Trainspotting Context Reseach Task

Trainspotting Context Research Task

Margaret Thatchers England

1979 to 1990 was the prime minister for the uk. This was devastating for the working class of these years especially in Scotland due to her introduction of the poll tax, the reason behind this pole tax being one of the most damaging legislations past to the lower class of the UK was because it was an even tax for all meaning if you had a giant mansion owned multiple cars and had a multi million company you would still pay an equal amount to people who lived in a one room flat, made the rich pay less and the poor pay more rather than increasing or lowering the tax depending on your income and living conditions.

Scotland hated this in particular because they were put on the poll tax before anyone i the UK to test the system which lead to the events we see in Trainspotting people losing there lively hood and turing to drugs and crime to find there way in the pulverising Thatcher government which not only increased the working classes Tax but also took away there jobs by shutting down the coal mines which caused the uk miners strike from 1984 to 1985 pitting the police vs the miners who had lost there jobs and income and could no longer pay the pole tax put in place by Thatcher this was fortunately concluded after being considered illegal as no national ballot had been held and after 3 deaths caused by the conflict it ended in 3rd March 1985 and poverty increased in former mining areas resulting in increase in crime and drug use once again related to the events in Trainspotting as Scotland was the main provider of coal mines in the UK which once again made Scotland more angry due to them being more left wing and against the Thatcher government.

Issues Explored In Trainspotting

Trainspotting reflects the social issues from Thatchers time as prime minister by following a gang of heroin addicts who have turned to drug use as a means to forget and seek happiness in Thatchers grey uk which has either forced them out of jobs they had or has fuelled there drug habits with constantly hardening poll tax forcing them into crime and for a need to escape through drinking and alcohol.