Michael Forbes (born circa 1952) is a farmer, part-time

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

fisherman A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or recreati ...

and

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...

worker from near

Balmedie Balmedie ( gd, Baile Mheadhain) is a large village in Aberdeenshire in Scotland. It lies north of the city of Aberdeen, in the civil parish of Belhelvie. The long and wide beach is bordered by an extensive dune system that stretches from Aber ...

in Aberdeenshire,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, who became known after his refusal to sell his land to

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

for a golf course and resort.

Biography

Forbes rose to fame for refusing to sell his land to Donald Trump, who was planning to build an extensive luxury

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

complex in the area with assistance from the

Scottish First Minister The first minister of Scotland ( sco, heid meinister o Scotland; gd, prìomh mhinistear na h-Alba ) is the head of the Scottish Government and keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. The first minister chairs ...

Alex Salmond Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond (; born 31 December 1954) is a Scottish politician and economist who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure on the Scottish nationalist movement, he has served as leader ...

Forbes's farm, which is said by Trump to be in a state of disrepair, has the words "NO GOLF COURSE" painted on a shed. Forbes refused Trumps offer of a one-time payment of £450,000 in addition to a yearly salary of £50,000 for an unspecified job. The plans to build the golf complex were rejected in late November 2007 by

Aberdeenshire Council Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area includ ...

but were later called in by the Scottish Government, which approved the project in November 2008. Forbes has been compared to the beachcomber character in the film '' Local Hero''.

The Trump Organization The Trump Organization is a group of about 500 business entities of which Donald Trump is the sole or principal owner. Around 250 of these entities use the Trump name. The organization was founded in 1927 by Donald Trump's paternal grandmother ...

at one point threatened to try to use a

compulsory purchase order A compulsory purchase order (CPO; , ) is a legal function in the United Kingdom and Ireland that allows certain bodies to obtain land or property without the consent of the owner. It may be enforced if a proposed development is considered one for p ...

to forcibly remove him and his family from their land, as well as other nearby residents. Trump claimed that Forbes' property was a slum that would spoil the view from his new hotel. Forbes retorted that Trump can "take his money and shove it up his arse." The Tripping Up Trump Campaign was formed to challenge the Trump Organization on the issue. Hundreds of people bought small interests in Forbes' property and became co-owners, with the intention of making it more difficult to transfer the title to the land.

Awards

In 2012, Forbes won the 'Top Scot' award at the

Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards The Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards are annual awards given to notable Scottish people. It is sponsored by the Scotch whisky company Glenfiddich, in association with The Scotsman newspaper. Nine awards are given out for art, business, envir ...

, provoking Trump to criticise

Glenfiddich Glenfiddich () is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky produced by William Grant & Sons in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic ''Gleann Fhiodhaich'' meaning "valley of the deer", which is ...

, calling it a "terrible embarrassment to Scotland".

In popular culture

Forbes and his struggle with Trump featured in the 2011 documentary ''

You've Been Trumped ''You've Been Trumped'' is a 2011 documentary by British filmmaker Anthony Baxter. The film documents the construction of a luxury golf course on a beach in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by developer Donald Trump and the subsequent struggl ...

'', directed by Anthony Baxter and produced by Richard Phinney. His portrait by

Alicia Bruce Alicia Bruce is an Edinburgh-based photographer, lecturer and freelance educator. Early life and education Bruce was born in Aberdeen in 1979. She studied Photography, Film and Imaging at Edinburgh Napier University, graduating in 2006. Care ...

with his wife, Sheila, is held in the National Galleries of Scotland collection. Forbes was also featured on the HBO news magazine, ''

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel ''Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel'' is a monthly sports news magazine on HBO. Since its debut on April 2, 1995, the program has been presented by television journalist and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel. Overview Format Each episode consists of fou ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, Michael 1952 births Living people Scottish farmers People from Balmedie Real estate holdout

Biography

Awards

In popular culture

See also

References