Lecturer faces blog inquiry

Published on Saturday 21 November 2009 20:00

A UNIVERSITY has launched an inquiry into the behaviour of one of its lecturers after he used his pro-nationalist blog to mount a vicious attack on the Scottish Secretary, Jim Murphy.

Robert Gordon University is investigating the online activities of Bruce Newlands, a lecturer in construction technology at the Aberdeen institution. Newlands, who writes under the alias of Wardog, used his blog to call Labour MP Murphy "a c***" while complaining that he had "barged in front of other MPs to get his mug shown on TV".

Newlands, 31, is also alleged to have made unfounded claims about Richard Baker, Labour's justice spokesman, and Willie Bain, Labour winner of the Glasgow North East by-election.

Last night, an RGU spokesman said: "Given that we are now investigating this situation, it would be inappropriate to make any further comment."

Newlands posted the comments on his Wardog blog after Murphy attacked a "cybernat" internet campaign that saw disparaging comments about Glasgow North East voters flying through cyberspace in the wake of Labour's victory.

When challenged about his choice of language, Newlands blogged: "I appreciate that some people are a little sensitive to the 'c' word but I'm not and would repeat it again, Jim Murphy is a c***".

Shortly after he was telephoned by Scotland on Sunday, Newlands closed down his blog. Under the heading "This is an ex-blog", Newlands said: "This week's flurry of excitement has led to my decision to end this blog, I've been contemplating it for a wee while now."

He said that it had been "fun", but added that when he was getting calls from political editors "questioning his views", he felt that he had to "call it a day". He signed off saying: "Life's too short for this kind of nonsense."

Although not a member of the SNP, Newlands made no secret of his pro-independence views on his website. An SNP spokesman said: "All such offensive comments by individuals are to be totally deplored – whether it be this, or indeed the one made by Wendy Alexander's spin doctor when she was Labour leader."

The spokesman was referring to an incident at a Scottish Politician of the Year Awards two years ago when one of Alexander's advisers, Matthew Marr, was heard uttering the same four-letter insult about Alex Salmond, the First Minister. Marr resigned following the reported incident.

A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: "We hope other political parties exhort their bloggers and fellow travellers to express their political views in an appropriate way, or else disassociate themselves quickly."