3rd Time Unlucky for Alexander as she appoints spin doctor who admires SNP!

(from Sunday Herald)

SCOTTISH LABOUR'S new spin-doctor made a series of damning criticisms of his colleagues weeks before he accepted the job as the party's head of communications. Gavin Yates used his blog to describe Wendy Alexander as "abrasive", labelled shadow health minister Andy Kerr as "simply uninspiring", and blasted Jack McConnell for being a "lame duck leader" when in office.

He also said the fledgling SNP government had a "long and impressive" list of achievements, while describing first minister Alex Salmond as "a great example of a politician on top of his game".

The online blasts are the latest PR disaster for Alexander who, as Labour's newly appointed Holyrood leader, has watched two spin-doctors quit in as many months.

The first press aide, Brian Lironi, quit his post in September, days after she had been formally installed as leader.

Then her media chief, Matthew Marr, resigned in disgrace eight days ago after shouting the c-word at Salmond during an awards ceremony.

Alexander is set for further embarrassment after it emerged that Yates - the Labour group's new head of communications - attacked his future bosses weeks before accepting the new job.

His comments featured on his WordPress-hosted blog, GYmedia. A message on the blog page now states: "The authors have deleted this blog. The content is no longer available." But the Sunday Herald has uncovered a number of Yates's postings, many of which portray the Labour leadership in a negative light.

On Alexander's speech to the UK Labour conference in September, one of his internet postings states: "New Labour leader Wendy Alexander was rather less positive, using her conference speech to apologise' for losing the last election in Scotland. Rather odd: and certainly doesn't bode well for her renewal agenda.

"The news yesterday that her spinner-in-chief Lironi had resigned after a month, to be replaced by a man who ripped up his party card a few years ago, does not augur a speedy return to government either."

The same entry, which was made days after Alexander became leader, saw him aim a jibe in her direction: "As Gordon Brown considers taking the biggest political risk of his life, the Scottish government can go along unhindered by a competent opposition."