Daily Mail columnist Michael Glackin criticises the Edinburgh Fringe comedy scene for what he sees as a reluctance among performers to satirise the SNP and Scottish nationalism, arguing that comedians are far more willing to mock Westminster, Donald Trump or Nigel Farage than Scotland's own governing party. He frames this as a wider cultural problem, likening it to the demise of the once-fearless satirical puppet show Spitting Image and suggesting British comedy has been replaced by "sycophancy" towards fashionable political targets while avoiding scrutiny closer to home.

The piece argues that the SNP and Scottish nationalism largely escape the pointed satire directed at other political figures, despite years in government and various controversies, implying comedians fear alienating audiences or being seen as unpatriotic. Glackin contrasts this with the historic tradition of British satire skewering those in power regardless of political stripe, suggesting the Fringe's comics are picking easier, safer targets rather than confronting Scotland's dominant political force.