John Swinney's approach to Donald Trump didn't look good for Scotland
On the global stage, Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement marks a surrender in the fight against climate breakdown – one of the greatest human rights threats of our time – as we now cross the grim milestone of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. Meanwhile, his sanctions on International Criminal Court officials have sent a chilling message that Israel is above international law, as we watch it carry out a live streamed genocide in Gaza.
By undermining the institutions that uphold and advance human rights, Trump has compounded the damage done by other leaders and accelerated our plunge into a brutal new era of authoritarian practices and corporate greed.
READ MORE: John Swinney gives statement after Donald Trump meeting – read in full
Yet on Friday, he stepped off Air Force One to a warm welcome from the UK Government.
'I hope you're looking forward to a bit of downtime with some golf this weekend,' Murray reportedly told him.
Perhaps the Scottish Government would take a firmer stance? The initial signs weren't promising.
On Saturday, hundreds gathered in protest at Trump's visit. As speakers described the horrors of genocide in [[Gaza]] fuelled by the 2000-pound bombs the United States sends to Israel, we learned that First Minister John Swinney had written a cheque for £180,000 of Scottish public money for Donald Trump's Aberdeenshire hotel to host a golf tournament. Swinney insisted the funding would 'help drive economic growth and contribute to environmental sustainability while promoting Scotland through global profile.'
But the First Minister should know better. Almost two decades ago as Finance Secretary he intervened to save Trump's controversial golf course development at the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire after local councillors rejected it. What followed should have been a cautionary tale the Government never forgot.
It's all documented expertly in the film "You've Been Trumped". The thousands of jobs promised never materialised – some estimates put the true number as low as 81. Trump's hostility to press freedom was made plain in his treatment of the film's director Anthony Baxter: 'I want real journalists … it's only questions like you ask that cause trouble'. Trump's development, approved against the advice of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, irreversibly damaged protected sand dunes that were home to wildlife and helped guard against coastal erosion. Molly Forbes, a 90-year old local resident, lived without access to clean water for years because a billionaire wanted a golf course.
Scotland's 'global reputation' was cynically used to justify this disgrace. One Aberdeen Business School professor asked a protester objecting to Trump's attempts to force the sale of the homes neighbouring his development: 'Have you seen some of the ramshackle dumps … do you think that does any good to the vision of Scotland throughout the world?'
Sadly, Swinney's decision to open the public purse for Trump's [[Aberdeen]]shire course suggests the lesson still hasn't sunk in. It sent an alarming message that despite Scotland's previous experience with Trump and despite the authoritarian practices on full display in his current administration – the [[Scottish Government]] is still open for business.
By Monday any hope that the First Minister would rise to the occasion had largely evaporated. On social media he set out the issues he intended to raise with Trump. Among tariffs, trade and whisky was [[Gaza]]. There should be a significant increase in aid, an urgent ceasefire, and recognition of the state of Palestine as part of a viable two-state solution he said, failing completely to set himself apart from the limited position occupied by Keir Starmer earlier in the day. He left his bilateral with Trump on Tuesday morning praising the president's "pleasant company".
READ MORE: The National Trump front page sold out – so you can buy it as a poster
The First Minister clearly needs to decide what his vision for Scotland's global reputation is. Trying to do business with Trump while being seen as a principled global actor is like trying to ride two horses galloping in opposite directions.
We're undeniably at a critical juncture for human rights, but there is hope. The residents of the Menie Estate took Trump on in a David and Goliath battle and saved their homes against the odds. Similarly, those protesting over the weekend – and I believe many more people in Scotland won't stand by quietly while rights are violated and the world becomes a more unequal and dangerous place.
To fall for the suggestion that the global rise in authoritarian practices and dismantling of human rights is inevitable would be the greatest gift we could give leaders like Trump. If our own political leaders remain silent at this critical juncture, that is a choice we must judge them upon, but we can also make our own choices.
If everyone who cares about justice and equality makes their voice heard, even in small ways, we can turn the tide.
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