What does the return of Kevin Pringle mean for the SNP?

Kevin Pringle, Alex Salmond’s old spin doctor, is back. Pringle was a key strategic adviser on the build up to the 2014 independence referendum and is ultimately one of the handful of people responsible for successfully – from a nationalist standpoint – moving Scottish politics off the left-right spectrum and onto one rooted in identity and sovereignty. His appointment as Humza Yousaf’s ‘official spokesperson and strategic political adviser’, which brings Pringle back into the fold after a period away from politics, has been hailed as a smart move that could turn things around for the flailing new first minister.

Will Pringle’s strategic canniness halt the SNP’s decline in the polls? I wouldn’t bet on it. Although he has been working in the private sector for last several years, Pringle has been a regular commentator on Scottish politics. His columns, tweets and podcast appearances give some insight into the type of strategic advice he might give. It is clear, for instance, that Pringle takes a sceptical view of the SNP’s cooperation agreement with the Greens.