Isn’t it funny that Scrooge McDuck the cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks and licensed by The Walt Disney Company somehow resembles Donald Trump!  A coincidence? It probably was his favorite character of the ones Carl Barks drew. Scrooge McDuck  is:

an elderly Scottish anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nezglasses, and spats and is portrayed in animations as speaking with a slight Scottish accent, also sometimes known as a Scottish burr. His dominant character trait is his thrift, and within the context of the fictional Disney universe, he is the World’s richest person… (Wikipedia)

I am sure we can count on that the Scottish accent will be in place soon.

…..Ebenezer Scrooge is the principal character in Charles Dickens‘s 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol. At the beginning of the novel, Scrooge is a cold-hearted, tight-fisted and greedy man, who despises Christmas and all things which give people happiness. Dickens describes him thus: “The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue, and he spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice … (Wikipedia)

I knew Donald Trump was a nasty billionaire but could not imagine what an impact his golf project had on one of Britain’s very last stretches of wilderness in Scotland, in an environmentally protected seaside village in Aberdeenshire an area environmentalist describes as a fragile and irreplaceable. In the film “You’ve been Trumped” a group of proud Scottish landowners are trying to overthrow the American businessman Donald Trump’s plans to build a golf course (the largest in the world) and hotel complex. Anthony Baxter’s (2011) documentary  about how a in every way dirty project like this can get support from the government and local business is worth watching.

Donald Duck or maybe Scrooge McDuck – the greedy uncle  (also called Trump) Photograph: Murdo MacLeod for the Guardian

Donald Trump wanted  build the world’s most luxurious golf resort. Nestled between ancient sand dunes and rolling greens, the picturesque town of Balmedie seems perfect for his purpose. Some residents (as well as scientists who know the area) got worried over the impact the project would have on their beloved natural habitat. Michael Forbe,  a local fisherman and farmer, refuses to sell his land to make way for the project, Trump declares war. And his methods are dirty and evil. It few trees there were was hard to watch in real-time when trees were torn up and dumped in holes in the  ground, the sand dunes were flattened, people’s home were torn down and Trump SUVs and security guards started to swarm the usually serene and exquisitely beautiful rolling sand dunes.

The film which has received excellent reviews and  loads of prizes can be seen on the Finnish Swedish channel TV5 for a month. See it if you can! It shows how colonialism still exists and how money means power. It shows police officers who obey corrupt (in one way or another) leaders’ orders without blinking and of art as a liberating forum. The music was written and performed by Jónsi and Sigur Rós and the music is in itself is worth listening to. In the documentary artist David Mccune has an art show in Michel Forbes’ barn.

Art by David Mccune

You would think the photos above is a joke or made in Photoshop – but sadly the Menie estate golf course development was realized and Trump and his happy golfers are now flying in from the US and the whole world.  In 2012, Michel Forbes, who still has refused to sell property to Trump as other farmers finally did, won the ‘Top Scot’ award at the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards. He went against the ‘Scotland open for business’ collective mantra says Gerry Hassan at The Scotsman.

There is also a great film by Anthony Baxter – “A story about some people who dared to speak truth to power”. If you can’t see the long film this will give you an incite.

[Sorry this video has been taken offline! One can ask by whom]

And a PS:  The golf course is now open. But Trump’s plans to build a hotel and hundreds of homes are on hold, because of plans to build an offshore wind farm “would spoil the view” even more than slum-like farms do, according to Trump. It will be interesting to see how the Scottish government will be bribed this time. 

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