AUTHOR Irvine Welsh has posted a strongly worded response to the UK Government’s Pick For Britain ad campaign – which certainly seems to have taken some inspiration from one of his best-known novels.
The iconic “Choose Life” section which features in the Trainspotting novel, and the film adaptation’s famous opening scene, was clearly influential for the Pick for Britain campaign.
The scheme aims to get people out picking fruit and veg during the coronavirus crisis. The UK Government unveiled the campaign earlier this week as farmers faced a shortage of foreign workers who usually come to the UK to pick crops.
Now the campaign has released its new advert with support from supermarket Waitrose – and it bears a strong resemblance to Welsh’s famed lines.
I see the government is ripping off @IrvineWelsh now. pic.twitter.com/YDHcowqMjJ
— Mic Wright (@brokenbottleboy) May 21, 2020
The poster reads: “Pick getting out of the house. Pick rain. Pick shine. Pick fruit and veg. Pick tired limbs and aching muscles. Pick early mornings and bleary eyes. Pick a hard day’s graft. Pick the sun on your back and the dirt under your nails …”
It concludes: “Pick for Britan.”
The Trainspotting novel reads: “Choose life. Choose mortgage payments; choose washing machines; choose cars; choose sitting oan a f**** couch watching mind-numbing and spirit-crushing game shows …”
Poet Mic Wright posted the image of the Pick for Britain ad on Twitter, as well as a TV advert version, and added: “I see the government is ripping off @IrvineWelsh now.”
Welsh reposted it, adding: “Just when you thought the c**** could not sink any lower...”
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it doesn’t appear Welsh sees it that way.
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