Alex Salmond has intervened in the row about “cybernats”, who use the internet to smear political opponents.
At the SNP national council at the weekend, the First Minister told activists to avoid a “negative agenda” online. He said: “We must use the internet for positive campaigns and not get involved in the negative agenda. The SNP can only win and will only win on a positive agenda.”
Last week, Mark McLachlan was exposed as behind a blog which smeared rival politicians. Mr McLachlan, who has resigned, had been working as a publicly-funded constituency aide for Mike Russell, an SNP minister.
The SNP said it “deplored” Mr McLachlan’s activities. Yesterday it emerged that Norman Will, who works for Fergus Ewing, the Scottish Government’s Community Safety minister, had apologised after apparently claiming Mr McLachlan freedom’s of speech had been curtailed.
The Labour MSP John Park claimed that while the SNP was publicly distancing itself from Mr McLachlan, it was justifying his smears “behind closed doors”.