Chavez Mourned In Scotland As Well As Venezuela

Mar 072013

With thanks to Scottish Venezuela Solidarity Campaign.

People in Scotland with a commitment to social justice will mourn the death of Hugo Chavez.

He was a great leader for the people of Venezuela, with a practical commitment to improving the lives of its people and in particular the millions who had been left to a life of poverty by previous regimes.

The sheer scope of the imaginative programmes he led forward is extraordinary – for universal healthcare, literacy, food soverignty, land reform, electoral democracy, environmental protection, racial and gender equality, the rights of indigenous people and industrial democracy, for example.

To carry these forward he had to confront the malign influence which the USA had extended over the entire continent of South America and had instead forged an alliance for progress with neighbouring countries. No wonder this brought upon him the opprobrium of the USA government and its allies in this country.

Instead of listening to the untruths they tried to spread about him, increasing numbers of people in Scotland have been looking to Chavez and Latin America for lessons to apply to their own predicaments.

Some of these were heard at the Learning from Latin America conference we held last December in Glasgow, at which Sandra Whyte MSP told us, as an observer of the 2012 Presidential elections, of the impeccable organisation, the very impressive turnout, and above all the massive enthusiasm in Venezuela for the re-election of Hugo Chavez – sadly the last of the many elections which he won democratically in the teeth of a local and international media dominated by his enemies.

He was a great man and our thoughts and solidarity go out to his family and the people of Venezuela.

Roadmap To Apartheid: Film Screening 01.03.13

Aberdeen City, Information No Responses »

Feb 252013

As part of Israeli Apartheid Week SPSC Aberdeen presents a screening of the award-winning documentary Roadmap to Apartheid. The film presents a detailed look at Palestine/Israel and how the concept of apartheid can be used to understand the historical and ongoing situation.

About Israeli Apartheid Week

Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is an annual international series of events held in cities and campuses across the globe.

The aim of IAW is to educate people about the nature of Israel as an apartheid system and to build Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns as part of a growing global BDS movement.

Lectures, films, and actions will highlight some of the successes of the BDS movement and build / support ongoing campaigns.

Speakers and full programme for each city will be available on this website. Join us in making this a year of struggle against apartheid and for justice, equality, and peace.

“In this award-winning documentary, the first-time directors take a detailed look at the apartheid analogy commonly used to describe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Narrated by Alice Walker (author of The Color Purple), Roadmap to Apartheid is as much a historical document of the rise and fall of apartheid in South Africa as it is a film about why many Palestinians feel they are living in an apartheid system today, and why an increasing number of people around the world agree with them” (official website).

More on Israeli Apartheid Week here: http://apartheidweek.org

We hope to see you there for what should be a very interesting watch and discussion.

Where: Room NK11, New Kings College, University of Aberdeen
When: 7pm, Friday March 1st
Light refreshments provided

Menie Heroes And Villains: Part 1 – Heroes

Aberdeenshire, Featured, Information 6 Responses »

Feb 042013

In the fourth part of the series The Menie Estate, Suzanne Kelly looks at the roles different people played in writing the Balmedie Coast’s future. There were those who tried to uphold existing planning and environmental laws such as Martin Ford and Debra Storr. They were vilified and even assaulted in the case of former Councillor Storr.

Public servants and politicians held meetings with the Trump organisation while planning matters were pending, contrary to protocol – if not to law. At least one town planning professional seems to have colluded with Trump while the application was pending. This is the first half of the story of the people involved – that of the heroes.

Part 1: Heroes

In a perfect world, a world some of us thought was guaranteed by existing legislation, no one would be treated like the residents of the Menie Estate have been. The environment would have been likewise valued and protected, particularly as the land in question included a SSSI.

Local planning laws would have been respected, and councillors who sought to uphold existing laws would not have been mocked merely for upholding enshrined principles.

The national government would not have interfered in pending planning matters or discussed pending applications with interested parties. Journalists would have been free to report on stories without being arrested. Unfortunately, that world doesn’t exist.

In the face of powerful opposition, there were those who tried to do the right thing by law. There were people who used film and fine art to illustrate the issues. There were those who took a principled stand against the controversial development. And then there were some whose daily lives were made needlessly stressful, while the threat of compulsory purchase powers overshadowed their lives.

When I met with Menie Estate residents on 12 January 2013, some of them were keen to express thanks to people who have helped, or tried to help. This is a partial account of some of these remarkable people, who have made a difference.

Martin Ford

Vilified by the local press, Aberdeenshire Councillor Ford is mostly known to the public for his casting the vote which turned down the development when it was first voted on.

By rights, that should have been the end of the matter, but acting without precedent, the Scottish Government called the plans in. Ford voted against Trump’s golf course for tangible, logical reasons. These were many and complex, but included the fact the development would destroy (at least in part) the fragile SSSI site and compromise the ecology of the area.

The Trump plan to part finance the course and club was to build hundreds of holiday homes – something which meant a significant deviation from existing policy. For upholding existing law he was branded a ‘traitor’, vilified and abused in local media. His paper on the subject can be found at http://www.andywightman.com/docs/martin_ford_ch.pdf

Anthony Baxter & Richard Phinney

Baxter and Phinney are the men behind the documentary ‘You’ve Been Trumped’ – which beautifully illustrates the Menie situation environmentally, socially and procedurally.

They were arrested while filming, as is dramatically captured in the film. The arrest was for ‘breach of the peace’ on the say-so of a Trump employee.

They had gone to the estate office to ask how when water would be returned to the residents – Trump’s construction workers had managed to dam the water supply and left people without running water for a week with no help, apology or explanation.

If anything, the film makers were treated rather poorly by the site personnel. Later, while at Susan Munro’s house and despite being journalists, they were arrested and their equipment seized. A National Union of Journalists spokesperson said:-

“I think this must be one of the first cases in this country of journalists being arrested for just carrying out interviews to establish the truth and hold people to account.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/12/film-makers-arrested-donald-trump-scottish-golf-resort

Later the charges were dropped (Baxter learnt this from the Guardian newspaper – not the police). While that might sound like a good outcome, it meant the police were never forced to account for the arrest, and Baxter and Phinney never got their day in court to give their side or clear their names properly.

Freedom of Information Requests by me and by others were answered with poor excuses, including the police claiming they were not able to give information on criminal charges brought against other people (the charges had been dropped when I wrote).

Baxter and Phinney largely financed the film themselves (Anthony Baxter mortgaged his home). ‘You’ve Been Trumped!’ went on to win awards around the world, shocking audiences wherever it played. The local press did not mention this film for a year, even when it premiered in Aberdeen, selling more quickly than the latest Harry Potter film had, or when it won awards world-wide.

Eventually David Ewen of the Evening Express wrote a piece on the film after its premier on national television; Ewen claimed ‘Baxter was unavailable for comment’ in his initial piece, even though the two men spoke within hours of Ewen’s first contact, according to Baxter.

Ewen, by the way, is author of a book entitled ‘Chasing Paradise – Donald Trump and the Battle for the World’s Greatest Golf Course,’ with a forward by Donald Trump. It was available at the Press & Journal/Evening Express shop in Aberdeen until the shop closed. The local press has supported the Trump faction from the outset. More on this support will appear in the next in this series of articles.

More information about ‘You’ve Been Trumped!’ can be found here: http://www.youvebeentrumped.com/youvebeentrumped.com/THE_MOVIE.html

Debra Storr

The former Aberdeenshire councillor has, like her colleague Ford, been vilified for her vote against the course. Like Ford she has spent time talking with the residents. She was assaulted on her own doorstep by a woman who supported Trump.

Correspondence between her and Dr Christine Gore (more on her later) can be found at http://www.debrastorr.org/2009/10/for-information-correspondence-between.html .
One thing this exchange shows is that the unelected were taking decisions which councillors felt they should be voting on.

Sam Coull

This former Aberdeenshire councillor also showed concern for the environment and compassion for the residents as Storr and Ford had. He did not mince words when he declared:

“I have seen and heard enough from your Trump to last me a lifetime – don’t send me any more of his simpering platitudes. No more – do you read me?”

Paul Johnston

Another Aberdeenshire councillor, he was disciplined for claiming Trump got a ‘sweetener’ from the shire (i.e. the taxpayer) in the form of land worth some £5 million. This was apparently so Trump would build 98 affordable homes. Whether or not these homes will emerge, and what will be deemed ‘affordable’ remains to be seen.

However, it appears the homes will not be anywhere near the aspirational course and clubhouse, as there are not enough local amenities.

These four councillors were the subject of a demand by the Trump Organisation to Aberdeenshire Council – Trump sought to have then excluded from any debates on the use of compulsory purchase orders (a means by which private land and homes can be bought if absolutely necessary – for municipal projects). Trump apparently branded these four ‘scoundrels’.

Dr David Kennedy

Dr Kennedy, a respected academic, returned his degree to Robert Gordon University (chancellor – Sir Ian Wood) when the decision was made to grant Trump an honorary doctorate. Kennedy’s views are summed up and captured eloquently in ‘You’ve Been Trumped!’

Alicia Bruce and David McCue – Artists

Whatever history eventually makes of this tale, two artists have captured the players for posterity.

Portrait artist David McCue features in ‘You’ve Been Trumped’; an exhibition of his portraits of Trump on site in the Forbes’ property were hung to great effect.

The portraits of Trump embody avarice and aggression; they contrast with the cooler colours and dignified portrait of Michael Forbes.

Alicia Bruce re-creates important paintings from all periods in art history as photographs of contemporary people and situations. Her works include powerful, defiant images of the Forbes family posed with pitchfork outside their barn, echoing ‘American Gothic’, (this piece was recently on show in the Royal Academy, Edinburgh) and an endearing, sensitive portrait of Molly Forbes with a gaggle of geese.

On her visits to the estate to take photos, Bruce has been accosted and aggressively treated by security forces. A recent such episode is documented here. http://www.aliciabruce.co.uk/news/trump-security-duckrabbit-the-daily-mail/

Tripping Up Trump

Tripping Up Trump is the pressure group which has stood against Trump and the destruction of the environment. The website provides the latest developments, information on past news, and other resources. The membership has swollen since the BBC screened ‘You’ve Been Trumped’ – which Trump tried unsuccessfully to prevent. Their mission statement is below; the website is http://www.trippinguptrump.com/ They are also found on Facebook and Twitter

Tripping Up Trump (TUT) has established itself as the popular movement against the use of compulsory purchase for private profit. TUT’s campaign has stood alongside the people and protected environment threatened by Donald Trump’s development in Aberdeenshire.

The TUT campaign has been key to Donald Trump’s retreat from the use of compulsory purchase orders.

The threat of forced evictions was deliberately held over the heads of the Menie families for nearly two years. Donald Trump’s track record shows he cannot be trusted to behave reasonably towards his neighbours or act responsibly towards the environment. He has bullied and mislead from the start.

TUT is committed to supporting the rights of the families at Menie and will highlight and seek to stop any further bullying or other wrongs by the Trump Organisation in Scotland.

We need your support. Please spread the word and join this important campaign.

Finally, the real heroes are the men and women who are trying to live normal lives in their homes at the Menie Estate.

Many have been there for decades; all of them love the land, the flora and fauna, and simply want to get on with their lives. As documented by Baxter, they have been tested in the extreme, quite unnecessarily and aggressively so.

Blocked water supplies, trespass, property damage, snapped power lines and aggressive security and greens-keeping personnel have all overstepped the mark in their treatment of these people. And yet they have all managed to do something Trump can’t quite master: they have kept their cool.

If anyone wishes to send them messages of support, letters, etc., please contact Aberdeen Voice; we will pass items to them for you.

Villains

There are many other heroes in the tale; but it was the villains who carried the day. It is really their story currently being enacted at Menie; without their actions (and indeed their interactions), things might be quite different. Who they are, how they are linked to each other, and some of their actions will be covered in Menie Heroes And Villains: Part 2 – Villains.

Comments enabled – see comments box below. Note, all comments will be moderated.

Menie Estate No. 3: Love Thy Neighbour Trump Style

Aberdeenshire, Featured, News 9 Responses »

Jan 182013

When Donald Trump bought the Menie Estate, it was the end of a peaceful life in the countryside for the existing residents. Anthony Baxter captured incidents in his award-winning documentary You’ve Been Trumped which caused outcry here and abroad. In Part 3 of a series on the Menie Estate, Suzanne Kelly finds out how life is now for Trump’s next-door neighbours.

Background

There are certain absolute rights UK citizens are supposed to enjoy, including the right to privacy and a right to go about their lawful business without interference. In Scotland, access to the countryside – whoever owns it – is guaranteed by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

This act and the related Scottish Outdoor Access Code give responsible countryside visitors (and residents) the right to access hills, woods, grass fields and field margins, beaches, lochs, rivers and canals.

There are special provisions for golf courses; walkers must not interfere with play, keep dogs on a lead and so on.

Here is a paragraph from a brochure entitled Enjoy Scotland’s Outdoors published by Scottish Natural Heritage:

“Respect the interests of others.

“Respect the needs of other people enjoying or working in the outdoors and follow any reasonable advice from land managers. Respect people’s privacy and peace of mind. Avoid causing alarm to people, especially at night, by keeping a reasonable distance from houses and gardens or by using paths or tracks.”

So much for the theory; here is the reality in Balmedie.

Anecdotes

David Milne, Susan Munro and other residents shared their recent experiences with the AV team when we met. Artist and photo-journalist Alicia Bruce has also written of her recent experiences.

A local resident wanted to visit the Forbes family, who live on one side of the golf course. While walking towards the Forbes property, a security guard stopped the walker from going any further, even denying there were any buildings where the Forbes have long lived. The walker was forced to accompany the security guard to the ‘temporary’ clubhouse. In the walker’s own words:

“Eventually, after about 20 minutes, I was speaking to a chap named Eric over the phone. He eventually agreed I could walk along this track. I was wanting to go along and visit Mike and Sheila [Forbes].

“The security guard denied there were any houses. I said, ‘Yes, there are; you must drive past them several times a day’. Eric eventually agreed I could walk, but I would have to be followed by the security guard in his truck.”

Visitors to the estate can expect the third degree as well.

In one resident’s words:

“Friends were harassed by a greens keeper… walking down the track… one of the greens keeping staff saw them, approached them and apparently he was absolutely ballistic – they thought he was going to have a heart attack. ‘If you take one step off that path, you are breaking the law,’ he was saying.”

Another resident nods in agreement, telling me that they have heard variations of that story. Alicia Bruce has had a similarly aggressive run-in; details can be found at http://www.aliciabruce.co.uk/news/trump-security-duckrabbit-the-daily-mail/ . Alicia was threatened, and called the police. In this instance, the police cautioned the Trump security people.

Susan Munro is watched by security with some frequency when driving, and even when she is on her property. She has been a Menie Estate resident for over 30 years and as such should be well-known to security, as should the cars her family owns.

Nevertheless, she is often stopped by security, interrogated and identification demanded of her. This can be to the extent that when she returns from work late at night, men on foot will jump in front of her car from out of nowhere, and then demand ID. As she succinctly put it:

“I finished work last night and was stopped by security. It’s horrible when they jump out at you in the pitch black. They alarmed me. I am sick fed up with security hassling me.”

Susan has to use the Trump road at present as her own access road is, at the time of writing, completely out of use (see article 2 in this series - The Road’s A Ruin).

It must sit badly to have your own road in a state, and be accosted when using the only road available, one which is completely smooth and perfectly finished. However, that is not the end of Susan’s woes. They will be addressed shortly.

There are more such anecdotes, old and new. It is worth mentioning that some residents report run-ins with friendly security. While the ‘friendly’ security guards may not be unpleasant, what they are doing questioning the people who live on this estate is a mystery.

No one who has seen You’ve Been Trumped can forget the scene in which Baxter and Phinney are arrested for an alleged breach of the peace. They had filmed themselves visiting the estate manager’s office to ask when residents could expect their water supply to be restored.

They are unceremoniously dismissed (the estate personnel even makes an odd comment about the value of their equipment, which can be seen as a veiled threat). The film documents the arrest of two well-behaved journalists on the hearsay evidence of a billionaire’s employee.

We condemn such abuses of power in the third world, but it’s happened here in Scotland with absolutely no proper subsequent independent investigation. (More details can be found at http://aberdeenvoice.com/2012/10/bully-for-you-trump-threatens-suit-against-filmmaker/

Guns ‘n Woes

On top of years of intimidation and questionable tactics, at least one security firm previously employed (there have been at least two) used guards armed with pellet/air guns.

These guards would engage in target practice. One witness also saw a guard and a man with a rifle.

So we have residents constantly being stopped, harassed, and ‘jumped out at’ by ill-tempered and aggressive guards – some of whom used to have air guns.

It is almost as if the Trump organisation and its security firms use the SNH outdoor access policy as a laundry list of ways to bully.

The residents and I believe Trump’s security guards have acted in the above situations well beyond their legal authority. We also believe that security operatives are meant to display badges prominently. The residents confirm they have hardly ever seen any such badges; and none of us recall seeing any in the film You’ve Been Trumped either.

The security firm currently operating is Izon. A sign bearing their name appears at a locked gate which prevents cars from entering, which seems in contravention of free access laws. Anyone on foot, on bicycle or even on horseback should be able to access this (or any other) road.

Izon has been asked to comment on these issues and whether its operatives carry air/pellet/other types of guns. The company’s response will be reported in due course.

Visiting these people, living as they do with all sorts of imposed and unnecessary hardships, hits me hardest when we go to Susan Munro’s house. Walking down the damaged road (see Menie Series Pt 2) was bad enough.

But as we walk down towards the Munro house, a bund – an artificial, steep, and very high earthwork rises alongside the road, blocking out any views of the sea and landscape the Munros previously enjoyed.

The Trump Organisation has also used a similar tactic at the Milne property. Trump’s landscapers have attempted to put a row of conifers along the property boundary. If they were to grow, then Milne’s view of the sea would be gone. As it is, the trees are unable to grow in sand.

“Your first clue that they won’t grow is that there aren’t already any here,” is how David Milne puts it.

It is as if ‘The Donald’ thought he could stop the tides as well as make trees grow in sand.

Life goes on for the residents. At the time of writing it is understood the damaged roads are to be repaired. Aberdeen Voice will report when the ‘temporary’ bunds come down and when security stops accosting residents and visitors. I am just not sure when that will be.

Comments enabled – see comments box below. Note, all comments will be moderated.

Menie Estate Series No. 2: The Road’s A Ruin

Aberdeenshire, Featured, News 12 Responses »

Jan 162013

Things are seriously amiss at the Trump International Golf Course and Menie Estate, as Aberdeen Voice’s Suzanne Kelly and photographer Rob discovered. Inspired by Anthony Baxter and Richard Phinney’s You’ve Been Trumped film, Kelly has followed developments at ‘the world’s greatest golf course’ with interest. On a recent visit, residents showed our team around the site and shared stories. In the second instalment of a series of articles, Kelly looks at the demise of the road infrastructure.

There are signs of flooding all over the Balmedie area. Damage to the course is dramatically illustrated in the article:

Menie Estate Series: Crazy Golf

But the course damage is only one aspect of how the estate is faring this winter; the residents have more practical and urgent problems.

Susan Munro has lived on the estate for decades. Alongside her house runs a road which had until recently been a smooth path.

It slopes gently down to Susan’s house on the north side, and now the golf course on the south.

“I’ve lived here for 30 years and this is the worst it’s been,” Susan says.

She is shaking her head, standing in the doorway of her home. At her feet are signs of flooding; a wet, sandy, muddy substance covers concrete slabs and seems sure to cause her drains to overflow. She is, however, mainly talking about the only access road to her home.

The road is virtually unusable.

When Trump came it was with ambitious plans and an assortment of construction vehicles. The access road had quite a lot to cope with. While it may sit on Trump-owned land, historically it served the residents as an access road.

It has, in the writer’s opinion (and that of several residents), been damaged badly as a result of construction vehicles and the run-off pipe or pipes.

Then the plastic pipes appeared, carrying run-off from the golf course area. One such pipe is clearly visible near the road on the opposite end from the Munro residence. This pipe seems to be carrying run-off from the course directly into the side of the road.

There is no drainage for this road. Already badly rutted from course construction traffic, it is being further eroded.

Not helping the matter is the construction of giant bunds – tall, steeply rising mounds of earth built along the length of this road and on the east side of the property border between Trump and Munro. (More on these bunds in a future article; they deserve a great deal of description).
Water runs down this now badly rutted dirt road, and as the road ends in the newly-constructed parking lot, a short gradient channels yet more water off the new parking lot tarmac onto the dirt road.

Finally, the Trump organisation has dug two gravel pits in a field between the Munro house and David Milne’s home; the field slopes down towards the road.

The idea seems to be that the first pit, filled with gravel and then covered would catch water, with the overflow going to the second pit.
The only place from there for water to go would certainly seem to be the damaged little access road.

It is unclear that any of these additions – run-off pipes, bunds, drainage pits, and slope from parking to the dirt road – had been given specific, clear planning permission.

In fact, I was promised the bunds were temporary when I wrote to Aberdeenshire Council in 2011. Temporary is a long time in this part of the world, it seems.

It would also seem no one from Aberdeenshire Council is making regular visits. It would seem obvious the council should ensure residents can access their historic road.

Considering that most of us living in the North East would have to apply for permission before changing the type of windows we have in our homes, why are such damaging, major modifications to the landscape being allowed with virtually no sign of proper approval process or assessments?

There is no suggestion on any part that these modifications are done to deliberately make life difficult for the residents. The fact remains though: this is just what they are doing.

The road is now so bad that Susan Munro cannot use it any longer.
In fact, if you had a 4×4 you would still face difficulties trying to drive down this road, not least because of the seriously dangerous gap which has opened up near its lower end.

This has had a few token objects such as a bag of building material (unopened) unceremoniously dumped into it, as if that were a remotely adequate or safe remedy to this dangerous situation.

Walkers would find nothing to warn them of the dangers of walking this road, either.

Fixing the road should not be too difficult; it should, in my opinion, be done quickly, by the council, and paid for almost exclusively by the Trump Organisation.

Trump is quick to condemn area residents who keep their property in a state he doesn’t like, yet this road is now a massive eyesore and can’t be used.

Perhaps if it were visible to his golfers it would be a different story, but that ‘temporary’ bund shields players’ eyes from this unpleasant reality.

At the end of this series of articles, a summary report of findings will be sent to relevant organisations including Trump International, Aberdeenshire Council Clerk of Works, councillors, and not least – the Health & Safety Executive.

In the meantime, Susan has to use the Trump parking lot and new road (with a perfectly smooth tarmac surface) to get off the estate.

How has that been working out for her?

How is she coping with the bunds? What are things like for her?

The answer is probably worse than you might imagine.

Residents’ experiences will be covered in the next article in this series on Friday morning.

*** * STOP PRESS * ***

Estate residents have just been advised Leyton Farm Road will be closed 17 and 18 January. They believe this is for road repair work. Aberdeen Voice will report on the repair work once completed.

* * * ** * *

Comments enabled – see comments box below. Note, all comments will be moderated.

Menie Estate Series: Crazy Golf

Aberdeenshire, Featured, News 27 Responses »

Jan 142013

Things are seriously amiss at the Trump International Golf Course and Menie Estate, as Aberdeen Voice’s Suzanne Kelly and AV photographer Rob discovered. On a recent visit they spoke to several residents and spent hours walking the area. Aberdeen Voice shares their findings in a series of articles.

King Canute demonstrated that although he was a wealthy king, he could not hold back the tides by standing on the shore as the tide came in. Trump did not get this memo.

There are signs of flooding all over the Menie Estate; this is not surprising as the North East is experiencing some of its wettest weather historically speaking.

But are things worse than if Trump hadn’t been there?

An arcane system of visible plastic pipes installed by the Trump organisation is not exactly helping things – well, not for common access roads and the residents, anyway.

Unlike some conservationists who objected to the golf course, the Trump people didn’t foresee what could happen when the weather got wild. How would the course hold up with the recent storms the North East experienced?

Aberdeen Voice and some locals took a walk to find out. We set out through the ‘temporary’ parking lot (which seems to lack specific planning permission) and headed to the course to investigate.

The path in question has the (formerly moveable) sand dunes and the North Sea on the east, and the course on the west.

In places, the course is very close to the sea indeed.

On our walk we found a large section of dune had crumbled. A World War II pillbox was newly covered by the falling sand and marram grass, planted to stabilise the dunes.

I guess Mother Nature hadn’t got that memo.

In some cases, children planted marram grass as part of a PR exercise.

The damage was striking.

While continuing our walk towards the fourth hole, we discovered a set of traffic cones ahead of us on the path.

It is just as well the light hadn’t yet faded – or we might have fallen several feet into a newly-opened chasm.

Approximately four feet of the golf course path has simply fallen into the sea at Blairton Burn. It is as if Mother Nature took a bite out of the course.

A large pipe leads out into the sea at this point.

Presumably if this pipe is being used for water runoff, it has been approved in advance by Aberdeenshire’s environmental and planning experts?
The pipe had no foundation, just sand around it.

The cross section of ground clearly visible from the course collapse shows that there is a thin layer of turf directly over the sand.

How safe and secure this can be right on the edge of the North Sea is a concern.

Photographs illustrate this dramatic gap eloquently.

While there are cones warning of the huge gap, there is no protective fencing.

Even more worrying is that other sections of this portion of the 4th hole might likewise be ready to fall into the sea.

In the news this past week a couple bid £80,000 to come and play here, including transportation, meals, etc.

We wonder in what state they will find ‘The World’s Greatest Golf Course’ when they arrive.

As the dunes shift, and the course crumbles (in one place anyway), how are the residents faring? Not very well, as a subsequent article will demonstrate.

Comments enabled – see comments box below. Note, all comments will be moderated.

Music And Poetry Night To Fund Trees For Palestine

Aberdeen City, Events No Responses »

Dec 112012

Aberdeen Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (AbSPSC) has organised an evening of protest/political tunes and poetry to help fundraise for the Plant-a-Tree in Palestine project. With thanks to Mike Martin.

Thousands of Palestinian families in the West Bank are being displaced, losing their land to make way for illegal settlers supported by the Israeli state.
Tens of thousands of olive trees have been destroyed in the process, many of which have been cared for by the same Palestinian families for generations.

The Plant-a-Tree in Palestine project seeks to assist Palestinians in their struggle to rebuild their livelihoods by providing the means to plant trees indigenous to Palestine’s natural environment and agricultural life.

Plant-a-Tree in Palestine is a joint project between the Middle East Children’s Alliance, the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall) and the Palestinian Farmers Union

The evening will feature the music of Mark Ayling, Simon Gall and Maze McPunklet as well as the poetry of the marvellous Hilda Meers!

Entry: £6 – and for an additional £6 you will also receive a certificate to say you’ve donated a tree to Palestine.

Thursday 13th December
From 7:30pm

Cellar 35
Rosemount Viaduct
Aberdeen

Aberdeen Stands With Gaza

Aberdeen City, Events, Featured, Information No Responses »

Nov 202012

Following the latest, ongoing outbreak of Israeli violence against the people of Gaza, citizens of Aberdeen demonstrate their solidarity and support for those under attack. With thanks to Dave Black.

On Saturday 17 November, some 50 people gathered at short notice to show their support and solidarity for the people of Gaza, who are facing daily massacres at the hands of the Israeli Defence Force.
Meeting in Aberdeen’s St Nicholas Square, many carried flags or banners stating “Stand With Gaza” and “End Israeli War Crimes,” while shouts of “Free Palestine” rang in the air.

Powerful speeches were delivered by Brian Carroll (Aberdeen TUC President) and Tommy Campbell (Unite Regional Officer).

Veteran pro-Palestinian activist and member of Scottish Jews for a Just Peace Hilda Meers gave the crowd a moving rendition of her poem Erasure – Death-Dance for a Palestinian Child.

Many passers-by stopped and took the time to sign a petition demanding Alec Salmond immediately halts any political and economic relationships with Israel until the oppression of Gaza has ended and the human rights of Palestinians are recognised.

Plans for taking forward solidarity with the people of Gaza will be progressed at a public meeting upstairs at the Belmont Cinema this Thursday 22 November at 7.30pm.

The agenda will include building towards an Aberdeen-Gaza Skype link-up at 2pm on 08 December at the University of Aberdeen’s MacRobert Building (room 613). This event is aimed at hearing directly the experiences of people in Gaza, forging links between activists and interested groups/individuals in Aberdeen and Gaza and looking at how these can be taken forward in the future.

<<<< >>>>

ERASURE - Death-Dance For A Palestinian Child, As Seen On A Video From Gaza

(During the Israeli Cast Lead attack on Gaza, Israeli soldiers fired on Palestinian ambulances to prevent them carrying wounded civilians to hospital. Sixteen medics were killed, resulting in casualties being ferried in donkey carts).

See the donkey-cart driver
race along the road, fast, fast -
pulling up with a jerk, not a word,
now his journey’s done.
.
See a mother leap out of the cart.
As she runs, runs, runs,
see her feet pound the ground,
the child in her arms so still, silent and still.
.
A man comes at a run, running quick, quick,
he runs towards the woman,
his arms reach for the child who lies silent,
unmoving and silent in sheltering arms.
.
Then turning, he runs, runs fast, quickly nears,
nearing the open door he surrenders the child
to other arms reaching, to bring help
for the child lying silent and still.

See the doctors bend over the hospital bed,
as they work for response from the child on the bed -
despairing at last, they must cover the head
of a child whose life has been stilled.
.
Whose life has been stilled,
has been stolen away,
the mother’s heart broken -
what more can I say?
.
What more can I say
What more can I do
As I try to convince you
This is our heartbreak too.
.
.
.
.
© Hilda Meers

Women’s Football: Aberdeen Hosts Scotland V Cameroon

Aberdeen City, Sport No Responses »

Jul 122012

With thanks to Dave Macdermid.

As the Olympic flame makes its way back to London, Aberdeen Sports Village (ASV), is gearing up to host its very first international football match.
On Sunday 15th July at 3pm, Cameroon women’s football team will play the Scotland women’s national team in an international challenge match in preparation for their Olympic campaign.

Tickets for the international challenge match at ASV are now on sale for £5 (£2 for concessions) and can be purchased at ASV reception, or by calling 01224 438900.

Aberdeen Sports Village is situated at Linksfield Road, Aberdeen

Website: www.aberdeensportsvillage.com
Email: info@aberdeensportsvillage.com
Twitter: @asvabdn

Local Duo In Scotland Squad For Belfast

Aberdeen City, Sport No Responses »

May 172012

With thanks to Dave Macdermid

Two North East teenagers have been included in the Scottish Football Association / Scottish Disability Sports Cerebral Palsy Future squad to take part in the Home Nations Championships in Northern Ireland later this month.

Cults Academy pupil Duncan MacPherson (17) and 16-year-old Lewis Clow from Pitmedden, are included in the squad that travels to Belfast on Friday 25th May to take on Northern Ireland and England on consecutive days over the weekend.

David McArdle, disability development officer for the SFA, said:

“The future squad is a vital part of our Cerebral Palsy International Pathway. The opportunity for the young, inexperienced players to play in an international tournament is vital to ensure they can fully develop and one day push for a place in the ‘A’ squad.

Future squad Head Coach Stuart Aitchison added:

“We are delighted how the players have developed over the past twelve months. The future squad are very talented and a number of the players will be moving up after the summer and hopefully play at next year’s Intercontinental Championships.”

Any player with cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury or stroke can become involved in football by contacting David at the SFA on David.McArdle@Scottishfa.co.uk or 0141 616 6077.

Older Entries

About Israeli Apartheid Week

* * ** ** **** STOP PRESS **** ** ** * *

Estate residents have just been advised Leyton Farm Road will be closed 17 and 18 January. They believe this is for road repair work. Aberdeen Voice will report on the repair work once completed.

* * ** ** **** ****** ***** **** ** ** * *

*** * STOP PRESS * ***

* * * ** * *