Sep 222017
 

Suzanne Kelly asked the Cock and Bull about its current stance on Donald Trump, given that it had proudly supported the tycoon years ago. With all the incontrovertible evidence Trump was a bigot, let alone how the environment and Menie residents were treated, surely the restaurant would have had second thoughts? Not quite. By Suzanne Kelly

A long time ago, Donald J Trump showed up in Aberdeenshire with a host of empty promises, a bad reputation, and more than a whiff of racism and sexism.

Despite how Menie Estate residents were treated by his team (water cut off for months for the Forbes family, who he called pigs; journalists arrested; a respected photojournalist threatened, etc. etc), a selection of businesses were keen to get in bed with him.

Many local businesses did and do trade with him (even though the Trump organisation fired a chef for having a photograph on his private Facebook page that they didn’t like – a story well-known in the catering trade), and fair enough, everyone has to make a living.

Some local restaurateurs supported the Menie Estate residents, and their support is steadfast and appreciated to this day. BrewDog attended an event there to sell beer and it got a good deal of criticism at the time. However, they decided subsequently to make a video poking fun at the bouffanted racist (what do you call someone who prevents black people from owning dwellings in his apartment buildings but a racist?).

While plenty of local businesses understandably did business with Trump, some went out of their way to take a pro-Trump stand.

The Marcliffe fawned over the tycoon, and invented the phrase ‘The Trump effect’ to say how much money was flowing into the area because of Trump’s presence.

Only that’s not what happened. The Marcliffe has been in sell-off talks from time to time, and its profit margin probably cannot have been helped by the homophobic comments of proprietor Stewart Spence. The Trump club posts year-on-year losses, and observers rarely see even a half-full parking lot. The environment has been changed and residents badly treated: this is the real Trump effect.

Few businesses went as far as the Cock and Bull. They hung a pro-Trump banner which many say also ridiculed an elected councillor.

They won’t take a stand on Trump now, but they tell me that it was a former employee who hung the banner – ie a big boy did it and ran away. The venue had all the intervening years to say they did not stand with Trump if they wanted to. They didn’t do so then and they refuse to distance themselves from him now.

The restaurant was approached, in polite terms, on Facebook to find out its current position. The chance to take a stand against Trump and all he stands for was turned down.

Instead of supplying an answer – and any sensible business that cared about racism, sexism, the welfare of residents across the road from them, and of the rights of people in the catering industry to have whatever they want on their personal Facebook pages – they decided to suggest I was asking for the opinions of their employees.

Nothing could have been further from the truth.

We are talking about a president who has the endorsement of the Klu Klux Klan

Whether or not you like the restaurant or what you think of Trump, readers are invited to compare the initial conversation with what the Cock posted subsequently. Ask yourself if they are misrepresenting what the initial conversation was.

Ask yourself why they didn’t name me, which both made me look cowardly, and prevented me having a say early on to derail the misconceptions they offered up. The restaurant uses the scales of justice as an image; readers might want to use those scales to measure the two threads.

It is up to the individual whether it’s more important to have a good steak dinner from a venue that will not condemn racism or not. It is up to a business that has literally flown the flag for Trump in the past (even though there was more than enough evidence that he was as bigoted as the entire world can now see) whether they will either change their opinion, stick to their support, or instead start a hysterical campaign against the person who asked them if they still have the courage of their past convictions.

This is not a witch hunt as the restaurant suggests; it was giving them the chance to say no to bigotry and sexism (let alone the current Trump threat to use nuclear weapons against 24 million people suffering under the N Korean dictatorship).

Political differences are one thing and are to be celebrated. We are talking about a president who has the endorsement of the Klu Klux Klan, who has denigrated women and is implicated in rapes, and who is being investigated for collusion with Russia contrary to US law.

Contrast what the Cock and Bull posted with the initial questions, and ask yourself who is being dishonest and manipulative – me or them.

Why boycott dictators and those who support dictatorships in the first place? Because every business, charity, and high-profile person (let alone newspapers such as the P&J) which is friendly to the corrupt adds respectability to the dictators in question. The despot needs the veneer of respectability, and those who go along with bigotry are complicit. This is not a political point. This is a question of ethics: do you support racism and sexism or not.

People who have formed opinions based solely on what the Cock posted after my initial approach should have both sides of the story: not just the Cock and Bull cock and bull side of things – which is far from the real, complete picture. For instance, this sentence they wrote is a complete fabrication and huge distortion:

“I was contacted by said journalist and asked to publicly renounce any support for Donald Trump I may have (the man, not the course) in order for us to be excluded from the boycott list.”

This statement by the Cock is untrue; it is a gross exaggeration.

“…had it not been for your inflammatory comments regarding the restaurant elsewhere I would not have felt the need to reply.” The Cock writes; I will be interested to have them show proof of these inflammatory remarks I am meant to have made, as I am unaware of any at all.

The original post:

SK: “Just a quick question; yes or no will be fine: does the Cock and Bull support Trump? Thank you”

The Cock and Bull Balmedie: 

“Not sure I’m understanding your point here Suzanne, are you asking all businesses in the area to poll the political affiliations of their staff?”

Suzanne Kelly:

“It seems pretty simple to me. I’m aware of the position of many area businesses such as the Marcliffe, and a number of restaurants. Why do you add 2+2 and get 5? I am not asking anything about political private affiliations of your staff. Did the Cock and Bull ever hang a pro-Trump banner? I was told the restaurant had gone public with its support for Trump – in which case my question is even more valid than it already was.

“In case you don’t know, there is a major anti-Trump backlash, an international boycott of his businesses and their supporters (and even an app), and I’d be delighted to tell my contacts re. the boycott that the Cock and Bull has not, and does not, side with Trump’s racist, sexist ideas.”

Third party:

“They did have a ‘We Welcome Trump to Menie’ (paraphrasing here) banner. I saw it but it was some years ago. It wasn’t there last week.”

The Cock and Bull Balmedie:

“Sorry for the late reply – business to run, wages and bills to pay and all that. Personally I have no clue as to what you are going on about but given the tone of your posts you obviously have an axe to grind and have chosen a local business page to do so (not cool).

“However if you are alluding to the fact that Donald Trump dined at this restaurant many years ago when planning his course then yes he did. If you or your contacts choose to boycott us and all other shops, restaurants, hotels etc he has frequented and add us to your “blacklist” for that reason then it is your prerogative to do so and I respect your decision.

“We also have many guests staying and dining with us who play on his course so if that is classed as support then you may want to add that to your reason to boycott also.”

Suzanne Kelly:

“Thank you. Now returning to the question, and in the intervening hours people such as (Third party) have mentioned the banner your restaurant hung, are you pro-Trump as the Marcliffe for instance, or do you oppose racism and bigotry? I just want to let people know if your welcome to Trump still stands. Thank you.”

The Cock and Bull Balmedie:

“I’ve seen your witch-hunt on the Tripping up Trump page – you’ll get nothing further here. You want to up the boycotting of local businesses because you “think” you know their views then you be my guest.”

Suzanne Kelly:

“I gave you a chance to disavow your previous pro Trump stance in light of a mountain of evidence the man your banners supported is a bigot who has been caught in numerous lies; as you don’t wish to distance yourself from the man, I know all I need to. Many thanks.”

(Third party suggested I stay out of this issue)

Suzanne Kelly to third party: 

“Lol. You don’t seem to be aware the cock n bull story – or to be logical. They put up a sign welcoming Trump; they made a public declaration, which is their right. I have the right to ask them if it still applies even though it is evident to the world Trump is a racist and sexist. All the best”

The Cock and Bull Balmedie:

“A mountain of evidence? A banner that was hung some ten odd years ago by a member of staff no longer here that supported a golf course (golf course!) being built by a man who was at the time a business man and not president-elect?

“Due to this we are meant to support racism, sexism and bigotry as you have implied? A disgusting implication and had it not been for your inflammatory comments regarding the restaurant elsewhere I would not have felt the need to reply.

“Enough time wasted, I’ll get back to running a restaurant where thankfully the good vibes from lovely customers outweighs the frankly awful “boycott local businesses” campaign being run by yourself.”

Here is what the Cock and Bull posted on Facebook on the 20th September:

“I was made aware this week that due to us voicing our support for a new golf course in the area a decade ago, a journalist and anti-Trump activist was looking to include us in a “blacklist” to encourage customers to boycott the Cock and Bull, her words were “time to up the boycotting of pro-Trump businesses”.

We will not deny that we were advocates of the course when the plans were submitted ten years ago as we knew that the oil would not sustain the city forever and and know first-hand how important golf tourism is to Aberdeen. I was contacted by said journalist and asked to publicly renounce any support for Donald Trump I may have (the man, not the course) in order for us to be excluded from the boycott list. I refused. I did this not because I endorse Trump’s policies (I do not) and not because the political affiliations of anyone connected with the Cock and Bull are any of her business (they are not) but because her hatred for the man had overshadowed any other contributions that we make to our community and I wanted no part of it. She was not asking me the important questions of why you should choose to shop/dine/stay in my (or any) establishment – do we run our business ethically and sustainably, do we treat our staff fairly and morally, do we source our supplies responsibly, do we treat our customers hospitably and equally and we do we connect with our local community charitably. None of this was relevant to her and in my silence I was then branded a supporter of racism, sexism and bigotry. I find it incredibly sad that someone would want to tear down what another has built up due to an ill-conceived, ill-judged difference of opinion. Ours was not the only local business named that may be added to the list so by sharing this I hope that customers will make up their own minds about where they want to take their business using the points raised above and not be swayed by another person’s agenda. Our diversity of opinion is what makes us interesting but it is our humanity that allows us to understand why another’s opinion may differ from our own and our empathy that allows us to live together despite these differences.”

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  10 Responses to “Cock And Bull’s Cock And Bull Story”

  1. bitter article by a bitter journalist with a massive chip on her shoulder because the golf course was built and proved to be an excellent facility and a boost to the area.

  2. I have read the Facebook spat unfold day by day. The author has been selective in her description for sure. Her opening spat made a veiled threat to include the restaurant on an app which boycotts Donald Trump’s business over a sign they posted years ago before work on the course commenced and their refusal to conform to her demands. Anyone reading the article can clearly see an attempt to undermine a local business enjoyed by many in the area, which pays taxes, employs local staff and promotes local produce. This is not some faceless corporation being attacked, it is someone’s livelihood and business, and someone who support the lives of many others in the area who has been slandered on the whim of a self proclaimed journalist and activist. I would hope that the local anti-trump action groups take the stance to denounce the actions of this journalist and that the public show their support by spending some money in the restaurant.

  3. Suzanne Kelly says: Here is what I’ve written to The Cock and Bull Balmedie; until they can explain their exaggerations, it’s my last word for now:

    Seeing as you opened a direct dialogue with me, I want your public apology. Either that, or evidence for your false claims against me, believed/seen by over 100 people. You are in defamation territory here imo.

    1. you wrote: ‘a journalist and anti-Trump activist was looking to include us in a “blacklist” to encourage customers to boycott the Cock and Bull (I never wrote any such thing)’ ‘I was contacted by said journalist and asked to publicly renounce any support for Donald Trump (I asked for your current position; I did not ask you to publicly do anything but answer the yes or no question) I may have (the man, not the course) in order for us to be excluded from the boycott list (I never said anything about your having to make any public statement to be excluded from ‘the boycott list’ – this is a huge slur),’. and ‘Ours was not the only local business named that may be added to the list (where do you get this from?)’ . These statements are gross exaggerations and you have twisted the dialogue out of proportion. What I wrote was this ‘In case you don’t know, there is a major anti-Trump backlash, an international boycott of his businesses and their supporters (and even an app), and I’d be delighted to tell my contacts re. the boycott that the Cock and Bull has not, and does not, side with Trump’s racist, sexist ideas.’ and it does not add up to demanding you do anything, it is not threatening to put you on a blacklist; it is offering to tell the world you have changed your mind on Trump: it could have done you a favour. I do think it is time to up the boycotting of pro-Trump businesses, as I wrote on a Tripping Up Trump thread – which was not addressed to you. 2. Are you a liar? You wrongly said I made ‘inflammatory comments regarding the restaurant elsewhere’ – come up with these inflammatory comments; I’ll be very interested to see how you prove this. I want an apology for what you’ve written or failing that, proof of your claims, especially about the ‘inflammatory comments’.

  4. Back with a bang, Suzanne, I see – you have been sorely missed, as I said in a previous post. I look forward to many more articles authored by your good self.

  5. Just viewed the documentary “You’ve Been Trumped “. I still have a pain in my chest – sorrow, anger -no, rage! I can’t imagine how you, who have lived through the loss must feel. Nothing I can say will put back what was stolen from you. You may have been Trumped, but the land of your soul, for generations, has been raped. This done by a person (Can’t call him a man, for fear of possibly offending those who are, and he doesn’t meet my definition of human.) who seems to have only two motivations: self & money. Trump is a real me-me/more-more kinda guy, isn’t he? Give thanks that he’s not in charge of leading your country. Alas, I can’t.
    What I’d like to know is, how much good do you do – for yourself and your neighbors – by continuing to place blame and assign guilt? Are you giving that thoughtless, greedy Trump more power by perpetatting ill feelings and dissention? Will doing so bring back the dunes? Keep well.

  6. Suzanne Kelly says: For anyone who objects to the idea of boycotting local businesses (something I never ‘threatened’ the cock with which you know if you read the article), here are a few words from Trump when Michael Forbes won ‘Top Scot of the year’ in 2012 for standing up to him. Trump said: “I hereby call for a boycott on drinking Glenfiddich products because there is no way a result such as this could have been made by the Scottish people.”

    Trump asked people to boycott the Glenfiddich business; to those who attacked me for simply trying to find out where a local business stands which used to support Trump by its own admission – I hope you attacked Trump for actually calling for a boycott back then.

    Some people are wrongly under the impression I threatened a restaurant to either disavow trump (it had supported him) or be put on a local business blacklist. This incorrect assumption is a lie, a massive over exaggeration of my asking a trump-supporting restaurant if it still supported him in light of all that has happened. No answer was forthcoming.

    But if you have a choice of spending your money at a place that aligns with trump (and you can’t separate the man from his business interests) or one that doesn’t, what are you going to do? Trump asked people to consider boycotting businesses, and those who attacked me for simply trying to find out where a local business stands, I hope you attacked Trump for actually calling for a boycott. Hope this helps some of you. Doubt it will though.

  7. My family have owned the Cock and Bull for 20 years and I have run it for the past 8 years so I thought I would give some background to this article.
    Until 8 years ago the restaurant was chef/proprietor run and the banner was erected during that time. The banner did nor reference Trump but was in support of golf and was only in place during the planning stages of the new course but was removed well before any work began (a detail that the author does not think is important, the restaurant then cannot be aligned with the tactics used during the building phase of the development and that does not make as good copy). All of this is irrelevant ten years after the fact but thought I would clarify for anyone who does not know the details.
    Through sheer hard work and determination my family have built the business into a reputable establishment that has won best gastropub in Scotland three times and holds an AA rosette for culinary skill and an entry in the much-coveted Michelin guide. We are proud of these achievements but even more proud of the Catering in Excellence award presented by Scottish ambassador Andrew Fairlie in recognition of our commitment to training and educating young people. We have seen hundreds of people come through our restaurant from all walks of life, many have been SVQ trained in cookery, hospitality and management. A large number of our leavers have gone on to have very successful careers in this industry (a few Michelin stars spread among our past chefs – fantastic!) but more importantly they have taken away great life skills that we hope will help them in the future. Our staff are our greatest asset, we are proud of them all and will fight tooth and nail to safeguard their jobs (just for the record Ms Kelly).
    It was while we were going about our daily business of creating menus, sourcing suppliers and staff training that Ms Kelly’s fully loaded question arrived on our business page asking if we supported Donald Trump or not. I was genuinely perplexed and would have ignored had I not been alerted by members of the Tripping Up Trump page that Ms Kelly had posted there that she would LOVE to have photographic evidence of the banner erected 10 years ago as it was time to up the boycotting of pro-Trump businesses. Due to this post we refused to answer Ms Kelly’s question and told her that we wanted no part of what she was planning, she then went back on the TUT page to share that we had declined to answer and added a smiley face – a misplaced emoji surely (or glee at having the green light to write this article)?
    Since this article was published I have seen my restaurant reduced to being a “Trump-loving greasy spoon” on the TUT page and watched others have their say on matters they know nothing about. While my team were serving 500 customers over the weekend as well as providing food for firefighters across the city who were taking part in a charity car-wash, there were posters bickering over a decade-old banner. While I was in a Prince’s trust meeting on Monday trying to affect positive change by calling for more youngsters to be given opportunities across the industry, there were keyboard warriors spreading negativity and hate towards the restaurant. While I was writing an article for Visit Scotland extolling the virtues of our beautiful country, there were TUT members extolling the need to “hit us where it hurts” by denying us business. While my restaurant was doing grassroots work in the community and trying to actually make a difference through productive enterprise, there were many on the TUT page throwing insults at each other and trying to apportion blame to a country inn in rural Aberdeenshire for the wrongdoings of the American President (the thread has since been removed due to it’s content). It seems ludicrous to me that anyone would want to land so much hate at the door of another but we can at least be thankful that the one real positive since this article was published has been the countless well-wishes we have received via Facebook, email and telephone giving support and sympathy (also inundated by press requests but this sorry debacle requires no further publicity). We have been truly humbled by the reaction of the people of Aberdeenshire who have rallied round us with kind messages.I think the poster C. Coble above has it nailed, why perpetuate blame and guilt when “anger and hate dig holes, love and kindness move mountains” – Zero Dean

    • Suzanne says: the editors decided to publish Mandy’s comment as it is; it is filled with conjecture, unsupportable conclusions, fabrications. Most of these have been addressed elsewhere. I am glad to know though that it is the same family that came out in support of Trump then that still own it now, and like petulant children will not say if they still support Trump – read into that what you will. Mandy seems to be able to not only read my mind but read the minds of Facebook administrators on the Tripping Up Trump page. Why exactly she puts so much support on the banner – after having confirmed the restaurant supported Trump (see article) is unknown. I’ve previously asked for evidence of things she states as facts – which aren’t’ no evidence is forthcoming (obviously). She actually thinks she and her restaurant matter enough to me to hate them. I don’t hate anyone; even Trump. I do hate racism, sexism, organised crime – all things that Trump is the posterboy for. No one forced the restaurant to come out and declare support for Trump; I had thought given the bad treatment of the Menie residents, the attack on the wind farm which cost Scotland untold sums in legal fees and delayed jobs, the non-existent millions and 6,000 jobs Trump promised never came – that the restaurant would have wanted to tell people that it cannot support Trump. Remember that Trump is a man that RGU and the Global Scots ambassadorship decided did not fit their values and renounced. I’ll not be apologizing for asking whether the cock wanted to join them. But I’d like an apology for the assertions I made any demands tantamount to blackmail, that I made ‘inflammatory’ comments about the cock in the past, etc etc. I’ve written hundreds of pieces, but I’ve never run into anyone before who jumped to such wild conclusions.

  8. You are so right to demand that C&B apologize for publically twisting and misrepresenting what you said, Suzanne. They’re acting just like that racist sexist who ‘dined at this restaurant’. Nothing to be proud of C&B! Suzanne, you are a true inspiration.

    *Where can I find this blacklist for Trump-supporting businesses?*

    • Suzanne says- thank you, glad people have read the article and compared what I wrote to the charges invented against me. I wished the owners would have asked me if they were unsure what I meant rather than jumping to extreme, woefully wrong conclusions and sharing these as if they were facts. I’m neither dumb nor counter-productive enough to engage in demands or threats, let alone do so in writing, let alone on Facebook. There are 2 comments pending- they have not been published yet as they contain more misinformation and opinion presented as fact. As to boycotts; i recommend using google- you will find lots of info there including the app i referred to. What did I think would happen when I asked the cock if it still supported trump? I thought they would be happy to have the chance to distance themselves from a man with proven ties to organised crime and the KKK. After all, who wouldn’t do so?

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