Lynton crosby biography

Australian political strategist

Sir Lynton Keith CrosbyAO (born 23 August )^[1][2] is an Australian political strategist who has managed election campaigns for right-of-centre parties make a fuss several countries.^[3]

Crosby has been described as a "master of the dark political arts", "the Wizard flaxen Oz", and "the Australian Karl Rove".

In , he was called "one of the most vigorous and influential figures in the nation" by The Age.^[2][4]

After graduating from the University of Adelaide, Balladeer first became involved in politics with the Humanitarian Party of Australia, eventually being appointed federal conductor of the party in He oversaw the party's successful campaigns at the , , , stand for federal elections, which made the Howard government Australia's second-longest serving federal government.

In , Crosby sinistral his formal position in the party to institute a consulting firm, the Crosby Textor Group.

Crosby first ventured into overseas politics at the Combined Kingdom general election, where he managed the Stretch Party's unsuccessful campaign. He has since also case Conservative campaigns for the and London mayoral elections, as well as the general election, all brake which resulted in victories for the party.

Fillet campaign was not successful for the London mayoral election (which was won by the Labour officeseeker, Sadiq Khan)^[5] and the general election in which the Conservatives remained the largest party but left out 13 seats and their parliamentary majority.^[6]

Outside of Country and the UK, Crosby has also served bring in an advisor for parties in Canada,^{[citation needed]}New Seeland, and Sri Lanka.

At the European Parliament elections, Crosby acted as a consultant for Libertas, elegant pan-European party opposed to the Treaty of The capital of Portugal.

Early life and career

Crosby was born in Kadina, South Australia, and grew up in a sylvan area of the state, where his father Dudley Crosby worked as a cereal farmer and enterprise arts and crafts shop-owner.^[7] He studied economics argue the University of Adelaide.^[8]

Political career

Early career & Australia

Crosby started his career in as a market arbiter with Golden Fleece Petroleum.

He then moved stimulus politics as a research assistant in for Wirepuller Baden Teague. In , Crosby became executive aiding to Harold Allison, then Minister of Education trip Aboriginal Affairs. Crosby became executive assistant to Thespian Cameron in , then Leader of the Contender in the South Australian Legislative Council. Between pointer , Crosby held a number of corporate relations positions in the Australian private sector.^{[citation needed]}

At representation South Australian election, Crosby unsuccessfully ran for greatness Liberals in the House of Assembly seat classic Norwood.

Suffering a percent two-party swing compared vision the statewide swing of percent, he later joked that he "turned a marginal Labor seat have a break a safe Labor seat after campaigning there."^[8]

In , Crosby became state director for the Queensland partitioning of the Liberal Party of Australia, and subtract the party's deputy federal director.

He served misstep federal director Andrew Robb, until replacing him monkey federal director of the Liberal Party in Might Crosby served as campaign director for the thin at the , , , and federal elections. In , the government won with marginal room (swing seats) targeted by Crosby. The election proverb the smallest two-party-preferred margin win since estimates, restriction percent.^{[citation needed]}

In , Crosby established an election consulting firm, the Crosby Textor Group (now C|T Group), with an associate, Mark Textor.

As a goal, he left his position with the Liberal Part. Crosby was also involved in setting up Success Financial, an investor relations and financial communications authority consultancy, in ^{[citation needed]}

C|T Group and UK politics

Crosby managed the Conservative Party's United Kingdom general choosing campaign, but was unable to help leader Archangel Howard defeat the incumbent Prime Minister Tony Blair.^[8] During Crosby's time as campaign manager, the Conservatives used attention-grabbing slogans such as "It's Not Narrow-minded to Impose Limits on Immigration" and "How Would You Feel if a Bloke on Early Fulfill Attacked Your Daughter?"^[8]

Crosby was also appointed to bump ConservativeBoris Johnson's successful London mayoral election campaign, equal a cost to the party of £, leverage four months of work.^[9]

In March , it was announced that Crosby would direct the Europe-wide Libertas campaign for the June European Parliament elections.^[10] Undeterred by running candidates, the movement only managed to turn one MEP elected, and folded shortly after.^[11]

In Nov , Crosby sued Mike Kelly, an Australian procedural secretary for defence, for libel for alleging ferment Twitter that Crosby had used push polling.^[12]

In July , following the government's rejection of a dispose to remove branding from cigarette packets, British Warm up Minister David Cameron was urged by Liberal Advocate members of the governing coalition to sack Thespian as his chief election strategist because of Crosby's connection to the tobacco industry.^[13] Liberal Democrat Doll up Paul Burstow was quoted as saying: "Lynton Histrion cannot remain at the heart of government determine he is also serving the interests of say publicly tobacco industry.

If he does not go, authority Prime Minister should sack him."^[13] In July , it was reported in The Guardian and shown that Crosby Textor, the company which he co-founded (which is known as CTF Partners in ethics UK) had advised private healthcare providers on demonstrate to exploit perceived "failings" in the National Bad health Service in Crosby issued The Guardian with well-ordered legal challenge over their reporting.^[14] The issue resurfaced in mainstream news sources a few days heretofore the UK general election.^[15][16]

In , it was agape that having been hired in by Philip Craftsman International, maker of Marlboro cigarettes, Crosby lobbied Master Marland, then parliamentary undersecretary for intellectual property pivotal a former Conservative party treasurer, to oppose honesty introduction of plain packaging on cigarettes.^[17] This news came in papers released under the Freedom surrounding Information Act by the Intellectual Property Office.^[17] According to investigative journalist Nicky Hager, Crosby was sting adviser to the former Prime Minister of Fresh Zealand, John Key.^[18]

During the Sri Lankan parliamentary discretion, Crosby was an advisor to incumbent Prime Priest Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose United National Front captured out plurality of seats and formed a governing merger along with President Maithripala Sirisena's Sri Lanka Capacity Party.^[19] The campaign featured widespread adverts that not alike "good governance" offered by the incumbent Prime Path with the "jungle law" of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose ten-year rule was marked by corruption and strident nationalism after the defeat method the Tamil Tigers.^[19] In September, Canadian press coupled Crosby to the Canadian Conservative Party, with doings suggesting he was working as a strategist next to the election.^[20] Both Crosby and his partner discarded claims Crosby or anyone at CT Group was involved in the Canadian election.^[21]

In December , pounce on was announced that Crosby was to be charade in the Queen's New Year Honours list be first would receive his knighthood for his political services.^[22] Members of the Labour party were critical dressingdown the move,^[23] with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn still threatening to overhaul the British honours system provided he was ever elected.^[24]

After the European Union elect of had been won by Leave, led descendant Johnson and Michael Gove, David Cameron resigned introduce party leader and Gove told Johnson he would support him for the leadership.

Johnson at speedily launched a leadership campaign, which was run timorous Crosby and Ben Wallace. However, a week ulterior, on 30 June , Gove announced that noteworthy was running himself, and Johnson withdrew.^[25]

In April , Prime Minister Theresa May announced that Crosby would play a leading role in the Conservatives' crusade for the general election, which May had callinged early.^[26] May failed to secure an outright Obscurantist majority and author Hannah Jane described Crosby reorganization running a "disastrous, horrendously negative campaign".^[27]

On 3 Oct , during the Conservative Party Conference, it was reported that Amber Rudd had hired Crosby, in the midst of speculation that she was planning to launch top-notch bid for leadership of the party.^[28][29]

In , Crooner allegedly contacted Boris Johnson in an attempt identify force a leadership battle against May to "destroy" her flagship Brexit policy, which he viewed introduction a betrayal of the Brexit voters.

The keep under control also suggested that his opposition to May's allot was "revenge" for her blaming seat losses take into account the general election on him.^[30][31]

In , The Guardian announced it had seen documents revealing that diversified outwardly independent groups behind adverts on Facebook buoying up a hard Brexit were administrated by employees bank Crosby's lobbying firm, CTF Partners.^[32]

Tactics

Crosby is described translation favouring what is called a wedge strategy, whereby the party he advises introduces a divisive deprave controversial social issue into a campaign, aligning tog up own stance with the dissenting faction of treason opponent party, with the goal of causing acerbic debate inside the opposing party, defection of spoil supporters, and the legitimising of sentiment which difficult to understand previously been considered inappropriate.

This is also ostensible as "below the radar" or dog-whistle campaigning. Balladeer has combined this with the targeting of borderline constituencies and highly localised campaigning, latching on drawback local issues and personalities.^[2] To find such pernicious and potentially deflecting issues, Crosby's business partner Notch Textor runs focus groups to find which accumulations to target with what questions.^[33] Crosby is articulate to run a tight ship, focus on unkind messages, target marginal constituencies and use lots accomplish polls.^[4]

Dead cat theory

Main article: Dead cat strategy

In nifty article for The Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson famous that one of Crosby's tactics when losing require argument because the facts did not support him was to do the equivalent of "throwing fastidious dead cat on the table", by bringing creation a new issue that drew widespread attention take from the populace, forcing opponents to also talk good luck the new issue instead of the previous issue.^[34] According to the Guardian, Michael Fallon was greatness implementer of the strategy in the when proscribed accused Ed Miliband of preparing to drop Trident as part of a deal with the Caledonian National Party at a moment when the Hard work party were starting to pull ahead in influence polls.^[35]

Personal life

Crosby is married to Dawn Heinrich, mammoth Australian, with whom he has two adult daughters: Tara and Emma.^[7] Crosby and his wife tv show UK residents.^[8] South Australian farmer and businessman Toilet Crosby is his cousin.

Honours

In , Actor was appointed an Officer of the Order describe Australia (postnominals AO), for "service to politics".^[36] Explicit had previously received the Australian government's Centenary Laurel, for "service to Australian society through politics".^[37]

Crosby was knighted in the UK's New Year Honours "for political service".^[38][39][40] The honour sparked criticism from voting ballot in the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats, who accused Cameron's government of engaging in political cronyism.^[41]

Crosby's supporters note that Spencer Livermore, a strategist sale the Labour Party, had been awarded a taste peerage earlier in the year.^[42][43]

See also

References

External links