What President Trump said

Probably quite a few people turned off news this week as president Trump was in the UK, notably in Scotland.

Trump Golf Enterprises (or whatever they are called) has several courses in Scotland, notably Turnbury and in Aberdeenshire.

The ones in Aberdeen elicited enormous opposition (for all the usual reasons) but in fact they have been very successful. 

The biggest bone of contention was a windfarm just off the shore that means the  11 ( yes just 11) turbines totally ruin the outlook. It was used to try to stop the golf courses and was supposed to be proof of concept. Which in itself is ridiculous because there are thousands all over the place that work perfectly well.

So what was this supposed to prove? How cheaply they could be run? Well, sadly not. For reasons – dare I say it – of petty jealousy and arrogant entitlement, it received an average price of £256.8/MWh. The average wholesale electricity price in the UK in 2023 was £94.17/MWh. So nearly three times the average . But it gets worse. 65% of its income comes from subsidies. That means that “ordinary working people” are paying for the entitled elites’ prejudices and then some.

Trump described it as “a con job” which it manifestly is. The real trouble is that these insane economics are what Ed Milliband thinks make sense. Various august bodies are puzzled that the UK economy isn’t doing better. I’m not. Syphon money away from economic, profitable organisations and nothing grows.

The other thing Trump said (apart from basically telling Starmer he was an idiot and The Mayor of London was a moron) was that North Sea Oil was a jewel for the UK and should be exploited. Surprise surprise, Labour and the SNP have completely stopped any exploration for stupid ideological reasons and guess what? The oil companies decided NOT to invest billions in the UK, but to move the wagon on. He correctly pointed out that exploiting  UK nayional waters could REDUCE energy costs across the board, not only for households, but for businesses as well. And even the Government would benefit – massive new levies and exploration licence sales. But no – the attitude is ossified into stasis. Oh and it makes everything more expensive.

The trouble with all this is that it begats a downward spiral. And we are in it. I had to laugh when I read that 65% of the teenagers to whom Starmer has given the vote don’t want to live in the UK. And why would they? They can go to lots of places that tax them less, where they can get paid more and still have a better life. And again this is perverse. They raised the age of sexual consent to 18 (and if you believe that’s going to work I’m sorry for you) but LOWERED the age of eligibility to vote. Really?

The final thing he said (well not really, but I’ve ranted long enough) was to take the Independence referendum off the table for 50 years. Absolutely right. Who would invest in Scotland when its Government makes a mess of everything and wants to cut itself off from its major financial backer? With utterly exquisite timing, the Scottish First Minister (a misnomer if ever there was one) announced yet another conference to debate Independence. I despair.

Now I now Trump is a very polarising person – Marmite doesn’t begin to describe him. But I’ve said it before – he is a businessman who KNOWS what creates growth and generates profits. And yes I know his track record is not unblemished, but which businessman’s  is? It’s time the elites started listening and stopped dismissing economic truths.

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