Leaders: Holyrood has no need for personality politics

THE Holyrood political village is expected to be turned into Trump-town today as the flamboyant American tycoon comes before the economy, energy and tourism committee to put his case against the offshore wind farm due to be built within sight of the golf course he constructed in the north-east of Scotland.

As ever with “the Donald”, the danger for our MSPs will be that they are overwhelmed and intimidated by his emphatic style – what his many opponents would call bullying – and so fail properly to test his assertions about what he did and did not know about the wind farm plans.

In interviews in advance of his appearance, Mr Trump has claimed that both the previous first minister Jack McConnell and his successor, Alex Salmond, had assured him that the turbines would not be built off the coast of Aberdeenshire, something both politicians strenuously deny. As there appear to be no written records of the meetings between the first ministers and Mr Trump, we may never know the truth. What is clear is that both Mr McConnell and Mr Salmond appear to have been, initially at least, rather dazzled by the magnate’s swashbuckling persona, not to say by his impressive New York offices, his private jet and his sentimental story of wanting to give something back to the country where his Lewis-born mother hailed from. But he was also, of course, offering a substantial investment.

As Mr Trump revealed more of his plans, which included a substantial housing development as well as a hotel and a golf course, and also more of his modus operandi, which mainly involves brooking no opposition, Mr Salmond in particular has now put his endorsement of the millionaire’s plans behind him and is prepared to stand up to him.

In a commendably hard-hitting intervention, the First Minister yesterday told the Scottish Trades Union Congress that investment here did not “imply ownership of Scotland”, adding for good measure that energy policy would be set by the Scottish people and parliament, and not by others. While there is undoubtedly a benefit to the economy of Mr Trump’s scheme in terms, hopefully, of attracting even more high-spending golf tourists to Scotland than come already, one wealthy and forceful individual cannot be allowed to dictate government policy, in this case on renewable energy. It appears that Mr Trump believes his bucks bring him bang when it comes to national policy.

For all his harking back to his Scottish roots the problem for Mr Trump is he does not understand Scotland, her people, or her politicians. Scots do not like being dictated to by those who appear to use wealth and power in this way. As they question Mr Trump today, MSPs should bear this in mind. They should not be overwhelmed, nor should they grandstand to win cheap headlines for standing up to such a high-profile figure. They are there to find out the facts of his opposition to this wind farm.

From penalty to own goal

The Scottish Football Association, which exists to both to promote and regulate our national game, has taken leave of its senses in its punishment of Rangers. That is the only conclusion it is possible to come to after examination of the sanctions meted out by the so-called SFA Judicial Panel Tribunal. Why? In their haste to punish Rangers and its discredited chairman Craig Whyte for their misdemeanours, the authorities have put the club’s future in jeopardy and potentially harmed the game itself in Scotland.

Given what we know now, it was entirely reasonable to ban Mr Whyte for life from involvement in Scottish football and fine him for not being “a fit and proper person” to be a director of the club. The fines for the club for going into administration is also reasonable under the rules.

However, the injustice in the panel’s ruling is the imposition of a year-long ban on the club going into the transfer market which prompted administrator Duff & Phelps to accuse the SFA of prejudicing the club’s survival. They are right. With most of the current squad having the right to move on to other clubs as part of the deal to take a pay cut, Rangers cannot compete without bringing in new players.

Duff & Phelps are to appeal this verdict. Who will buy Rangers if this draconian punishment is not lifted? Scottish football needs the club to provide a proper level of competition – and spectator interest – at the highest level. Rule 66 of the SFA, which Rangers were found to have broken, states that “no recognised football body, club, official … shall bring the game into disrepute”. If this verdict is not reversed, the SFA will have been in breach of the very rules it has used against Rangers.