wax told The Times newspaper.

Wax is fronting a consortia to try to buy Hamilton Hall. “Our project  
is conceived to regenerate the economic life of St. Andrews and Fife.  
It would bring quality business into town on a year-round basis for  
the benefit of hotels, bed and breakfasts and the commercial activity  
across the board.”

Small businesses in the town already feel aggrieved that Kohler’s Old  
Course hotel gets preferential treatment from the Links Trust because  
wealthy guests can get tee times through booking rooms in his hotel.  
Needless to say, any chance that he might take over another part of  
the town would not go down well.

There is a good chance both projects will get the go ahead and be for  
the wealthy elite only. The endangered residents on the Menie Estate  
are living proof that cash is King in Scotland for Sale.


Begin forwarded message:

> From: trippingup trump <trippinguptrump at googlemail.com>
> Date: 5 October 2009 08:03:16 BDT
> To: trippinguptrump at googlegroups.com
> Subject: (Tripping Up Trump) Newsletter
>
>
> Welcome to the Tripping Up Trump.
>
> Tripping Up Trump has established itself as the popular movement  
> against the use of compulsory purchase for private profit.  This  
> fresh and energised campaign is standing up for the people and  
> environment threatened by Donald Trump’s development in Aberdeenshire.
>
> We would like to say a big thank you to all the support we have  
> received throughout this campaign.  We all helped make this  
> movement happen by working together and uniting under the one  
> campaign.  We have now collected a petition with over 15,000  
> signatures (inc. hand signatures) and have managed to inform tens  
> of thousands of people about the truth behind this story.
>
> Tripping Up Trump will carry on to democratically work together and  
> with the people of Aberdeen, making sure that justice prevails for  
> the residents of Menie.   We are not against private developments  
> in Aberdeenshire but we are against forcing local families from  
> their land.
>
> News
>
> On October the 1st the local council had the opportunity to rule  
> out the option of compulsory purchase orders and it was widely  
> reported that this was going to happen.   David Milne (local  
> resident) gave a heartfelt speech at the meeting asking the council  
> to please consider his and the other residents position.    
> Unfortunately the vote was taken to not commit to any decision,  
> leaving everybody including the Trump development wondering if the  
> council will or will not support the people of Menie.  This has  
> caused great concern and frustration from all sectors of society  
> and we hope that the council will realise the consequences of their  
> actions and quickly put this matter to rest by taking matters into  
> their own hands.
>
>
>
> See recent articles below:
>
> http://www.trippinguptrump.com/news/buyout-threat-still-hanging- 
> over-menie-homeowners
>
> http://www.trippinguptrump.com/news/compulsory-purchase-threat- 
> remains-at-trump-golf-resort
>
> Even the’ golf world’ thinks that this has all gone too far:
>
> http://www.golfweek.com/news/2009/oct/02/scotland-sale/
> Watch STV news below:
>
> http://news.stv.tv/video//stv-news-six-20091001-n2    (see feature  
> 4.50 minutes in)
>
> Next Steps
>
> Tripping Up Trump will now work even harder to raise the profile of  
> this campaign and will not rest until the residents of Menie are  
> safe.  This is important not just for the families affected but for  
> every one of us living in Scotland.  We must protect the right not  
> to be forced out of our homes in the name of private profit.
>
> Petition
>
> This has already become the biggest petition on this issue and in  
> just one month, so we have decided to keep it running.
>
> Keep doing your best to let everyone know about it.
>
> http://38degrees.org.uk/page/s/aberdeenshire#
>
> (Thanks to 38degrees for working so well alongside TUT on this issue)
>
> Write to the Councillors
>
> Please help by emailing the councillors again, encouraging them to  
> realise that this issue needs to be dealt with correctly.
>
> We understand that people are extremely concerned about what  
> happened on the October 1st but please remember that polite and  
> respectful letters will always carry more weight.
>
> http://www.trippinguptrump.com/write-to-the-local-councillors
>
> Please keep spreading the word and let everyone know about us.  We  
> will be constantly updating the website and fighting for the human  
> rights here in Aberdeenshire.
>
> Send us your thoughts and ideas and don’t hesitate to get involved  
> with the campaign.
>
> We have a meeting this Monday 5th October at 6.00pm at the Belmont  
> Cinema.
>
> Thank you again for your warm and welcomed support.
>
> TUT Team
> www.trippinguptrump.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
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