Does Trump have a point in saying wind farms will destroy tourism? Or will his own interests actually destroy the campaign against renewables, asks Dani Garavelli
THE handful of tickets made available to the public were snapped up in under an hour. Donald Trump’s appearance before the economy, energy and tourism committee in Holyrood on Wednesday is the most hotly anticipated transatlantic clash since George Galloway faced down US senators over Iraq.
And judging by the gloves-off approach the American tycoon has taken since discovering plans for an 11-turbine offshore wind farm near his proposed £1 billion golf resort near Aberdeen, those who have secured a ringside seat will witness a no-holds-barred performance. Trump may lack Galloway’s finesse with language, but not his capacity to ruffle feathers or cause offence. Together with Communities Against Turbines Scotland (CATS) – the lobby group he has thrown his weight behind – he will attack wind farms as a blight on the Scottish landscape.
While CATS will look at health and safety implications and the alleged lack of democracy in the granting of planning applications, Trump will concentrate on the issue closest to his heart: tourism. If the government pursues its love affair with renewable energy, he will insist, it will drive foreign visitors from its shores.
