Lesley Riddoch

Riddoch Questions, Friday 7th November - BBC Radio Scotland 1.15pm

Lesley’s guests on Riddoch Questions this week are Councillor Martin Ford - the man who said no to Donald Trump as former Head of Planning in Aberdeenshire; Zin Craig, American social commentator and staunch Republican; and Iain Macwhirter, the political journalist and broadcaster.

Making the headlines so far this week:

• BARACK OBAMA – America’s elected its first black president. Now the really hard work begins – how will he deal with an economic crisis, two wars and fulfilling the hopes and dreams of the millions of Americans who voted for him?

• GLENROTHES BY-ELECTION – Has the SNP triumphed again? Or is Brown still bouncing in Fife? Is it local or national issues which have shaped the voters choice? What does the result mean for Holyrood and Westminster?

• DONALD TRUMP – the American tycoon’s finally got the green light for his plans for a £1 billion golf resort in Aberdeenshire. But is he living in the land the credit crunch forgot? Will anyone want to move to a luxury home on the chilly north-east coast? Will golfers really flock to the ‘world’s biggest course’? And what does the decision mean for a planning system designed to protect Scotland’s environmentally sensitive areas?

Email your questions on these stories now to riddoch@bbc.co.uk. Add your phone number if you want to put the question in person. On Friday text your views to 80295 and call 0500 92 95 00.

Donald's luck

Donald Trump's plans for an exclusive golf enclave in Scotland have been rubberstamped despite environmental concerns

Click here to read more.

Ross is simply too 'big' to let others have a look in

Why do I say these things?

Rarely has a book title been more fitting. On the front cover, Jonathan Ross sits in a trademark Italian suit and expensive shirt, smiling as his hair is ruffled by one of three monkeys – hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil. The latter has his hairy paws clamped across Britain’s best paid mouth. Lately the monkeys must’ve been taking time off.

On the back of the £10 autobiography there are no endorsements of any kind - celebrity, media or literary. Just the following self-penned words, (shortened for space and interest.)

“I’ve been asked to speak on subjects as diverse as British sausages, Boy Scouts, gardening, the Olympics and wind farms. Clearly I have no expertise in any of these areas, but that’s not to say I don’t enjoy holding ill-informed opinions on matters of great importance. Even when every sensible bone in my body tells me to shut up....”