With Donald Trump in the news tonight, I am reminded of an article in Liberator 328 (that link will download a PDF: scroll down to pp. 28-9) from September 2008.
Written by former collective member Gina Ford, it tells how her husband Martin had a motion of no confidence in him as the Liberal Democrat chair of Aberdeenshire Council's Infrastructure Services Committee after he used his casting vote to turn down a planning application from Donald Trump.
That application was for 500 houses for sale, 950 holiday apartments, a 450 bed hotel and two championship golf courses and would cause serious damage to a site of special scientific interest.
When the motion was moved, the Lib Dem leader of the council, the provost and 14 other Lib Dem councillors abstained.
After Martin Ford had been removed, the planning application was called in by the SNP Scottish government, a public inquiry was held and the development was approved.
Something to remember as we Lib Dems are shocked by Trump or laugh at his travails.
What a strikingly good issue of Liberator that was - full of sound analysis and good ideas - and of course the article referred to. ALDC should use the Trump application and how it was handled by the LibDem Group as a training case study on what can go wrong if you give in to pressure to go against your principles.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of good stuff in the Liberator archives. I must dig more of it out.
ReplyDeleteReminds me that I met Martin Ford (and other key anti-Trump people) at the memorable "Meni March" in June 2011 - see photos here
ReplyDeleteMartin's own account is downloadable here -http://www.andywightman.com/docs/martin_ford_ch.pdf.
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