Sunday 17 October 2010

Scotland on Sunday is Trump's enemy

the Great Doctor Donald Trump
You know, I'm finding it very hard to hold myself back from driving down to Edinburgh and giving Eddie Barnes of Scotland on Sunday a piece of my mind. If I didn't have some important meetings this week, that's exactly what I would do. The newspaper has broken cover with a complete non-story, published in a deliberate attempt to smear Dr Donald Trump and the Scottish Government. The suggestion is that the Scottish Government promised Trump that his development would go ahead - before the public inquiry. Well of course they promised that! Moreover it has been placed in the newspaper by the Labour Party and by conservationists. It is nonsense from beginning to end and here's why:

  1. It is the responsibility of government to act in the best interests of the country - Wee Fat Alex Salmond called in the planning application on the grounds that "the decision put the integrity of the planning process in jeopardy". How true that is! You just can't argue with that!
  2. Wee Fat Alex Salmond told Trump, "You will win". Well of course he would win - everyone knew that so it didn't need a crystal ball to see that the government was going to support the development at all costs. It's called 'enabling' in our expert planner parlance.
  3. I was personally invited to an event at Holyrood at which I heard the First Prime Minister say that he had to 'make something happen' with the Trump development. Of course. It is the responsibility of government to do this rather than stand in the sidelines while there is endless bickering between a Council and a bunch of beggars and conservationists who wear sandals and live in railway carriages in the woods.
I've been critical of this government in the past but I realise now that they have the best interests of the development industry at heart and recognise a world-beating proposal when they see one. This is why noteworthy projects like Glasgow Harbour, Edinburgh Waterfront and Inverurie Retail Park have all gone ahead despite many objections from the great unwashed. Even the McDonalds in my home town of Lenzie is aspirational in terms of environmental design - and food! All these developments have set new standards of excellence which are a model for us all to follow.

So this is a total non-story, placed in an unsuspecting press by a bunch of bitter and twister conservationists. Please bear that in mind when you are reading it.

2 comments:

rmcewan said...

Good on you to be so cynical as to suggest that the Scotland on Sunday is really opposing Trumpton land.
The Edinburgh Waterfront has yse ground to a halt with even Forth Ports having to admit defeat and even wee fat Alex and his buddy Charlie Hammond at FP can't do anything to get it out of the shit it deserves. RMJM must be laughing all the way to the bank just squiggle a few straight lines and blocks and get a few hundred grand and hey presto a masterplan that cant work in any financial climate.

Dave Thompson said...

Thanks info - glad you contributed to the debate. Very professional - you've mentioned many important names in your comment so you must have your finger on the pulse of the great Scottish property development industry.

With every best wish

Dave T