SNP politicians have experienced something of a morale boost with Humza Yousaf's decision to appoint Kevin Pringle as his top spin doctor.

The head of communications for former first minister Alex Salmond will be taking up his new role next week as a low mood continues to overshadow the governing party following Nicola Sturgeon's resignation, the ongoing police investigation into party finances and a looming by-election and general election.

SNP President Michael Russell described the situation the party finds itself in as its biggest crisis in 50 years.

On Tuesday Mr Russell was among the first to welcome some good news at last.

"First class choice – worked with Kevin Pringle in the SNP HQ from 1994 to 1999, in the Parliament and then in Government. Honest, direct, multi-talented and with a great (and essential) sense of humour," he wrote on Twitter in a post "liked" by Deputy First Minister Shona Robison, MP Chris Law and former health secretary Jeane Freeman.

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Edinburgh South West MP Joanna Cherry was also delighted.

"Excellent news. Great decision. Congratulations to Kevin Pringle," she tweeted.

It may seem odd, given the high profile divisions between Mr Salmond and his successor Nicola Sturgeon, that Mr Yousaf, regarded as the "continuity candidate" to Ms Sturgeon in the SNP leadership contest, has chosen to recruit someone who worked so closely with Mr Salmond for such a key role.

However, it should be said that Mr Pringle also worked closely with Ms Sturgeon, both when he was senior special advisor to Mr Salmond from 2007 to 2012, when she was deputy first minister, and as SNP communications director from 2012 to 2015.

It is understood he remained on good terms with both politicians through the saga of the Salmond/Sturgeon split (one of the few SNP figures to have been able to).

Highly regarded among Scottish political journalists, the PR chief’s potential to heal stark divisions is among the reasons why many in the SNP are pleased to see his return.

"Kevin is someone who can help unify the party," one source told me.

In a newspaper article, breaking the news of his appointment, he also expressed a hope to work with other parties in Holyrood – suggesting a wish to overcome some of the polarisation in politics of recent years which many voters have found rather depressing.

“My belief is they are all in public life for the right reasons. I hope there is enough commonality of purpose at Holyrood to address the issues facing Scotland with respect as well as strong belief: partisanship balanced by a degree of collegiality," he said.

His style is very much the opposite of the loud sweary political spin doctor Malcolm Tucker of the BBC political satire The Thick of It, portrayed by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi.

The Herald: Humza Yousaf's new head of communications Kevin Pringle has been described as the opposite of fiery Malcolm Tucker from BBC satire The Thick of ItHumza Yousaf's new head of communications Kevin Pringle has been described as the opposite of fiery Malcolm Tucker from BBC satire The Thick of It (Image: Newsquest)

"Kevin is quite self-effacing, soft spoken, quiet, quite a wry sense of humour. Quite a thoughtful and open person. Open to listening to other people," said a former SNP parliamentarian.

The reason why many in the SNP are pleased to see the "softly spoken" PR boss return is the prospect that under his watch the Scottish Government may begin getting better at doing things again.

"What he does is calms things down, puts a lid on a crisis and ensures there is clear messaging," said the ex-MSP.

"When he worked for Alex [Salmond] during the 2007 to 2011 parliament there was a very clear message about competent government, that what the SNP was doing was demonstrating effectiveness in government in the lead up to the independence referendum.

"The SNP had never been in government before so everything was about showing that they were effective in government."

With various crises currently facing the Scottish Government – the ongoing ferries saga, record high NHS waiting times and massive court backlogs, there is a feeling that the message of competent government needs to be brought back urgently.

"I think the message of competent government is the number one priority quite frankly," said the source.

Ultimately, of course, even the very best public relations professionals have their limitations. If a policy is seriously flawed, even excellent presentation of it – or government spinning – still can't make it popular or successful.

One wonders whether, for instance, the controversy over the deposit return scheme (now on the backburner to at least 2025) would have...

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