Top Scottish author Irvine Welsh wasted no words in slamming the Conservatives for riffing on the famous “choose life” Trainspotting poster as part of their election campaign.
In their version, the Conservatives listed their grievances with Nicola Sturgeon’s party, ending with “Choose life without the SNP”.
The Trainspotting author responded on social media in strong terms, writing: “Get f***ed you c****”.
Mr Welsh’s tweet was liked over 19,000 times and retweeted 2,500 times within about 12 hours.
‘Choose blaming the TOAAARIES’
In the poster the Conservatives list a number of failed SNP policies, such as ventilation in schools, drug death numbers, the failure to deliver two new ferries and handing out ferry contracts to overseas shipyards.
It also directly refers to Health Secretary Humza Yousaf by simply writing “Choose Humza” and references government blaming failures on the “TOAAARIES”.
It said: “Choose chopping up school doors.
“Choose ferries with painted on windows that don’t even float.
“Choose the ‘Saudi Arabia of renewables.
Choose life without the SNP.
Vote Scottish Conservative on May 5. pic.twitter.com/QAZHWgAlrO
— Scottish Conservatives (@ScotTories) April 4, 2022
“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 wasted on BiFab, Ferguson Marine and more.
“Choose state secrecy.”
Conservatives hit out at IndyRef2
As well as highlighting SNP policies the poster also references the party’s proposals to hold a second independence referendum in 2023.
It added: “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.”
The campaign poster ends by saying: “Choose another future. Choose life without the SNP.”
A number of Twitter users have replied to Mr Welsh’s tweet by making their own version of the poster, including one called “Toryspotting” and one that ends with “Choose lies”.
SNP hit back at Conservative poster
Following the Twitter storm, the SNP’s deputy Westminster leader Kirsten Oswald MP said: “Scotland has been choosing life without the Tories since 1955, yet under Westminster rule we have been subjected to decades of austerity, and now have the worst cost of living crisis in modern times.
“The Conservatives have failed to mention one local issue in their campaign which highlights why they’re plummeting in the polls.
“Instead of discussing ways to help families tackle the Tory-made cost of living crisis, they are posting fake Trainspotting lyrics on their social media channels.
“On May 5, a vote for the SNP is a vote to deliver stronger local services, and to send a clear message to the Tories that their lies, cronyism and hypocrisy will not be accepted in Scotland.”