With the Scottish Independence Referendum looming, there is
something that Alex Salmond does not want you to know. He does not really care
about Scotland all that much. That is unless you measure how much someone cares
about something by how much they are willing to sell it to destructive
billionaires. A Dangerous Game is something Salmond does not want you to see.
Neither does Donald Trump or Greg Norman.
A Dangerous Game is about self-professed environmental and
ecological expert Donald Trump. It is a documentary that reveals the destructive
impact of golf resorts for the super-rich worldwide. It follows up on You’ve
Been Trumped, which told the story of Donald Trump’s plans to build a massive
luxury golf resort in Aberdeenshire and one man’s battle that helped stop it. This
man Michael Forbes, a stereotypically strong willed and fiercely stubborn Scot,
was eventually awarded the ‘Top Scot Award’ trumping the likes of Andy Murray
and Billy Connolly to get it. A Dangerous Game branches out from Scotland and
explores the other areas Trump tries to infiltrate with his gold resorts,
places less able to stand up to him for one reason or another.
The film explores the potential destruction and that which
has already happened to the homes of both wildlife and humans alike. It makes
Trumps golf resort empire seem like a cancer, spreading into the world’s most
beautiful areas, both natural and manmade, such as UNESCO site Dubrovnik. And
it is not just the landscapes that suffer. The amount of water needed to
irrigate the world’s golf courses a day is enough to supply 80% of the world’s
population.
The developments turn vast natural beauty into bland patches
of grass, and those who dare to stand up to Trump and the developers are subject
to death threats and physical assault, a fate inflicted on some of the most
vocal Croatians that spoke out against the resorts. It is clear to see how much
the Croatian people did not want the beautiful city of Dubrovnik being turned
into a golf resort with twice as many voting against the plans than in the
entire European Parliament vote. It seems that many people worldwide see Donald
Trump as a poorly mannered bodily function. Rather noxious and leaves many of
those whom he comes into contact with revolted.
A Dangerous Game is a frightening insight into how money can
persuade even the most established democracies. It is very Michael Moore in
style and delivery and succeeds in ridiculing those who it opposes, although
not necessarily purposely, as people like Donald Trump generally succeed in
doing that themselves. Michael Forbes made sure Mr Trump felt as welcome in
Scotland as his namesake in a cramped elevator but other people are not as
fierce as Michael. There are only so
many beatings and threats some people can take before giving into a seemingly
losing battle.
If you are voting in the IndyRef on Thursday, A Dangerous
Game and You’ve Been Trumped are must watch films before you cast your vote and
even if not it is one that should be seen by all. Donald Trump has turned his
back on Scotland for now and is unleashing his tentacles elsewhere but what is
to say he will not return? A Yes vote might not just be a vote for
independence; it could be thumbs up to another Donald Trump, maybe even the man
himself. After all, in the words of Robert F. Kennedy: “There are Donald Trumps
everywhere – there are people like him in every country and in every
community.”
Check out the trailer for A Dangerous Game below.
