I have just got off the phone after speaking to Neil Hobday, the Project Director for the proposed Trump Golf links golf resort development in eastern Scotland. I would like to say that he seemed a reasonable man, but that would be untrue because despite trying to interest him in the views of the rest of life on the irrepairable damage that will be caused to 1400 acres of pristine sand dune habitat, he was clearly stuck in the lie that the economy was far more important than our life support system. He really believed that tourism and leisure was more important than habitat – a view that is shared by most of us in this culture of consumption. Poor guy: brainwashed from birth to be morally bankrupt.

So, here’s the deal Neil. You go ahead with the project, described on the Trump Golf Scotland web site thus: “The development will also include a luxurious clubhouse with sea views, a 450 room, five-star resort hotel with associated conference and banquet facilities, full-service spa, tennis courts and recreational facilities, a state-of-the-art golf academy, maintenance facility with turf grass research center, 36 luxury four- and eight-bedroom golf lodges, as well as 950 holiday homes with sea views. Future plans include additional residential units.” Go on, tell Mr Trump with his billions of dollars in property investments, private jets, yachts, golf courses, pesticides, bulldozers, irrigation, herbicides and worldview about as compatible with the world as a gun aimed at a cat’s head that Keith said it was okay. Go on, roll out the fairways, greens and tees, have a good time breaking the ecological web.

I forgot to mention that a deal has two sides to it. So, you go ahead with the development, but Trump has to choose one member of his family to be sacrificed, and do it himself. I’m being generous here – imagine the families of the animals being torn out of their homes, what do you imagine they will feel?

Sorry? You don’t fancy telling him that. So at what point did Trump give a voice to the rest of the biosphere when he decided to promote golf – a leisure activity – over the natural world? Take your plans for “repopulation” and “improvement” and show them to the lives that have built up a natural, sustainable ecological balance over the last 10,000 years. Now show them to the other life forms in the habitats that have been ruined by the 32,000 (and rising) golf course throughout the world. Now start to lose a little sleep over one man, Michael Forbes, who could shatter your dream – and save the lives of countless organisms.

There are clear signs when a culture has lost its moral compass entirely. When we value a game over an ecology then we have lost it big time.

Keith Farnish
www.theearthblog.org