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Spectator
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Tedious, lazy and pretentious – Irvine Welsh's Men in Love is a disgrace
There are 32 years between the publication of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting and his Men in Love – a gap roughly equivalent to that between Sgt. Pepper and 'Windowlicker' by Aphex Twin. Perhaps three cultural generations. It is disturbing, therefore, to find Welsh still pumping out further sequels to his spectacular literary debut. But whereas that had verbal fireworks, razor-sharp dialogue, superb character ventriloquism and a fearless examination of Scottish moral rot, Men in Love is – let's be frank – tedious, lazy, pretentious and simply bad writing. Under the influence of American Psycho, Welsh has had characters narrating their fleeting perceptions since Filth (1998), in the hope that accumulation will create meaning. But where Bret Easton Ellis is satirising the vicious lizard-brain petulance of the 1 per cent, Welsh now simply takes you with the narrator on increasingly pointless journeys. The result is entire chapters that feel redundant and anti-plots that seem to build to something before ending in irritating anti-climaxes. (The Renton-Begbie confrontation in 2002's Porno was so bad that I wondered whether a refusal to climax was a meta joke.) Trainspotting vibrated with malevolent vernacular energy, but the prequels and sequels have seen Welsh lose his ventriloquial gift. This was already apparent in Porno, where Nikki's speech at the end was pure authorial intervention as she tells us What It All Meant. From Skagboys (2012) onwards, Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and even Begbie have been articulating their thoughts in increasingly florid sentences, as if Welsh were trying to impress us with his new-found vocabulary. But it doesn't impress. Of course, part of the pleasure of reading Welsh was how he combined the demotic and the cerebral. But the writing in Men in Love can be as clumsy and self-regarding as undergraduate poetry. For instance, Spud thinks that 'she should pure huv the vocabulary tae express hersel withoot recourse tae foul language'. Without recourse, aye? The once-fearsome Begbie, meanwhile: Now he was outside and it was Saturday, drifting into late afternoon, a time Begbie found replete with opportunities for violence. Potential adversaries were out, some since Friday after work. Many of those boys acquiring the delicious bold-but-sloppy combination that would service his chaotic outpourings. He found them replete, did he? He had chaotic outpourings, did he? And the sex writing – 'in languid, ethereal movements she groans in soft tones', for example – is excruciating. Another key weakness of Men in Love is how many earlier beats it replays. Sick Boy is involved with porn films and pimping; women magically fall under his spell; and he outplays a privileged male competitor (this time his father-in-law, a Home Office civil servant). Renton gets into nightclubs and DJ-ing. Spud is a romantic loser. Begbie is still psychotically aggressive. All of which we've seen in Porno, The Blade Artist and Dead Men's Trousers. The record is stuck. The heartbreaking thing is there's a good novel to be written about the punk/smack generation of the early 1980s encountering the ecstasy love-buzz period as the decade progressed. But Welsh has signally failed to tackle any of that. He could have taken them to Ibiza, the Hacienda or Spike Island, or considered the achievements and failures of the Love Generation Mk II. But no. It's another lazy retread. The impression one gets from Men in Love is that of Fat Elvis, sweating and unknowingly self-parodic in Las Vegas. Welsh desperately needs an editor with the guts to tell him this schtick isn't working any more. To quote Melody Maker on David Bowie: 'Sit down, man, you're a fucking disgrace.'
Scottish Sun
25-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Scottish housebuilder axes more than 20 jobs as employees face ‘worry and uncertainty'
It is the second time in two years the firm has been forced to make redundancies JOBS AT RISK Scottish housebuilder axes more than 20 jobs as employees face 'worry and uncertainty' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SCOTTISH housebuilding firm is set to axe more than 20 jobs as its employees face "worry and uncertainty". Scotia Homes, based in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, announced it will make the cuts following £2.5million in pre-tax losses. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Scotia Homes announced that it is set to axe up to 25 jobs Credit: Alamy The firm has built homes across northeast Scotland and beyond for over three decades and currently employs 168 people. This is the second time in two years Scotia Homes has been forced to make redundancies. Joint managing director Richard Begbie said the decision to downsize was in response to "current market conditions". Up to 25 jobs are under threat - the majority of which will be made at head office. Mr Begbie told The Press and Journal: "As widely reported, the housebuilding sector is currently facing significant challenges due to a range of external factors. "In response to these market conditions, we are taking proactive steps to ensure the continued strength of our business. "As part of this strategy, we are proposing changes to our workforce structure. We deeply value the contributions of our team, and this decision has not been made lightly. "Scotia Homes remains dedicated to delivering quality homes and building vibrant communities, and these changes will help position us for future growth and continued success in a rapidly evolving market. "It is anticipated that those affected by redundancy will be less than 25 employees." Gordon and Buchan Tory MP Harriet Cross said: "I'm deeply concerned by these redundancies at Scotia Homes and the impact this could have on construction across the north-east. Homebase is set to close ten of its stores, which will soon be taken over by a major supermarket chain "More immediately, this announcement will bring worry and uncertainty for the employees at Scotia whose jobs are at risk, and I hold them in my thoughts at this time. "As one of the biggest house builders in the region, this announcement underlines the significant issues facing the sector, with challenging market conditions causing financial difficulties. "Towns such as Ellon rely on the employment of companies such as Scotia and a local firm making cutbacks like this is a real blow to the area. "I will now be seeking a meeting with the company to discuss this decision and what actions can be taken to mitigate any future job losses.'
The National
25-06-2025
- Business
- The National
Aberdeenshire housebuilding firm to axe up to 25 jobs
Scotia Homes, based in Ellon, said the decision to make some of its workforce redundant is due to 'significant challenges' facing the housebuilding sector. It's the second time in two years that Scotia Homes, which employs around 168 people, has been forced to make redundancies. Joint managing director Richard Begbie said the redundancies were in response to 'current market conditions', the Press and Journal reported. READ MORE: Closure of Alexander Dennis would be 'catastrophic' for Falkirk area, MSPs told Begbie said the decision for the latest round of job cuts was not taken lightly and will predominantly be made at their head office and not from its team of trades. He said: 'As widely reported, the housebuilding sector is currently facing significant challenges due to a range of external factors. 'In response to these market conditions, we are taking proactive steps to ensure the continued strength of our business. 'As part of this strategy, we are proposing changes to our workforce structure. We deeply value the contributions of our team, and this decision has not been made lightly. 'Scotia Homes remains dedicated to delivering quality homes and building vibrant communities, and these changes will help position us for future growth and continued success in a rapidly evolving market. 'It is anticipated that those affected by redundancy will be less than 25 employees.' The firm has been building homes in the north and north-east of Scotland for more than 30 years and has current developments in Kintore, Tarves, Aviemore, Arbroath, Blairgowrie and Brechin. Scotia Homes acquired fellow Ellon-based firm timber kit manufacturer Caledonia Homes for nearly £4.2 million in 2022. The firm was previously controlled by the Bruce family, but the firm is now 95% owned by Camlin Group, a joint venture of property entrepreneurs Bruce Linton and David Cameron, who took over Scotia Homes in 2020.
The Age
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Age
Perth private school sounds alarm over ‘dangerous' children's crossing
Traffic wardens are refusing to work at a 'dangerous' children's crossing servicing a West Australian private school, citing the significant number of drivers choosing to speed through the area who put their lives – and students' – at risk. Presbyterian Ladies' College has spoken out after receiving a notice from WA Police's Children's Crossing Unit that the latest traffic warden appointed to the role had asked to be removed not long after starting because they felt unsafe. The school has struggled to find a long-term traffic warden for the crossing along Stirling Highway in Peppermint Grove since 2021, with staff having to fill any gaps – sometimes for months at a time. Principal Cate Begbie, who has also taken on shifts at the crossing, said the school had spent the years since warning police and the state government it was unsafe, with multiple near-misses and serious incidents recorded. Begbie said she feared the lack of response would lead to a tragedy unless there was immediate change. No students have been involved in an accident, but there have been several car accidents at the crossing over the past few years and, in 2024, the traffic warden working at the time was hit by a car. He was seriously injured and has been unwilling to return to the job since. WA Police placed a temporary speed camera at the crossing after that incident and clocked 401 cars driving over the speed limit in the space of just 80 minutes. Those 80 minutes were right after school finished for the day.
Sydney Morning Herald
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Sydney Morning Herald
Perth private school sounds alarm over ‘dangerous' children's crossing
Traffic wardens are refusing to work at a 'dangerous' children's crossing servicing a West Australian private school, citing the significant number of drivers choosing to speed through the area who put their lives – and students' – at risk. Presbyterian Ladies' College has spoken out after receiving a notice from WA Police's Children's Crossing Unit that the latest traffic warden appointed to the role had asked to be removed not long after starting because they felt unsafe. The school has struggled to find a long-term traffic warden for the crossing along Stirling Highway in Peppermint Grove since 2021, with staff having to fill any gaps – sometimes for months at a time. Principal Cate Begbie, who has also taken on shifts at the crossing, said the school had spent the years since warning police and the state government it was unsafe, with multiple near-misses and serious incidents recorded. Begbie said she feared the lack of response would lead to a tragedy unless there was immediate change. No students have been involved in an accident, but there have been several car accidents at the crossing over the past few years and, in 2024, the traffic warden working at the time was hit by a car. He was seriously injured and has been unwilling to return to the job since. WA Police placed a temporary speed camera at the crossing after that incident and clocked 401 cars driving over the speed limit in the space of just 80 minutes. Those 80 minutes were right after school finished for the day.
