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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Men in Love by Irvine Welsh review – the Trainspotting boys grow up
It has been more than 30 years since Irvine Welsh published Trainspotting. To put that in perspective, it's as distant to readers today as Catch-22 or To Kill a Mockingbird would have been in 1993. If you are anything like me, that doesn't feel quite right. Because even at such a historical remove, there remains something undeniably resonant, something curiously current, about Welsh's wiry, demotic, scabrous debut. In part, this is explained by the sheer scale of Trainspotting's success. It was one of those genuinely rare literary events, wherein a critically acclaimed, stylistically adventurous book catches the cultural zeitgeist to such a degree that it also becomes a commercial sensation, going on to sell over a million copies. Its cultural salience was further compounded by Danny Boyle's cinematic adaptation, one of the highest-grossing UK films of all time, a visual intervention that seemed to crystallise the aesthetics of Britpop – high velocity, high audacity, high nostalgia. But there is also the broader sense that Britain has never truly escaped that historical moment, that at some point the nation was cursed by a demonic spirit in a bucket hat, condemned to an eternal return: no matter the nature of the crisis, the solution will always be Blairite management consultants, illegal wars in the Middle East, demonisation of society's most vulnerable and Liam and Noel getting the band back together. As the patron sage of centrists, George Orwell, wrote: 'If you want a picture of the future, imagine Ewan McGregor pelting along Princes Street to Iggy Pop – for ever.' So in some ways, despite being the fifth Trainspotting spin-off so far, Men in Love makes perfect sense as a novel in 2025: old rope in a contemporary culture made mostly of old rope. It displaces 2002's Porno as the original's most direct sequel, taking place in the immediate aftermath of the drug deal/betrayal that closes it out. We meet the boys again, scattered to the winds – Renton forging a new life in Amsterdam, Sick Boy climbing the social ladder in London, Spud attempting a quieter life and Begbie pinballing between prison and his old haunts in Leith. In alternating first-person chapters, we follow each of the characters as they begin to feel out what adult life might have in store for them. And it all rattles along reasonably enough. Renton attempts to come to terms with his past behaviour, Spud walks the line between a sincere desire to change and the siren call of addiction, Sick Boy sharpens his sociopathic charm into a weapon of class warfare, and Begbie remains trapped by his impulsivity and taste for violence. It all culminates in a riotous society wedding, a tragicomic clash of worlds, the old-guard Thatcherite elite disgusted by the sudden presence of the hoi polloi figuratively pissing in their ornamental pond. There are plenty of moments that showcase Welsh at his best, impertinent and loose and attuned to the poetic cadence of everyday speech. When his writing hits these heights, most often during flights of knowing, referential, rhetorical fancy, it is hard not to be charmed by its flair and insolence. Similarly, Welsh has not lost his feel for the particular rhythms and textures of addiction. When Spud unexpectedly comes into money, the reader fears for him precisely because Welsh does such a good job rendering the relentless dualism of the addicted mind, forever constructing alternative explanations, stories, justifications, lying in wait and biding its time. Elsewhere, Men in Love is tough going. Throughout, there is a tendency to grope for edgy and transgressive sentiment in a way that lands closer to juvenile and embarrassing. There are so many instances to choose from, but observations such as 'If women must have mental health issues – and they must – always best to err on the side of anorexia, rather than obesity', or descriptions of the Eurostar as 'smashing through the tunnel's hymen', give a general sense of the issue. To be clear, I am not arguing that there is an ethical problem here (people say all sorts of nonsense, so characters must be afforded that latitude too). The objection is aesthetic. Who do we imagine is responding to this sort of thing? The prospect of a middle-aged Trainspotting loyalist, giggling as they read about a 'chunky bird' and 'Specky Shaftoid', is almost too tragic to bear. Clocking in at well over 500 pages, there is also the sense that Men in Love could have done with a more rigorous edit. There is a leitmotif regarding the romantic poets that seems undercooked to the point of randomness at times, while conversations about the coming transformations of the internet age were unlikely in 1990. Equally, I don't know how many more times the world needs to hear a story about an indie musician taking their first pill and deciding that dance music is the future. The reasons why Welsh is still writing Trainspotting lore seem evident enough; these are well-loved, iconic characters and there is apparently still an audience appetite for their adventures. Also, vanishingly few writers will ever know what it is to cast such a long shadow over the culture, and so it would be churlish to judge from a position of ignorance. But reading Men in Love, in 2025, under a Labour government that can't decide if it is echoing Margaret Thatcher, Alastair Campbell or Enoch Powell, it is hard to shake the feeling that we are in desperate, desperate need of a new story altogether. Keiran Goddard's I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning is published by Abacus. Men in Love by Irvine Welsh is published by Jonathan Cape (£20). To support the Guardian, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Men in Love by Irvine Welsh review – the Trainspotting boys grow up
It has been more than 30 years since Irvine Welsh published Trainspotting. To put that in perspective, it's as distant to readers today as Catch-22 or To Kill a Mockingbird would have been in 1993. If you are anything like me, that doesn't feel quite right. Because even at such a historical remove, there remains something undeniably resonant, something curiously current, about Welsh's wiry, demotic, scabrous debut. In part, this is explained by the sheer scale of Trainspotting's success. It was one of those genuinely rare literary events, wherein a critically acclaimed, stylistically adventurous book catches the cultural zeitgeist to such a degree that it also becomes a commercial sensation, going on to sell over a million copies. Its cultural salience was further compounded by Danny Boyle's cinematic adaptation, one of the highest-grossing UK films of all time, a visual intervention that seemed to crystallise the aesthetics of Britpop – high velocity, high audacity, high nostalgia. But there is also the broader sense that Britain has never truly escaped that historical moment, that at some point the nation was cursed by a demonic spirit in a bucket hat, condemned to an eternal return: no matter the nature of the crisis, the solution will always be Blairite management consultants, illegal wars in the Middle East, demonisation of society's most vulnerable and Liam and Noel getting the band back together. As the patron sage of centrists, George Orwell, wrote: 'If you want a picture of the future, imagine Ewan McGregor pelting along Princes Street to Iggy Pop – for ever.' So in some ways, despite being the fifth Trainspotting spin-off so far, Men in Love makes perfect sense as a novel in 2025: old rope in a contemporary culture made mostly of old rope. It displaces 2002's Porno as the original's most direct sequel, taking place in the immediate aftermath of the drug deal/betrayal that closes it out. We meet the boys again, scattered to the winds – Renton forging a new life in Amsterdam, Sick Boy climbing the social ladder in London, Spud attempting a quieter life and Begbie pinballing between prison and his old haunts in Leith. In alternating first-person chapters, we follow each of the characters as they begin to feel out what adult life might have in store for them. And it all rattles along reasonably enough. Renton attempts to come to terms with his past behaviour, Spud walks the line between a sincere desire to change and the siren call of addiction, Sick Boy sharpens his sociopathic charm into a weapon of class warfare, and Begbie remains trapped by his impulsivity and taste for violence. It all culminates in a riotous society wedding, a tragicomic clash of worlds, the old-guard Thatcherite elite disgusted by the sudden presence of the hoi polloi figuratively pissing in their ornamental pond. There are plenty of moments that showcase Welsh at his best, impertinent and loose and attuned to the poetic cadence of everyday speech. When his writing hits these heights, most often during flights of knowing, referential, rhetorical fancy, it is hard not to be charmed by its flair and insolence. Similarly, Welsh has not lost his feel for the particular rhythms and textures of addiction. When Spud unexpectedly comes into money, the reader fears for him precisely because Welsh does such a good job rendering the relentless dualism of the addicted mind, forever constructing alternative explanations, stories, justifications, lying in wait and biding its time. Elsewhere, Men in Love is tough going. Throughout, there is a tendency to grope for edgy and transgressive sentiment in a way that lands closer to juvenile and embarrassing. There are so many instances to choose from, but observations such as 'If women must have mental health issues – and they must – always best to err on the side of anorexia, rather than obesity', or descriptions of the Eurostar as 'smashing through the tunnel's hymen', give a general sense of the issue. To be clear, I am not arguing that there is an ethical problem here (people say all sorts of nonsense, so characters must be afforded that latitude too). The objection is aesthetic. Who do we imagine is responding to this sort of thing? The prospect of a middle-aged Trainspotting loyalist, giggling as they read about a 'chunky bird' and 'Specky Shaftoid', is almost too tragic to bear. Clocking in at well over 500 pages, there is also the sense that Men in Love could have done with a more rigorous edit. There is a leitmotif regarding the romantic poets that seems undercooked to the point of randomness at times, while conversations about the coming transformations of the internet age were unlikely in 1990. Equally, I don't know how many more times the world needs to hear a story about an indie musician taking their first pill and deciding that dance music is the future. The reasons why Welsh is still writing Trainspotting lore seem evident enough; these are well-loved, iconic characters and there is apparently still an audience appetite for their adventures. Also, vanishingly few writers will ever know what it is to cast such a long shadow over the culture, and so it would be churlish to judge from a position of ignorance. But reading Men in Love, in 2025, under a Labour government that can't decide if it is echoing Margaret Thatcher, Alastair Campbell or Enoch Powell, it is hard to shake the feeling that we are in desperate, desperate need of a new story altogether. Keiran Goddard's I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning is published by Abacus. Men in Love by Irvine Welsh is published by Jonathan Cape (£20). To support the Guardian, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply.
Spectator
5 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Sacré bleu! We have a migration deal with France
On today's podcast: sacré bleu – we have a one-in, one-out migration deal with France. In a press conference yesterday, Keir Starmer and President Macron announced a deal they hope will curb Channel crossings. But, as ever, the devil is in the detail, with some key concerns about the numbers and the time frame. Digital ID cards are also back on the agenda – after an intervention from former MI6 boss Alex Younger on Newsnight. The argument is that they could deter the 'grey labour force' and make it harder to work in the UK for those arriving via unauthorised means. It's the Blairite policy that refuses to go away – but, as Michael Simmons argues, we may already have the infrastructure. It's not all rosy for the government, and we could well be heading for economic catastrophe. This follows the publication of the OBR's Fiscal Risks and Sustainability document. The language is polite, matter-of-fact and bureaucratic. But read between the lines, look at the numbers, and it paints a damning picture of the risks we face as a country. Is a wealth tax the answer? Lucy Dunn speaks to James Heale and Michael Simmons. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
Daily Record
03-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Renfrew's Jamie McGuire becomes first Labour councillor to defect to Reform
Nigel Farage's team confirmed the news in a social media post yesterday afternoon as the party leader joined campaigners in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. Renfrew councillor Jamie McGuire has defected to Reform UK. Nigel Farage's team confirmed the news in a social media post yesterday afternoon as the party leader joined campaigners in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. The representative for Renfrew North and Braehead is the first Labour councillor to defect to Reform in Scotland. In a statement on social media, Reform UK said: 'We are delighted to welcome former Scottish Labour councillor Jamie McGuire.' McGuire makes the move just one week after Reform UK was accused of 'blatant racism' towards his former party leader Anas Sarwar. The party released an edited video of Sarwar marking the 75th anniversary of Pakistan's independence in which they said he would 'prioritise the Pakistani community on Scotland". That was untrue. McGuire was previously viewed as a rising star in the Labour party and worked in the constituency office of Paisley MP Alison Taylor. The 25-year-old was formerly the chair of the Glasgow University Labour Club – and even arranged for a visit from left-wing hero Jeremy Corbyn in 2021. McGuire said in 2021: 'I've been asked a lot recently if I'm a Corbynite or Starmerite, a Blairite or Brownite. My answer is none of the above. I'm a Labourite who will campaign for every Labour leader because I know the difference Labour can make in power locally and nationally.' McGuire is the third Renfrewshire councillor to defect to Reform. Alec Leishman and John Gray crossed the aisle from the Conservatives, stating Reform was the only party that could bring about real change. Leishman, who represents Erskine and Inchinnan, defected in February this year, with Gray, who also represents Renfrew North and Braehead, following suit in March. Both have since refused to stand down and spark a by-election.
New Statesman
02-06-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Andy Burnham has made his leadership pitch
Photo by. Inside Labour there might not be a vacancy but there is always a contest. The government's early unpopularity means this is even more true than usual. Over the last fortnight – via her leaked memo to Rachel Reeves – Angela Rayner's alternative vision has become clearer. MPs believe both the Deputy PM and her more Blairite rival Wes Streeting are monitoring their support within the parliamentary party. But it is Andy Burnham who is most clearly positioning for a post-Starmer world. Critical interventions by the Greater Manchester mayor are hardly unheard of. During Keir Starmer's difficult early years as Labour leader, Burnham regularly advertised himself as an alternative. His speech to the soft left group Compass on Saturday afternoon (31 May), however, was qualitatively different. It was the most wide-ranging critique of the government from any senior Labour figure since the general election and ultimately resembled a leadership manifesto (Compass's director Neal Lawson opened the day by hailing Burnham as 'by far and away the most popular person to be the next leader of the Labour Party'). In the mid-1970s and early 1980s, Tony Benn championed his 'alternative economic strategy'; Burnham hailed what he described as his 'popular left programme'. His 17-minute address – which avoided any mention of Starmer or Reeves – was filled with rebukes to the Labour leadership. 'I believe you do have to take on the right,' Burnham told a crowd assembled on the dancefloor of the Ministry of Sound in south London. 'But what's the best way to do that? Definitely not by aping their rhetoric' (an implicit reference to Starmer's recent speech on immigration). He added: 'We see from Canada and Australia that a strong, confident left, which leans into what we believe, rather than tilting the other way, can win and can win well.' Burham, who has had a historically fraught relationship with Starmer's office (once declaring: 'leave me alone'), demanded a 'move away from the factionalism that has bedevilled us on all sides of the party' and condemned the 'infantile' belief that it was 'disloyal' to 'talk to other parties, particularly on the centre or the left'. It's traditional for mayors to speak out on issues related to their administration – such as devolved funding – and to occasionally intervene on national policy (as Burnham and Sadiq Khan did when they backed a ceasefire in Gaza in 2023). But Burnham went far beyond this, calling for a 'substantially new offer for the public'. Though he praised 'good policies' such as the renationalisation of the railways, he repeatedly outflanked the government from the left, criticising 'too much timidity in our offer, too much reluctance to show the courage of our convictions'. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe He called for Labour to abandon cuts to health and disability benefits, to impose higher taxes on wealth (Reeves's aides repeatedly point out that she has already done so), to announce 'the biggest and quickest council and social housing building programme the county has ever seen', to reverse spending cuts to local authorities, to introduce free transport for teenagers in England, to replace first-past-the-post with proportional representation and to abolish the party whipping system. In its fusion of economic and constitutional radicalism there were echoes of the programme once advocated by Benn (another former cabinet minister who moved left with age). One left-wing Labour MP described Burnham's speech to me as a 'full-blooded rejection of the politics of Reeves and Starmer' and an 'extremely interesting development'. Another MP commented: 'What's he got to lose? But they [the leadership] are not going to let him come back into parliament.' The event marked the most significant gathering of the soft left – the group which often determines Labour leadership results – since the election. Though Compass has allowed members of other parties to join since 2011, this was a Labour-focused affair: other speakers included energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh (who spoke alongside Burnham), former cabinet minister Louise Haigh, former Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford and former New Labour ministers Clare Short and John Denham (who described Starmer's administration to me as 'the most intellectually incurious Labour government that has ever been elected'). Fahnbulleh, a key ally of Ed Miliband, used her own address to call for Labour to transform the welfare state into 'a well-being state', which offers 'guaranteed access for all who need it' to 'social care, to education, to childcare – a proper safety net to catch people when they fall on hard times'. A distinctive soft left critique recurred through the course of the day: Starmer's government, it was said, has not done enough to amplify policies such as the employment rights bill, rail public ownership and GB Energy and has made avoidable errors such as the winter fuel payment cuts and overly rigid fiscal rules. Fahnbulleh urged activists to 'tell the story of the wins that a progressive government is making' and to 'hold us to account when we get things wrong'. There were almost no references from speakers to Starmer – treated by some as a bystander in his own government – with ire focused on Reeves and the wider leadership. Lawson denounced the old right group Labour First, which I profiled here, as 'a party within a party' that 'now runs Labour in its rather dull, sectarian interest'. Who will emerge as the soft left's candidate of choice? Among Labour members, as polling by Survation shows, Miliband and Rayner are the most popular cabinet ministers (with approval ratings of +65 and +46 respectively). But Burnham's speech was an attempt to position himself as the soft left's standard bearer – a claim to Labour's moral leadership. 'If the next election is going to be a binary choice between two worldviews and the opposition is going to be the divisive populist right then we must be the unifying popular left,' Burnham declared. He did not say whether he hopes to lead this movement – but he didn't need to. [See also: The British left is coming for the Government] Related
