Letters: Nuclear response to blast from Donald Trump

Published on Saturday 11 February 2012 00:00

SO, DONALD Trump has decided to write an open letter decrying the rapidly encroaching and unsightly forest of wind farms, both on and offshore, that threaten the natural beauty of Scotland (your report, 10 February).

The fact he has an offshore wind farm in sight of his luxurious Aberdeenshire golf resort is the obvious driver behind this and will, no doubt, provoke howls of mirth and derision from the usual anti-Trump suspects.

However, if he is serious and determined to put his considerable resources and cash at the back of this, then perhaps, irrespective where it comes from, he serves a useful purpose in drawing attention to the SNP government’s reckless and dogmatic determination to make Scotland’s energy supplies reliant on an intrusive and unreliable source at all costs.

Strange to think that only a few years ago “The Donald” and Alex Salmond were best buddies, as his plans for the resort were rubber stamped and pushed through the planning process with a minimum of delay.

The only sensible way to guarantee “on tap” energy supplies for the foreseeable future is through nuclear energy and as long as the scaremongering, anti-nuclear SNP is in charge, this will never happen.

Brian Allan

Keith Street

Kincardine-on-Forth

Clackmannanshire

DONALD Trump’s unrestrained attack on Scottish offshore wind farms is short-sighted and does not take account of the technological development process that made his own country so prosperous (your report, 10 February).

Did George Stephenson listen to his critics in 1829 when they said his new Rocket steam locomotive was noisy, slow, obtrusive, and inefficient? Sound familiar?

I do not believe that the Scottish Government will give in to the critics and Nimbys of renewable energy as this would send out a very negative message to the market. But there is a risk that Mr Trump’s outburst will boost the anti-wind lobby.

If we consider that the current generation of wind turbines is probably equivalent to the 1976 Apple 1 computer, we can just imagine how this technology will develop and grow in years to come. This will result in renewable energy having as much impact on our lives as the computer age did over the past three decades.

Of course, there needs to be robust measures to protect the Scottish natural environment, but we must not stop technological evolution.

Brian Pope

Beechgrove

Lockerbie

I WAS astounded to see that Donald Trump is objecting to the possible erection of a “monstrous” wind farm near to his new Aberdeenshire golf course. His claim that our First Minister is “hell-bent on destroying Scotland’s coastline and, therefore, Scotland itself” reminds me of the remarks made by the many Nimby locals who unreasonably objected to his golf course in the first place.

Mr Salmond’s government was quite right to reject this kind of argument then and should do so in this case where the possible economic benefits far outweigh a few small changes to rather indifferent scenery.

Mr Trump’s golfing customers are, in any case, likely to keep their eyes on the ball and will be unlikely even to register the distant sight of essential green generating infrastructure designed to benefit all the people of Scotland.

John Eoin Douglas

Spey Terrace

Edinburgh

WILL Trump ever fulfil the dream of a billionaire in the “elephant question”? “Where does an elephant sit in the room?” Answer: “Anywhere it likes!” Only time will tell!

Gavin Cargill

Edinburgh Road

Linlithgow

Comments

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Pilrig.

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 11:02 AM

Rebuild Dounreay, England needs oor nuclear energy !

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5

The Great Bohunkus

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 09:38 AM

Aye John Eoin Douglas, you know when the apologists for the wind industry are losing an argument - they start throwing around the 'nimby' term. They think it allows them to dismiss in a word all the rational, sound reasons stacked up against wind farms for which they have no valid reply. #3 Esox hunter - I entirely agree (although I think you need to sort out your fissions from your fusions) - the thorium cycle reactors currently being developed in India hold out the prospect of long term safe nuclear generation with few of the downsides of the current uranium based reactors. To dismiss nuclear entirely as a future form of energy generation as the Germans and the SNP have done is lunacy.

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cajwbroomhill

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 09:36 AM

Important to read the Trump letter's text, tho' I'm not sure where it's published. (It was sent me by a friend, and makes vital reading for lovers of Scotland.) It represents views which, while unacceptable to the SNP, are very fair, unexaggerated comment, dealing with nothing less than an issue vital to our future prosperity, warmth and light, as well as ability to attract tourists.The SNP energy policies are catastrophically wrong, and the public need to be informed, so as to dispel commercially and politically inspired myths and lies. Trump's letter achieves this enlightenment. Only a fool or a politician or other beneficiary of the renewables scams would repudiate its contents.

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Esox Hunter

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 08:13 AM

Brian Pope...I agree wholeheartedly that we must not stop technological innovation, but if as you say wind turbines have potential to be improved that is nothing for the potential which exists for nuclear power to develop, with current nuclear fusion plants giving way to clean and limitless power from nuclear fision. What we have to realise is that the world does not stop at these shores and we need to develop power generation plants which can be constructed across the globe to benefit all of mankind. We therefore need technologies which do not have to rely on intermittent inputs like wind or indeed water, and which can be built in miniaturised forms as nuclear power plants ultimately will be.

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cajwbroomhill

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 07:39 AM

Scotland needs power and money, not wildgoose chases, so "Welcome, Donald Trump"

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Celia Hobbs

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 12:35 AM

On April 27th 2006 the Scotsman reported on a meeting of Donald Trump and developers of a wind farm off the Aberdeenshire coast .""The clear-the-air meeting between executives of the Trump Organisation and the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) is aimed at persuading the tycoon's representatives that his 300 million golfing resort will not be affected by the controversial wind farm plans - only hours before Mr Trump flies in for his first official visit to the site.".Mr Todd, senior adviser to AREG, " however, conceded that some of the turbines would still be seen by golfers playing at Mr Trump's planned championship golf links. "They would be visible, but they would be some way in the distance," he said."" I was appalled by the political controversy over the golf resort application and did not support it but I do think Donald Trump deserves some sympathy. The actual application sees structures 640 feet high under two miles away. This is hardly " some way in the distance" Where is the traditional sense of British fair play? Long gone as far as wind farm developers are concerned. From a purely business point of view Donald Trump is right. The government funded Moffat study of 2008 said that 63% of tourists would prefer not to see a wind farm from their hotel bedroom window. If only the Scottish Government had Donald Trump's business sense as we helplessly watch our scenery blighted, overseas tourism decline and our electricity bills climb.

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