Latest news with #You'veBeenTrumped
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Leo DiCaprio film to make Scottish debut at Montrose cinema
It will serve as the closing film of the LandxSea festival, which will be held at the 'state of the art' community run cinema in Montrose between the 12th and 14th of September. Twenty-two independent films from Scotland and across the world will also be screened at the festival, which has been curated by director Rachel Caplan and You've Been Trumped documentarian Anthony Baxter. A range of workshops are also held during the festival. (Image: Supplied) Caplan said: "This year's theme, Creative Ground, celebrates the vital role artists play in helping us navigate a changing climate. From Indigenous sci-fi to luminous orchestral film, the programme reflects our belief that imagination is essential for transformation.' BAFTA Scotland award-winner Baxter, who co-founded the festival in 2023, added: "It's incredible to see LandxSea grow into a national platform for environmental cinema, based right here in Montrose. We're proud to bring stories that inspire change to audiences of all ages." Yanuni tells the story of Juma Xipaia, an indigenous Brazilian activist who has survived six assasination attempts from illegal miners and loggers. Xipaia, who became the first female chief in her region at the age of 24, told Yale Environment 360: 'These miners and loggers are heavily armed. They have no problem with threatening us. They want confrontation. And we are afraid.' The activist, who attended COP26 in Glasgow three years ago, added: 'There were 40 leaders from Brazil and the majority were women. The only reason there were so many of us was because there was a very large mobilization that started with us, that came from our organizations. 'It's not because we were invited or brought to this climate discussion, so much so that during the discussion itself, during the decision-making, there was no participation of any traditional peoples. 'Others decided. They decided about our lives. They talked about our forests. They made decisions about our futures without our direct participation.' 'I believe there needs to be greater involvement of the people,' she said. 'It needs to be democratized.' Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the film's films to be screened at the festival include Lost For Words, which has been described as 'a poetic journey across Britain's landscapes and seasons,' as well as Future Council, which follows the experiences of eight children across the world and their fight to hold business leaders accountable. Lowland Kids, a film about America's 'first climate refugees' will make its Scottish premiere, as well as North Sea, Nature Untamed, which depicts the North Sea from the perspective of underwater cameraman Peter van Rodijnen. A family-friendly soundtrack workshop, live music, and a 'bracing' North Sea swim will also be held during the three day event. The 50-year-old DiCaprio has long spoken out on environmental issues, dating back to 1998, when he founded a non-profit aimed at supporting climate initiatives. In June, the Academy Award winning actor welcomed the premiere of Yanuni, writing on Instagram: 'The Amazon may feel far away, but its fate is tied to ours. I'm proud to help bring Juma Xiapaia's story to life in Yanuni to showcase her work in protecting forests, culture and community in the Brazilian Amazon. 'These forests play a critical role in regulating the global climate through their vast biodiversity and are upheld by the Indigenous communities who have inhabited these lands for centuries. 'Their destruction by extractive industries isn't just an environmental issue, it's a human one.' Read more: Crown Office warned of human rights violations over Palestine Action crackdown Long Covid charities quit working group over Scottish Government 'failure' Scottish activists in free speech row after Palestine Action proscription DiCaprio added: 'Our goal is for Yanuni to build powerful momentum behind Juma's mission—affirming the sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples and recognizing the Brazilian rainforest, along with the megadiverse forests of Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as vital to the survival of our planet. 'In November when world leaders will gather for COP30 in the Amazon with an opportunity to pass two critical initiatives – establishing the Tropical Forests Forever Fund and urging countries to join the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment – we hope they will honor Juma's indelible words: 'The forest is our mother; she feeds us even when we forget to thank her.'' Tickets to all screenings of LandxSea go on sale on Thursday at 12 pm at
The National
30-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
John Swinney's approach to Donald Trump didn't look good for Scotland
In 2019, Murray backed a House of Commons motion accusing Trump of 'misogynism, racism and xenophobia'. Fast forward six years and Trump's second administration has turbocharged a global rollback of human rights. In the US, it has carried out enforced disappearances, halted protections for abortion patients facing violence, and signed executive orders steeped in white supremacist ideology. 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.
Scotsman
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Why Donald Trump's mother's birthplace has a lesson for Scotland in dealing with US President
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... For anyone requiring a shorthand guide to the character of Donald John Trump, nothing has improved on Anthony Baxter's superb 2011 documentary film 'You've Been Trumped' about how he secured the land and consents required to build his golf course on Menie Estate. It's all there – ruthlessness, vanity, venality, bullying, bombast, contempt for the rights of those he perceives as lesser mortals... None of that is open to dispute. Neither, at the time, was the sycophancy of the Scottish Government or Robert Gordon University, which gave him an honorary degree and then made itself look even dafter by taking it away again. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad That was then and this is now. The personal characteristics show no sign of having changed. Like it or not, however, the same Donald John Trump is now President of the United States, elected for the second time with the votes of 77 million people. We might deplore it from afar but we also have to lump it. The American people have spoken. A rare sign of protest against Donald Trump in Stornoway, Lewis, in April. He is usually just ignored (Picture: Andy Buchanan) | AFP via Getty Images Trump loves denunciations As ever, it is necessary to separate the office from the person and righteous indignation from diplomacy. Self-interest as well as common courtesy dictates that Trump should be treated with the respect his office commands and also that his 'personal visit' should be taken at face value. If we wonder why he is back in Scotland, we should not forget the zeal with which his investment and brand were pursued in the first place. And if he wants to dedicate a memorial garden to his mother, then maybe he should be allowed to do just that with as little politicisation as is realistically possible. Respect, of course, does not mean acquiescence. It just means civility. I suspect that only a pretty small minority of Scots want to see next week's visit turned into a circus and for anyone who plans to make it one, the relevant question is: 'Who gains?' Trump is well accustomed to demonstrations and denunciations. He loves them. What he's much less used to is being ignored. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I am not naïve enough to think that is going to happen and everyone has a right to protest. There are myriad grounds for not liking Trump or his policies. However, there also many reasons why it is the interests of Scotland and the UK to maintain a decent relationship, as events of the past few months have confirmed. Donald Trump is due to visit Scotland next week (Picture: Tasos Katopodis) | Getty Images Jobs depend on diplomacy When Keir Starmer had his initial meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, John Swinney was straight out the traps to denounce the offer of a state visit, a treat for poor old King Charles which is yet in store. That's the difference between grandstanding without responsibility and the realpolitik which diplomacy demands. Starmer was, of course, right to play every diplomatic card in the interests of establishing a relationship which would protect the UK from Trump's trade jingoism at that time. It is greatly to the benefit of Scottish industries that he did so, rather than following more excitable advice, and the trade deal which followed seems to mean that we will escape the worst of tariffs. Not a bad trade-off for the flummery of a state visit. People's jobs depend on diplomacy, not denunciation. There is also the difficulty that if policies could be separated from personality, Scotland's views on Trump might be more nuanced than assumed. For example, the 'Stop Trump Coalition' is 'encouraging all those who can to come to Aberdeen to show Trump exactly what we in Scotland think of him'. But who are these 'we in Scotland' – or more specifically in Aberdeen? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There are probably far more in the north-east who agree, than disagree, with Trump's insistence that there is life left in the North Sea, which it makes no sense to abandon for as long as we are gas dependent (ie, the Norwegian policy). The fact Trump is saying that does not make it wrong and if his meetings encourage both Scottish and UK Governments to think again, it would be no bad thing. While that does not need to be linked to his irrational hatred of 'windmills', there is no shortage of doubters about whether the 'just transition' which was promised is actually happening. The beneficiaries of failing to acknowledge any of that will be exactly the forces which Trump has aligned himself to in this country, in the person of Nigel Farage, which would doubtless fill the 'Stop Trump Coalition' with equal horror. Learning from Lewis Maybe the rest of Scotland has a lesson to learn from Lewis which has had to deal with the Trump enigma for longer than anyone else. With any less divisive figure than Trump, it would be a matter of great pride that the President of the United States is the son of an economic migrant who followed the American dream while always maintaining her links with the island. The politics of Trump – and not least his treatment of economic migrants – have long since made that impossible. There are no Trump Trails in Lewis, as there might be in Ireland. Cruise liners full of American tourists arrive and leave without any knowledge of the close connection to the White House. It is something that exists but is neither celebrated nor denounced. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Similarly, nobody can deny the authenticity of Trump's connection to Scotland or the possibility that it is something, however deeply concealed, which actually matters to him. The primary purpose of his visit is to dedicate a second golf course and a garden to the memory of his Macleod mother. Maybe just this once, we should cut Domhnall Iain Trump a bit of slack and let the occasion pass.
