Jack McConnell meets Donald Trump to talk about golf

Donald Trump wants to build a new golf course in Scotland, a spectacular multi-million pound development on a pristine stretch of Aberdeenshire beach. The First Minister JackMcConnell went to New York to meet Trump to discuss the proposals.

However, there are claims of a conflict of interest, and McConnell stands accused of breaching the ministerial code of conduct, the rule-book which lays down how ministers should behave.


McConnell's private office will now be required to investigate his dealings, following a complaint by the Green Party. That complaint is based on a dossier of government e-mails, minutes and correspondence between officials and Trump's advisers, obtained by Scotland on Sunday, which reveals the extent of how the office of the First Minister was put at the disposal of one of America's richest and most controversial men.


Under Freedom of Information legislation, Scotland on Sunday obtained documents from Scottish Enterprise (SE) revealing the government's close working relationship with Trump.

The billionaire's golf company was lavished with attention. Two memos released by SE show that - at a cost of £4,800 to the public purse - the agency paid for two helicopter tours of Scotland, taking in the golf course site, as they showed off the country to their deep-pocketed American friends. A further e-mail shows they offered to meet the £40,000-£50,000 cost of a feasibility study into the Menie Links site. Trump's people were impressed, "raving" in August last year about the way enterprise agency officials were courting them.

How Jack of clubs came up trumps for Donald (Scotland on Sunday, 14 May 2006)

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now Donald is taking his ugly hair to elsewhere? Well I guess with all of his money he could make a pretty nice course.