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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Kathleen Speirs

Irvine Welsh slams Tories after party uses 'Choose Life' Trainspotting speech for promo poster

Irvine Welsh has lambasted the Scottish Conservatives after they created their own version of the iconic Trainspotting 'Choose Life' speech for a promotional poster.

The author used choice words to slam the Tories for basing their pre-election graphic on one of the film's most well-known scenes.

Irvine Welsh was furious and took to social media to vent (TWITTER)

Welsh, 63, shared the tweet and wrote, 'Get f****d you c***s' on Monday night.

The controversial spiel from the Conservatives was preceded by a tweet which read: "Choose life without the SNP.

"Vote Scottish Conservative on May 5."

The graphic in full read: “Choose chopping up school doors.

“Choose ferries with painted on windows that don’t even float.

“Choose the ‘Saudi Arabia of renewables’.

“Choose blaming the TOAAARIES.

“Choose Humza.

“Choose an investment banker pretending to be a ‘humble crofter’.

“Choose ships built in Eastern Europe.

“Choose a Car Park Tax.

“Choose Named Persons.

“Choose the Hate Crime Bill.

“Choose the worst drug deaths in Europe.

“Choose decriminalising heroin.

“Choose millions water on BiFab, Ferguson Marine and more.

“Choose state secrecy.

“Choose division

“Choose nationalism.

“Choose flags.

“Choose more flags.

“Choose a hard border with your neighbours.

“Choose pensions paid for by taxpayers in a country you want to leave.

“Choose a £12 billion deficit on day one.

“Choose a country stuck, endlessly going over the same arguments we had in 2014.”

Uttered by Ewan McGregor who plays Trainspotting protogonist, Renton, the Choose Life speech is read over a scene where the addict is seen running through Edinburgh city centre in the 1996 box office hit.

Critics hailed the scene for capturing the feeling of many disenfranchised Scots in the mid-nineties; when unemployment and substance abuse was rife.

Followers were quick to defend Welsh amid his online late-night rant who is a long-standing critic of the Scottish Conservatives.

Writer Jack Monroe wrote: "The f*****g audacity, my God."

Sean Campbell added: "How dare they, man."

And W.J Boyle commented: "Well said Mr Welsh.

"I don’t often condone bad language on Twitter, but, needs must."

It comes just weeks before Scots go to the polls on May 5 for the local council elections.

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