Overwhelming Majority For Landmark Law To Tackle Violence Against Women
Aberdeenshire, Featured No Responses »
A landmark law to tackle violence against women passed its Third Reading in the House of Commons on Friday with an overwhelming majority of 138 in favour to just 1 against. With thanks to Banff & Buchan SNP.
Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP with campaigners and MPs after the vote.
Local MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford's Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill 2017, requires the UK government to ratify the Istanbul Convention – a far-reaching new law that puts legal obligations on the state to prevent violence against women, protect
women and prosecute the perpetrators.
The Convention encompasses many forms of sexual violence and domestic abuse including stalking, harassment, sexual assault and rape, physical and psychological abuse by a partner, forced marriage, forced abortion or sterilisation and female genital mutilation.
The UK signed the treaty in 2012 but has yet to ratify it to make it part of UK law.
The SNP MP for Banff & Buchan, who is the party's Westminster spokesperson for Social Justice, secured cross-party support for her Bill, which has been championed by women's equality organisations including IC Change, Women's Aid, Scottish Women's Aid, Rape Crisis Scotland, White Ribbon, End Violence Against Women, Scottish Women's convention, NUS, Girlguiding, and the Fawcett Society.
The Bill also received strong support from the actor and UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson, who this week wrote to all MPs urging them to vote for the Bill.
Commenting after the Bill passed its Third Reading, Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP said:
"I am delighted that this landmark legislation to combat gender-based violence has received such overwhelming cross-party support and now looks set to become UK law.
"This is a huge and historic step forward in efforts to tackle violence against women and has the potential to transform the lives of thousands of women right across the country.
"Women's equality organisations and activists have been campaigning for the UK government to ratify the Istanbul Convention for many years now – so today's vote is a cause for celebration and a testament to their sustained efforts.
"The Istanbul Convention is the most comprehensive and far-reaching framework that exists to tackle violence against women in its many forms and manifestations, and critically, it provides the legal apparatus to hold governments accountable for their progress. This is a powerful vehicle for improving policy, practices and services on an ongoing basis.
"Sexual violence and domestic abuse are neither natural nor inevitable. We can prevent it, we can challenge it and we can hold perpetrators to account. We need to do all these things if we are to end this systematic abuse of women's basic human rights, and ratifying the Istanbul Convention is a big step in the right direction.
"We have travelled some distance in this struggle but we still have such long way still to go and we need to recognise that Ratification of the Istanbul Convention is a milestone on the journey to equality and justice for women, not an end point."
Emma Watson backs SNP MP's bid to combat domestic abuse.
Theresa May urges MPs to back Whiteford bill and stamp out violence against women.
Posted by Editor at 23:07	Tagged with: Abortion, Abuse, Assault, Banff, Buchan, Domestic, Female, Forced, Genital, Harassment, Marriage, Mutilation, Parliament, Partner, Physical, Politics, Psychological, Rape, Sexual, SNP, Stalking, Sterilisation, UK, Violence, Westminster
Leaked UK Govt Memo: Fishing Not High Priority
Aberdeenshire, Opinion No Responses »
With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford.
Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has hit out, after a leaked UK Government document indicated that fishing is not considered a 'high' priority in the upcoming Brexit negotiations.
The document, reportedly leaked by a UK Government source to The Times, was circulated late last year, and indicates that fishing does not make it into a list of 'high-priority industries' which would benefit from firm UK negotiating positions.
This list of high-priority sectors includes banking and finance, automotive industries and textiles.
Other sectors which are set to be relegated along with fishing include chemicals, steel, oil and gas, telecoms, and medical industries.
Speaking after the document's release, Dr Whiteford said:
"If this leaked memo is genuine, it demonstrates quite definitively that the Conservatives' attitude to fishing has not changed since Edward Heath's day. The industry is still very much 'expendable'. From this document, it is quite clear that all eyes in the negotiations will be on banking and finance, and the automotive and aerospace industries.
"Fishing is, once again, being lined up as a pawn to be traded away by the Tories. I have already written to the Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsom, seeking her own comment on this document and asking for assurances that fishing will not serve as a sacrificial lamb for concessions elsewhere."
Posted by Editor at 01:59	Tagged with: Brexit, EU, Fishing, Government, Industry, SNP, UK, Westminster
Fears Of Another Tory Sell-Out On Fishing Grow
Photo courtesy of Aberdeenshire SNP.
With thanks to Aberdeenshire SNP.
Fears of another sell-out of the fishing industry grew this week with the publication of the UK Government's White Paper on leaving the EU.
Chairman of Aberdeenshire Council's Fisheries Working Group and Fraserburgh SNP councillor Charles Buchan said the brief mention of fishing in the White Paper, which has only 75 pages, gave him great concern that the UK Government was gearing-up to repeat the sell-out of the fishing industry first perpetrated in the 1970s.
Commenting on the development, Cllr Charles Buchan (pictured) said:
"I'm very uneasy about what has been announced in the Tory Government's White Paper and I know that the Prime Minister's comment last week about Spanish fishermen has made many people in the industry fearful about what may be coming down the line.
"The bottom line here is that the UK is leaving the EU and I fully support efforts to make the best possible deal from that situation as we can. The SNP has long-argued to leave the CFP and that will be extremely beneficial to the industry – it represents a "sea of opportunity" as the Scottish Fishermen's Federation have said.
"What we don't want or need is for that opportunity to be traded away by the Conservative Government as it did in 1972 because it thinks it can safely use fishing as a bargaining chip in its negotiations. The pronouncements of the last few days from Westminster make me very fearful we are about to see history repeat itself and we must stop that from happening for the sake of our coastal communities."
A Scottish Office memo dated 9 November 1970 famously said in relation to the negotiations being conducted by the then Conservative UK Government:
"in the wider UK context, they [the fishermen] must be regarded as expendable".
Posted by Editor at 17:23	Tagged with: Brexit, Conservative, Council, EU, Fishing, Fraserburgh, Government, Industry, Shire, SNP, Tory, UK, Westminster
SNP's Alternative Queen's Speech Welcomed By MP
Aberdeenshire, Opinion 1 Response »
With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford
Banff & Buchan MP Dr Eilidh Whiteford has welcomed the release of the SNP's Alternative Queen's Speech at Westminster, saying it offers "a real alternative to Tory austerity."
The Queen's Speech today will highlight the Conservative Government's legislative agenda for the coming year, and will likely include increases to tuition fees at English universities, and a weakening of the prerogatives of the Lords – where the Government has suffered a string of recent setbacks.
Speaking in advance of the Speech, Dr. Whiteford said:
"We now have a situation where the UK Government has failed to meet its own targets on key economic indicators. Debt, deficit, borrowing, productivity, innovation, trade, exports – you name the target, the Tories have missed it. Austerity has choked off economic growth – and the UK's trade deficit is now at its worst position since 2008.
"The upshot of austerity is that, inevitably, it's the poorest in society who pay the most. We're calling for a modest – 0.5% – increase in public spending, which would help mitigate the worst impacts of austerity, and boost economic growth.
"The only way to tackle the deficit is to grow the economy, and it's a lesson this Government has singularly failed to take on board. Choking off investment when it's needed most is economic madness.
"With Labour mired in in-fighting, the SNP represents the only real alternative to a Tory Government. We want a fairer country, and that's what we'll keep fighting for at Westminster."
Other proposals in the SNP's Alternative Queen's Speech include:
measures to boost exports
a Fair Tax Bill to crack down on tax evasion
a real Home Rule Bill, including devolution of social security, corporation tax, broadcasting and resource management
reform of Westminster, with replacement of the House of Lords by a democratically elected second chamber
an end to arms exports to Saudi Arabia.
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Posted by Fred at Aberdeen Voice at 22:35	Tagged with: Banff, Benefits, Export, Finance, Government, MP, Politics, Queen, SNP, Tax, Westminster
Whiteford: "Government Owes WASPI A Fair Hearing"
Aberdeenshire, Opinion 3 Responses »
Women campaigning for fair pensions 'deserve a fair hearing', according to the SNP's Pensions Spokesperson, Dr Eilidh Whiteford. The comments come following a meeting between MPs and campaigners representing Women Against State Pension Inequality.
WASPI represent thousands of women born in the 1950s, who have now been hit twice by increases to the retirement age.
To date, the UK Government has announced no compensatory schemes for those who will lose out as a result of the changes.
While the SNP believes that the state pension age should indeed be equalised, the party has criticised the manner in which the UK Government has implemented its changes, in the face of significant opposition from opposition parliamentarians and civil society.
Speaking after the meeting with WASPI campaigners at Westminster, Dr Whiteford said:
"It is profoundly unfair that these ladies have worked their whole lives, only to be told that their retirement age is being raised not once, but twice. They deserve a fair hearing from the UK Government.
"The UK Government has railroaded these changes through parliament without heeding the real impact this will have on women born in the 1950s. Stephen Crabb's statement to parliament seems to indicate that there's still no change whatsoever to the Government's position.
"Constituents affected by these changes should be assured, however, that I and my fellow SNP MPs will continue to keep pressure on the Tories to look again at how these changes are implemented."
Posted by Fred at Aberdeen Voice at 22:36	Tagged with: Banff, Benefit, Finance, Government, MP, Pensions, Politics, SNP, Tax, Travel, Westminster, Women
MP Calls For Consensus On Air Passenger Duty
Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford
Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has called for cross-party consensus on reducing Air Passenger Duty, after figures released by Aberdeen Airport revealed the impact of the drop in oil and gas prices on flights to and from the city. The figures, released today, indicate that domestic and international traffic are down 17.9 and 5.8% respectively, with a 23.8% decrease in helicopter traffic.
Nonetheless, the Airport is pushing ahead with new routes to Warsaw, Newquay and Gran Canaria, as well as a £20 million redevelopment programme.
Speaking in response to the figures, Dr. Whiteford said:
"Aberdeen Airport is a hugely important piece of our national infrastructure, and the figures indicate the scale of the challenge we face in the north-east as the price of oil remains low.
"The Scottish Government has announced that it intends to cut Air Passenger Duty by 50% and, in light of these figures, that can't come soon enough. Businesses in the north-east need our region to be as accessible as possible, and I would call on all parties in the Scottish Parliament to support this move.
"This is one step we can and should take to making Scotland a competitive destination for business and tourism."
Posted by Fred at Aberdeen Voice at 02:18	Tagged with: Air, Airport, Banff, Finance, Industry, MP, Passenger, Politics, SNP, Tax, Travel, Westminster
New Ambulance For Peterhead Welcomed
Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »
With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford MP.
(L-R) Bryan Milne, Area Service Manager, Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP, Ewan Esslemont, Head of Service Grampian, Robert Buchan, Ambulance Care Assistant.
Banffshire & Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson, and Banff & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford, have welcomed the Scottish Government's announcement of increased emergency ambulance cover for the Peterhead area, which will see an additional full-time ambulance 24/7 based at Peterhead.
The announcement follows a sustained campaign by the MSP and MP for enhanced ambulance provision in the north of Aberdeenshire, and builds on earlier commitments to increased provision and a recruitment drive.
As a result of today's announcement, the Scottish Ambulance Service stands to benefit from a £5 million injection from the Scottish Government.
The new Peterhead ambulance will be available 24/7, with new crew being trained to get the vehicle on the road as soon as possible.
Speaking following the announcement, Banffshire & Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson said the news was 'fantastic'.
"Eilidh and I have been working closely with the Scottish Ambulance Service in recent months, following concerns from constituents that the service was being too thinly spread in the north-east, and response times were below target.
"I have been contacted by a number of constituents recently regarding the provision of Ambulance services in the North-east. I fully expect the increase in capacity, which has been funded by the Scottish Government, will improve the ability of the service to respond to calls in the town and surrounding area.
"This new ambulance won't only benefit Peterhead. The surrounding towns and villages will benefit from the knock on effect of the new vehicle, which will take pressure off the neighbouring stations."
Westminster MP, Eilidh Whiteford, added:
"It is great to hear that the Scottish Ambulance Service has allocated an additional Ambulance to Peterhead. I want to pay tribute to the local crews and members of the public who drew attention to the challenges facing the service, and who worked with us to make the case for additional resources."
The funding from the Scottish Government will also provide 50 Specialist Paramedics with enhanced clinical skills to allow them to work more autonomously with an extended range of medicines, offering more treatments in communities alongside GPs and other health professionals.
The initiative will also see more than 60 new staff recruited and trained for deployment in Ambulance Control Centres across Scotland.
Health Secretary, Shona Robison said:
"Our ambulance workers provide a first class service, often under challenging circumstance and we value their dedication extremely highly. This recruitment drive will enhance the service on offer, and ensure that staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, training and clinical support to be able to deliver even more care in the community.
"Through the 2016/17 budget we are investing an additional £11.4 million in the Scottish Ambulance Service, which will assist with the recruitment and training of more staff over the next five years. This will allow the ambulance service to be better prepared to meet future needs and demands."
Pauline Howie, Chief Executive, Scottish Ambulance Service, said:
"The continued investment in more frontline resources is fundamental to delivering our 'Towards 2020' strategy which aims to provide the most appropriate care to every patient, whether at home or in the hospital. This year's recruitment plan is the first phase of a 5 year programme that will enhance the clinical skills mix of our staff and introduce new ways of working to best meet the needs of patients in all of our communities."
The Service currently employs around 1300 Paramedics, 1100 Ambulance Technicians and 350 control room staff on frontline emergency operations.
Posted by Fred at Aberdeen Voice at 23:51	Tagged with: Economics, Finance, Holyrood, Parliament, Peterhead, Politics, SNP, Westminster
Petitioner Responds To Trump Debate
Aberdeen City, Featured, News 4 Responses »
With thanks to Suzanne Kelly.
Trump Ban Petitioner, Suzanne Kelly.
Suzanne Kelly launched the petition requesting that Donald Trump be banned from the UK for his hate speech, as so many others have before. An unprecedented number of signatures – 570,000 – triggered the Westminster debate.
The debate took place on Monday 18 January, which also happened to be Martin Luther King Day.
Suzanne said afterwards:
"It was a pleasure to see so many of the speakers condemn Mr. Trump and his hate speech. Some of those who spoke helpfully referred to the cases in the United States where people have committed violent acts or intended to, where Donald Trump's speech had been the clear source of inspiration."
"Teresa May still has it in her power to put the ban on Donald Trump; The Public Order Act 1986 has been used to ban over 80 people so far, and to me Mr. Trump's words put him squarely in that category in my opinion, and in the opinions of some of the MPs."
"It was surprising and disappointing to see that MP Paul Flynn, tasked with introducing the debate, decided to go to the media in advance of the debate and announce he was against the ban. I found that unethical, even though Flynn and the Petitions Committee apparently have no issue with it. I believe this sent a message to his party members and others to follow suit.
"Moreover, if the member of the Petitions Committee charged with introducing my petition and my points did not support them, how robust a job could he be expected to do? Initially Flynn told me not to contact him when I wrote to him with the details of the arguments in favour of the ban. He did not believe he should communicate with me because of his role on the committee. The Petitions Committee disagreed with him.
"What I found improper was his comments against any ban coming less than 24 hours before the debate. He hadn't done me the basic courtesy of letting me know he was speaking out about the petition in advance. Therefore I lost an opportunity to counter him. Flynn's amazingly idealistic concept of convincing Trump that multiculturalism works by taking Trump out to meet people is ridiculous.
"If Flynn has that little handle on Trump's make-up, then he was not the person to lead the discussions. While he made some of my points, I hardly thought his presentation looked or sounded robust. Perhaps the Petitions Committee might reconsider how a petition is introduced in future.
"Flynn's position was also that to ban Trump might potentially advantage him / make him seem a 'martyr' to some of his followers. I would have thought upholding British law would have come first to an MP. However it seems that second-guessing any potential outcomes of applying the law of the land overrides any duty to uphold the law for some.
"Thankfully some speakers were aware of the difference between hate speech and free speech. There were excellent points made by those who supported the petition. Others chose, somewhat disingenuously I thought, to decide that the requested ban on Trump was somehow an assault on Freedom of Speech. I wonder where those impassioned speakers were when it came to the 80+ people the UK has previously banned, and if they will now seek to overturn the historic bans against hate preachers.
"Some MPs seemed to fear that banning Trump was an attack on the US / that we should not meddle in US politics. How they came to the conclusion that this matter of UK law was less important than taking a stand against hate speech would be interesting to hear.
"However, virtually everyone who spoke had the harshest of words for Trump. 'Buffoon' seemed the word of the hour. It was good to see that there is a widespread condemnation of Trump's policies.
"Sarah Malone-Bates, Trump's spokesperson issued a statement which was to me feeble as well as hypocritical. She bemoaned the cost of this exercise to taxpayers, saying we were wasting valuable Parliamentary time. Perhaps it's a case of amnesia or ignorance, but with her employer dragging the Scottish taxpayer through every court in the land in his selfish desire to scupper an important offshore wind farm project, I think Malone-Bates would find that Trump has cost far more money and time than the debate did.
I think the desire of 570,000 people to have the debate is just a bit more important than Trump costing Aberdeenshire money, time, clean energy and work in the clean energy sector. She's claimed that 'hundreds of millions of pounds' are being 'pumped' by Trump into the Scottish economy.
"I've asked for sight of the proof of this wild claim; it's not forthcoming, nor is a response to my request to have a live debate with her on the issues, which still stands."
"I would like to thank the Petitions Committee administrators, who were very helpful throughout. Thanks too to the media for their interest and support. Thanks to Aberdeen Voice especially Fred Wilkinson, editor, and Julie Thompson who has worked on a number of stories with me. Gratitude goes to the MPs who understood the law and the purpose of the petition and who spoke eloquently; gratitude to those MPs opposed who nevertheless in some cases made useful comments.
"Finally, thanks very much to the people who took the time to sign this petition.
"Sometimes the system works. I see this petition and the debate as huge victories. Trump has lost his Global Scot status, his business is apparently no longer wanted in much of the Middle East; his honorary degree from Robert Gordon University was withdrawn, and Trump branded goods are being axed from shops. If this is a defeat for me, I'll live with it."
Posted by Fred at Aberdeen Voice at 14:30	Tagged with: Golf, Government, Muslim, Parliament, Petition, Politics, President, Racism, Trump, UK, USA, Westminster
Alex Salmond Responds To Donald Trump
Aberdeenshire, News 6 Responses »
With thanks to Tom Collins, Press Officer, Rt. Hon. Alex Salmond MP MSP
Alex Salmond has responded to the latest comments from Donald Trump. Referring to Mr Salmond as 'an embarrassment to Scotland' and a 'stupid man', Trump defended his purchase of Turnberry golf course and issued scathing criticism of Salmond pertaining to his support of windfarms, and the early release of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.
Mr Salmond said:
"The problem for Mr Trump lies not with his golf courses, but with him. The golf courses are excellent. 'The Donald' isn't.
"Unfortunately, his claims of the level of future investment in Scotland bear no resemblance to the reality of the last eight years. His ownership of Turnburry places it effectively out of The Open Championship circuit at a cost of £100 million to the Scottish economy. His legal objections to wind demonstrators in Aberdeen have thus far deprived the North East of Scotland of a vital £200 million diversification into offshore wind technology at a time of great difficulty in oil and gas.
"However, the real difficulty is his recent statements on Mexicans and Muslims, which go beyond the pale of acceptable comment and an association with him is increasingly damaging to Scotland. That is why over half a million people have signed the parliamentary petition seeking to ban him from the country!
"As far as his remarks to me are concerned, I have fought and won nine elections. Mr Trump has yet to win one.
"On his remarks about Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, he is out of date. Megrahi's release was in 2009. Since then, the SNP has won an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament and 56 seats out of 59 in a UK General Election. On Megrahi, Trump is like a cracked gramophone record playing in a digital age.
"Although, I have to admit it is very easy to issue statement after statement, tit for tat. I suggest instead Mr Trump calls into LBC next Wednesday at 16:00 (GMT), where he can ask me anything he likes. The number is +44 (0)345 60 60 973. If he has a beef I'll be happy to take his call. We'll see if debating here is as easy as debating over there!"
Posted by Fred at Aberdeen Voice at 23:43	Tagged with: Golf, Government, Muslim, Parliament, Petition, Politics, President, Racism, Scotland, SNP, Trump, UK, USA, Westminster
Trump Ban Petitioner Sums Up And Calls Out Opponents
Aberdeen City, News 6 Responses »
Suzanne Kelly, the woman behind the petition to the UK government to ban Trump, has released a summary statement supporting the requested ban. Her petition asks that Donald Trump be banned from the UK for hate speech, as has happened to some 80 people previously.
The petition will be debated on 18th January, along with a counter-petition. Kelly wants to ensure that everyone is aware of all the details.
The actual petition is limited to only a certain number of words by the Petitions Committee. Kelly understands the need for this, but is keen to get further details widely known before the debate.
Kelly is calling David Gladwin out, asking him to debate his pro-Trump petition with her prior to the Parliamentary debate. His petition reads:
"There are proposals to ban Donald Trump from the United Kingdom. At least, there's a petition on the topic. This is totally illogical."
"I've no idea who David Gladwin is, but I asked the UK Petitions Committee to ask him to get in touch. If his only argument is that the petition I started, signed now by an unprecedented 570,000 people, is 'totally illogical', let's get him to say why. I also understood that a large number of his petition's signatures were discounted, and I would like to know what he says about that, too.
"Trump's hate speech has visible, violent outcomes in America. A homeless Hispanic man was badly beaten in Boston; those who were arrested said words to the effect 'Donald Trump is right, we have too many immigrants.' William Celli is accused of trying to make pipe bombs and attack Muslims; he is a Trump supporter who said he would follow Trump 'to the end of the world.'
"I am particularly worried by Trump's statement that relatives of terrorists should be 'taken out'. He says nothing of trial, due process – he just calls for taking people out. Is this an incitement to violence? I believe so. It is as dangerous as his call – made after my petition went live – to ban all Muslims from ENTERING the USA. The US has between 3 to 7 million Muslim citizens.
"He has lumped every follower of this religion into a group he wants to monitor and control, and in so doing tars peaceful people with the same brush as the dangerous terrorist fanatic, I of course condemn terrorism. This is hate speech. This is not free speech. Free speech carries responsibilities; Mr Trump seems completely unaware of this.
"The UK Government now has 570,000 people wanting this ban. They have evidence that Trump's words have caused injury. They also have the unprecedented condemnation of Trump's Islamophobic statements by no less than the US Secretary of State and top Pentagon officials. We must ban him. I see no reason to treat a billionaire differently than we have treated those we have already banned.
"I would also suggest that people should go back and look at the Panorama programme 'The Trouble with Trump.' The BBC's investigations certainly seemed to link Donald Trump to an American underworld figure. Trump's position as I recall was that he couldn't always know who he was doing deals with. This adds to the ever-growing list of reasons I hope that America will not make him its next president."
"David Gladwin – or any Trump spokesperson, particularly local Sarah Malone-Bates at the Trump Menie Estate course, I challenge you to a debate before this petition. Let's hear your views on Trump's 'freedom' to ban travel based on religion, to 'take people out' for being related to terrorists (does this apply to William Celli's family I wonder?) and his 'freedom' to continuously, unrepentantly insult people based on race, religion or sex. I really cannot wait to hear your defence of the man."
Kelly has received a threat – someone wrote to Aberdeen Voice where she is a contributing writer, suggesting she should never leave the UK again as people want to get their hands on her – and that she could be put to work in a cotton field. Of the reaction to the petition Kelly says:
"I started this petition for my neighbours who were targets because of their religion and national origins, for my friends who were insulted because of their race, and my sisters, denigrated for being women. The huge number of signatures signals to me that people are weary of speech designed to drive wedges through communities. There have been far more kind words than threats.
"Donald Trump was stripped of his honorary degree at Robert Gordon University following a petition I started; their values did not match his. On the occasion of losing this degree, Trump said words to the effect he will be a 'smart and strong' president. I personally feel that the man has confused 'smart and strong' with manipulative and brutishly bullying."
Kelly has asked Aberdeenshire Council and the Trump International Golf Links Scotland to fix all outstanding planning breaches. This includes removing a giant bund of earth near Leyton Farm Cottage where it blocks the former views to the sea, Kelly finds it ironic that an organisation that wants to stop an offshore clean energy wind project for its visual impact would treat its neighbour in such a manner.
The bund now seems strongly implicated in the flood damage to the road and area by the cottage. Kelly also asked for immediate restoration of fishing access for farmer Michael Forbes. In the BBC Panorama programme 'the Trouble with Trump' Donald Trump Jr mocks Forbes for not fishing – his access to fish had long since been blocked by the Trump organisation.
Kelly expects a reply from the council on 13th January. The Trump organisation has refused to reply to date, or take requested remedial actions.