Trainspotting Research

The Poll Tax, also known as the community charge, was a tax fee to replace domestic rates in Scotland in 1989. It was specifically taxing people rather than homes. The Thatcher government was unpopular in Scotland because many people believed that her government was targeting Scotland which was true because she wanted to experiment on them as they would not lose voters, this caused mass resistance to the tax. Throughout streets of Glasgow, Anti-Tax poll movements took place because the poll tax was not replacing anything but in fact a whole new tax forcing some people to pay more and more money to the government.
In Trainspotting, these conditions are mentioned when they all share the one home and it isn't a fancy home so there are obvious harsh conditions money wise. Also when Renton moves to London to become a house salesman, he shows off a worn house and eventually his friends move in because its a place to stay.

Social realism in British cinema is a genre that focuses on topical issues in a  modern society, the conventions include semi improvised scripts, location shooting, seriousness or comedy, non professional actors used, and wider social issues. Political ideologies include the different classes of people in society, different communities too and how each environment and community is changing over time.