Trumpelstiltskin

This story continues as the Blogger Full Employment Act of 2015... We've got some fun lined up for you this morning, what say we start with the actual news:

Presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to lead polls in the U.S. In Britain,

however, he's now "three times a loser." 

That was the remark made by the Scottish National Party's foreign affairs spokesperson Alex Salmond following Trump losing a third and final legal battle to stop an off-shore wind farm from being built. Trump has been fighting the creation of the farm since he feels it hurts the views from his Trump International Golf Links in Balmedie.

Just to be clear, this is the course he built in Aberdeenshire on Scotland's East Coast.   A second course is just under way but he has held back from building the large resort property originally planned.

This news triggered the best instincts in both men, with Trump firing back in a completely unemotional fashion:

But the Trump Organisation hit back at Salmond in a pointed and characteristically colourful statement: “Does anyone care what this man thinks? He’s a hasbeen and totally irrelevant. The fact that he doesn’t even know what’s going on in his own constituency says it all ... He should go back to doing what he does best: unveiling pompous portraits of himself that pander to his already overinflated ego.”

To be fair, on the subject of overinflated egos our Donald is giving a Master Class.  Now, as these things go, the two once shared a metaphorical bed:

Our protagonists in happier times.

The two men were once warm allies, after Salmond backed Trump’s £750m development of the Menie golf resort in Aberdeenshire, and after planning permission had initially been refused by Aberdeenshire council.

But they fell out over plans for the windfarm, and the US property mogul, whose mother was Scottish, wrote a blistering open letter in 2012 that accused Salmond of being “hellbent on destroying Scotland’s coastline and therefore Scotland itself”. Trump, 69, did not appear in person at the supreme court for any of the hearings.

To be clear, the windfarms are monstrous, ruining far more than just the view, as they are also extremely loud and kill quite a few birds.  They also provide extremely expensive power, as they're output is intermittent and requires full back-up from conventional power generation sources.  and the Scots will see such costs on their electric bills.

Salmond unsurprisingly found some local allies, and the gloves came off:

Patrick Harvie, economy spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Glasgow, 

It is a shame to spoil this view, no?

said: “This crucial project has been delayed for too long by one rich climate change denier. This is the latest rejection for an irrational bully whose brand is increasingly toxic.”

Referring to earlier controversial comments made on the US campaign trail, Salmond also said of Trump: His behaviour and comments are unlikely to attract the votes of many Mexican Americans or Muslim Americans. Given his treatment of Scotland, Scots Americans are likely to join the ever growing list of people alienated by Trump.”

So the general state of play remains unchanged, as Trump's outlandish campaign posturings continue to simultaneously engage disaffected voters but cost his golf ventures.  Now comes curmudgeonly James Corrigan to remind us of why Trump has struck such a cord, with this rather improbable lede:

It is a long shot, but a golfer such as Mardan Mamat or Siddikur Rahman or Rahil Gangjee could yet qualify for the WGC Cadillac Championship at Doral in March and, who knows, even win and so be there on that 18th green holding the trophy and shaking hands with Donald Trump.

How would the Doral owner feel then? Congratulating a Muslim who Trump would believe should not have been allowed into the country until it had been made clear that, because of his religion, he does not represent a threat to national security?

Would Trump squirm, grovel, show a trace of humility? Nah, he would just shrug it off and bluster in that wretchedly arrogant manner of his.

James, we're very impressed that you could find three such names in the world of golf, but I've got a better chance of qualifying for that event than any of that group.  But he was just making a point, I get it....James continues in full lather using terms like dangerous individual and grotesque patronage sound for all the world like.... well, very much like the subject of his opprobrium.  But onward James rants:

To be honest, the PGA Tour and R&A should have acted already. I was originally of the opinion that Trump could be a good thing for the sport as he invested in resorts such as Doral and Turnberry which were in such danger of turning into faded glories. 

Even though he had accused Mexico “of bringing drugs, crime, rapists” into the US and even though he opined that “tremendous infectious disease is pouring across the border”, my suspicion was that the game should hesitate from taking the high ground.

Ummm James, the R&A hasn't give him an Open, so I'm a bit unclear on your accusations there.  But here's where he goes off the deep end:

But then, Trump so scandalously turned Turnberry - beautiful Turnberry - into part of his 

election trail at the Women’s British Open in August and the penny dropped. Seeing Lizette Salas, the daughter of two Mexican immigrants, being mobbed by news crews immediately after her first round was one of the most pitiful scenes I’ve seen in sport. 

Salas was there to compete, not to defend her heritage against Trump, but as soon as his helicopter whirred into view for all the publicity shots, it was inevitable she would be hounded.

OK, that was in fact unfortunate, but Salas handled herself well and the earth continued to orbit on its axis around the sun.  Most pitiful scene in sport?  Hardly a blip on the radar....

Yes, Trump was his usual bombastic self, sucking up as much oxygen as he could, item one on my list of reasons the R&A might not return to Turnberry.  But see how you react to this:

Never mind its image, golf first of all needs to protect its participants. It is a sport which claims to be global, for goodness sake, and which is making huge inroads in Asia including in the UAE where Trump unashamedly cosies up to the Sheikhs with his ongoing Dubai development. 

That is Trump’s integrity, right there. He wants their money but does not want them. It is time to rid this man from the sport, by complete disassociation.

Gee James, you know who else cosies up to Sheikhs?  Let's see, the Euro version of the FedEx Cup is called The Race to ______?  I'll give you a hint, it's a five-letter word that you yourself used above?  So, if that explicates Trump's integrity, how does it reflect on the parties that you're encouraging to banish him?  

But what most gets my blood a-boiling is that "Golf first needs to protect its participants" bit.  So you want golf to be a safe space where no controversy is allowed to intrude?  Like, for instance, Yale or Mizzou?  

Regular readers know that I'm no fan of Trump, but I'm even less of a fan of the paternalistic attitude that informs us that our betters will protect us.  They've done a horrible job of doing so, and their attitude has produced Trump, as a healthy subset of the population gives its elites the middle finger.  More of this nonsense and I might actually warm up to the guy...