In a striking juxtaposition of political anxieties, Scottish actor Alan Cumming has declared life in Donald Trump's America 'scary', prompting plans to spend more time in his homeland. Yet, for one commentator, the true source of fear is not across the Atlantic, but right here in Scotland, under the enduring rule of the Scottish National Party.
A Tale of Two Fears: Trump's America vs SNP's Scotland
The 60-year-old star, host of the US version of The Traitors, revealed his trepidation on Kaye Adams' How to be 60 podcast. He expressed a desire to live where his values align more closely with the government and people, stating pointedly of the US: 'It's scary to live there right now, especially being well known and outspoken.'
This sentiment, however, finds a direct parallel in Scotland for the writer, who has long felt it is 'scary to live in the SNP's Scotland'. As the next Scottish parliamentary election approaches with little expectation of a change in power, a profound sense of dread persists. The key divergence lies in the timeline: while Trump's potential second term has a defined limit, the SNP's tenure, stretching from 2007 with likely victory again in 2026, feels open-ended.
The Transatlantic Citizen and the Weight of Consequences
Cumming's relationship with national identity has been fluid. The naturalised US citizen, sworn in 2008, once declared his love for New York. He accepted an OBE in 2009, stating pride in being British, only to hand it back in 2023 over the 'toxicity' of the British Empire. His intervention in the 2014 Scottish independence campaign, urging a 'Yes' vote during a 24-hour flying visit to Glasgow, was noted. The commentator contrasts this with the reality for residents who must live permanently with the consequences of such votes.
Those consequences, it is argued, are stark. The Scottish economy is described as 'tanked', with the highest taxes in the UK driving away high achievers. Public funds are seen as squandered, epitomised by the delayed and over-budget MV Glen Rosa ferry, still not ready in 2026 after being due in 2018. The NHS lurches from 'crisis to calamity', education standards have 'plummeted', and a soft-touch approach to crime and prison overcrowding is criticised. The landscape, meanwhile, is increasingly dominated by wind farms.
Enduring Rule and a Nation's Fracture
The article posits that while Cumming can flutter between homes in Manhattan and the Catskills to escape political climates he dislikes, ordinary Scots and Americans do not have that luxury. It questions the actor's version of fear, suggesting it sounds more like 'faint-heartedness' compared to the grinding reality of nearly two decades of SNP governance.
Ultimately, the piece concludes that Scotland, much like the US, is a nation divided and 'bent out of shape' by a political fault line—in this case, the independence question that Cumming once championed. The invitation for him to return is tinged with sarcasm, ending with a weary: 'We're busy here living with consequences.'
