The Sunday Herald, Trump and the RTPI

You know, there's another ridiculous article in the Sunday Herald today about the latest fuss around the Greatest Golf Course in the World. I walked down to the wee shop before breakfast and by the time I got back with the paper I was so angry I had thrown away the sports section and the colour magazine.

Apparently the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI aka the Goons in London), which represents 22,000 town planners in the UK (including me unfortunately) is examining a complaint that "Dr Christine Gore, director of planning for Aberdeenshire Council, failed to act with integrity and independence while handling Mr Trump’s application for a £1 billion luxury golf resort".

Well if you believe the RTPI are having an enquiry then you will believe anything - they are busy extracting as much cash as possible from their membership and can't afford to alienate anyone with an enquiry. After all there is a plush London office to maintain and decent salaries with company cars to pay for.

But the point here is that every good planner colludes with developers to get things moving - it's the only way to make any progress. And the main reason they collude with developers is that they want a better job - usually with the developers. Yes, they want to get out of local government as quickly as possible! I can't understand why anyone thinks there is anything wrong with this or that it is unusual in any way. In other words this is another non-story dreamed up by the gutter press to besmirch the good name of Donald Trump and his lovely family. Today I'm ashamed of Scotland - again.

ps - these great images are from www.zimbio.com, Photos by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Europe.

The nasty side of Sccotland

You know, this blogging business isn't easy for someone with a sensitive disposition - like myself. Over the past two months, since I've been bringing people the good news about important developments around Scotland, I've been subjected to a stream of abuse and flames, some in comments but most of it in emails accusing me of all sorts of things. This culminated in a ticking off from Graham Stewart of BBC Radio Scotland about my reaction to his programme on the Great Donald Trump. Also, I was advised that I had a place reserved for me up against the wall come the revolution as a result of my article about Union Terrace Gardens.

I've been very busy for the past week which has kept my mind off this as well as the heartbreaking goings on with my lovely wife and her young lover. To be honest, I've thought of giving it all up but I always come back to the unmistakable truth. Scotland is on the brink of a New Enlightenment fuelled by enterprise, innovation and property development driven by Donald Trump, Sir Ian Wood, Clydeport, Forth Ports, Peel Holdings, Asda and Halfords- truly Scotland is open for business. Many people don't seem to realise the importance of this and live in a dwam - others such as the wasters, gypsies, unemployed and farmers living in their railway carriages, black houses and butt-and-bens throughout the land just want to ruin everything through delay and opposition. Still, a lot of them managed to climb out of their begging bowls to phone the BBC recently - though I believe this was not orchestrated by Graham Stewart, who is not a communist.

Anyway I have an important article to write on Donald Trump, Aberdeenshire Council and the RTPI - as well as preparing the online voting for the Auchterness Oskars later this month - so I will get on with that. Thanks to everyone for their support and interest.

Radio Scotland - enough is enough!

You know, I'm absolutely furious with BBC Radio Scotland and their presenter Graham Stewart, who is probably a conservationist - or worse. I heard part of the programme about the Menie development on Friday morning but stormed out of my house after a few minutes, slamming the door behind me. Of course I'd locked myself out which made things worse.

So I've been trying to write a new post about other important matters of the day but every time I sit down at the computer I can only think of this disgraceful broadcast which tried to besmirch not only the good name of The Great Donald Trump but also his son Donald Trump Jnr, a man who drives a tractor with style and panache! People in the office say I'm obsessed with the Trump development but it's just a healthy concern for the economic development of Scotland and the part that we town planners can play in it. At the same time, I know if I had a more settled home life I could maybe take it all in my stride.

It seems clear to me that the BBC is completely opposed to this fantastic development. Their strategy seems to have been to assemble queues of wasters and layabouts at public telephone kiosks around the country to phone in a deluge of insults and one-sided economic and environmental arguments that don't hold any water. Now the purpose of this escapes me given that work is already underway and soon the Great Donald Trump himself will tee-off, celebrating a total victory over the inbred luddites of Aberdeenshire and the once treacherous sands of Menie which he will have tamed.

I'm shocked that some people have attacked Donald on a very personal basis. I know for a fact that as a Scotsman, an architect, a developer and entrepreneur par excellence, he is set on achieving the very best for the country. He is also kind and considerate - for example I heard recently that one day when he was out horse-riding near the family home in Stornoway, he came across a bird with a broken wing lying beside the road. He took the bird in his large hands, comforted it, sheltered it inside his riding jacket and took it home. At enormous cost, he flew specialist veterinary assistance from the mainland to his home and within weeks, the bird was able to continue on its journey.

That's the sort of man who is subject to all this vilification. Radio Scotland! You should be very ashamed!