The Scottish Liberal Democrat Party (SLDP) has appointed Willy
Rennie as its first head of communications, the top PR job in the party.
Rennie takes up the role in mid-December moving from his present post as
chief executive of the SLDP, which he has held since 1997.
He will oversee a team of seven researchers, two press officers and a
whip’s assistant who work jointly for all SLDP MSPs under an arrangement
which pools their press resources. Rennie will report to the governor of
the SLDP George Lyon.
Rennie’s brief will be to see that the Lib Dems’ message is not
overwhelmed by the messages from Labour, with whom they will share power
in the Scottish Parliament, and that the party’s separate policies are
clear to the public.
He said: ’We want to make sure that the Lib Dems’ input is understood in
all parts of Scotland.’
The abolition of tuition fees for students and the implementation of
Freedom of Information are among the policy issues on which the SLDP
differ from Labour and on which the party will campaign.
Rennie oversaw the SLDP’s campaign for the May election which saw the
party win 17 seats and SLDP leader Jim Wallace take up the post of
deputy first minister and Ross Finnie installed as minister for rural
affairs.
