Greener Scotland is Sold Down the River

I'm angry, because today it looks like those who want to trash the natural world have won a victory in a fight that could have and should have been avoided. And because of a decision that defies logic and common sense in its wholesale caving in to the demands of the developer.

Yet a few months ago months ago some local politicians showed great strength of character in facing up to the full onslaught of one of global capitalisms less pleasant faces and rejected the application to build over a unique sand dune system in Aberdeenshire. In part this act of moral courage was underpined by the realisation that Donald Trump and his acolytes were not prepared to compromise over the development that would see irreparable damage to a Site of Special Scientific Interest, this despite RSPB Scotland employing golf course designers to show that a course could have been constructed without damaging the SSSI.

So what happened next?

Well Scotland's SNP leadership showed a complete lack of backbone or real belief in the importance of Scotland's natural environment and caved wholesale to Donald Trump's demands. In the process undermining any credibility that they may have in their claims to being a mature party of government.

If you'd like to know more you could start by following these two weblinks to the RSPB website

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-177238

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-202241

Last word on the decision making process can go to the leader of Scotland's Liberal Democrat's Nicol Stephen.

“These meetings raise serious questions about the First Minister’s judgment and whether he acted appropriately.

“The First Minister has a clear conflict of interest and should have played no role in the planning process.

“His actions have been at best unwise and are potentially seriously prejudicial. The sooner the First Minister makes the position clear with a full statement of the facts the better.

“He needs to come clean about his discussions with the Trump Organisation and senior civil servants.”