The SNP’s other big idea – apart from independence – is to make Scotland a kind of renewable energy pioneer. To that end, something close to open season has been declared on parts of the countryside as developers rush to erect as many windfarms as can feasibly be erected in, well, just about every part of the country within easy cabling distance of the national grid. Like many others, I am not wholly persuaded this is an unmitigated blessing. Tidal and wave power in the Pentland Firth (or Sound of Islay) is one thing; plastering the countryside with windmills another.
Enter Donald Trump, harrumphing from stage left. The “tycoon” has until now enjoyed a chummy relationship with the national authorities who backed his plans for a spectacular golf course carved out of the dunes north of Aberdeen (pictured above). This despite initial opposition from the local council (though, to be fair, when I was in the area last November, most people I spoke to favoured Mr Trump’s development).
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