Martin Compston who plays Detective Inspector Steve Arnott in Line of Duty, is among actors, writers and other Scottish cultural figures who support the SNP. Compston, who lives in Las Vegas with his wife and son, also has a home in Greenock.
As fans prepare for the Line of Duty finale tonight, the lead actor has thrown his support behind the SNP at the election on Thursday.
Compston, also known for roles in The Nest, Mary Queen of Scots, The Wee Man, Monarch of the Glen and Ken Loach’s Sweet Sixteen, is among the actors, musicians, writers, and cultural figures taking part in the SNP online ‘get out the vote’ rally tonight at 7.00pm with Nicola Sturgeon and thousands of SNP supporters.
Other figures taking part include Hollywood stars Alan Cumming and Brian Cox, leading crime writer Val McDermid, Mogwai musician Stuart Braithwaite, folk singer Iona Fyfe, and TikTok star Littlest Chicken.
The SNP ‘Get Out The Vote’ online rally will be broadcast tonight from 7pm on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theSNP
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theSNP
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFC3ntpoGZB3dODA3A9rHFQ
In a video message, Martin Compston said: “Scotland’s future is in your hands. Don’t leave it to chance.
“The only way to make sure we re-elect Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister is to make it #BothVotesSNP.
“Make sure you and all your pals get out to vote.”
SNP MP Mhairi Black, who conducted the interview with the actor for tonight’s rally, said: “The election on Thursday is the most important in Scotland’s history – and every vote will count.
“Only by casting both votes for the SNP can we guarantee Nicola Sturgeon is re-elected as First Minister to keep Scotland safe through covid, build a strong, fair and green recovery, and put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands.
“I want to thank Martin and all of the actors, writers, musicians, and cultural figures who have given their support to the SNP at this crucial election. The last year has changed our world. This year we have the opportunity to build a better and fairer future for Scotland by voting SNP.”
Here is what Compston said during the interview:
Mhairi Black:
Hello, Martin. As you are here in a personal capacity, I’ll remind you that you no longer reserve the right to be interviewed by someone at least one rank senior. At this moment in time, as you are well aware, there is great public interest surrounding a clandestine network of corrupt police officers working with organised crime.
So let’s not waste time here son. Are you the fourth man known as ‘H’?
Martin: No comment.
Mhairi Black: Will you survive tonight’s episode?
Martin: No comment.
Mhairi Black: Moving on then, and this will not be the last reference to Line Duty here. But this evening we are interested in one thing and one thing only. So, can you tell us why this election is so important?
Martin Compston: Well look, every election is important, of course. We’re coming out of something here, this pandemic, this crisis that none of us have faced before.
I think even people who don’t like Nicola Sturgeon, for whatever reason, have had to admit that she has been by far the most competent leader on these islands dealing with this crisis. And she’s the one I think is best placed to take us forward getting out of it. So, I do really think that we are in a situation now where we need the best people, the most competent people, in charge of Scotland. To make sure that we come out of this a better place than we went in.
Mhairi Black: What would your message be to voters at this election?
Martin Compston: Get out and vote.
Everyone is allowed an opinion. Whether that be politicians down south or some lovely incredible entertainers who have moved abroad for whatever reason. Myself, I’ve lived across the world. That’s the beauty of free speech. Everyone is allowed an opinion. But what matters is votes. And it’s the the people who live here, work here, and who vote here, whose gonna make the difference.
And whether that be for this election or any other election moving forward or moving forward. Because let’s be honest about this stuff, if we had a functioning Westminster that really cared about every region of the UK. That didn’t take parts of the UK out of Europe against its will.
And the decisions, the big decisions, whether it be Scotland’s future relationship with Europe, whether it be nuclear weapons on the Clyde, are best taken by the people who live here.
And we can’t forever live in this perennial situation, where it’s just Tory government after Tory government at Westminster, who don’t care about Scotland. And they just leave us in these miserable situations, which make us feel utterly powerless to deal with. We have to be in control of our own destiny. And the only way to do that is through an SNP or an independence majority at the Scottish Parliament. And then we take it from there.
Mhairi Black: Excellent! No, thank you for joining us, Martin. I know your time is precious, and genuinely, I’m hooked on Line of Duty. I rewatched it from the start. So to keep things moving so that we can all watch the finale at 9 pm tonight, I’ll hand over to you. Thanks Alan [Cumming]
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
