Lynton Crosby is running Libertas's European election campaign

Lynton Crosby, the strategist who masterminded four election victories for John Howard in his native Australia, not only ran the Conservative Party's 2005 general election campaign, but was also responsible for Boris Johnson's successful bid for the London mayoralty last year.

In so doing, the "Wizard of Oz" won many admirers in the Conservative family here in Britain and gained the respect of all who watched him at work. After his experience running the 2005 general election, he set up a London office of his business, Crosby|Textor, and he has been a regular visitor to these shores ever since. He has been a great asset to the British Conservative cause and many have previously speculated as to whether he could be persuaded to run future election campaigns for the party.

As such, many will be disappointed to hear that over the last couple weeks he has been spotted at the Brussels HQ of Libertas, the political party set up by Declan Ganley - the man who ran the successful No campaign against the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland.

Having picked up rumours of Mr Crosby's appearance there during my trip to Brussels earlier in the week, sources have now confirmed to me that Mr Crosby and his company have indeed been engaged to manage Libertas's pan-European campaign for the elections to the European Parliament in June.

Declan Ganley is on the record as saying he wants to run a slate of candidates in Britain at June's European elections - against Conservatives - so it would seem remiss of CCHQ not to have snapped up Lynton Crosby first. He is, however, a businessman, and in that sense cannot be blamed for taking up what was presumably a lucrative offer of work.

But it would in all likelihood make it very difficult for the party to engage him in the future, which is a great shame.

Jonathan Isaby

Comments

[Jack Stone]

So we have an Australian running a political party set up by an irishman that is going to run candidates in Britain.If you made it up people wouldn`t believe.
My message to these two foreigners. Keep your nosies out of British politics.
Elections in this country should be decided by British people not by foreigners.

[anon]

I don't see why it would be a problem.

The Labour candidate who stood against the Party Chairman at the last election was rewarded with a place on the A-List after all...

[Tim Montgomerie]

The Tories should have snapped him up.
No other party should have been allowed to get him.

***
Great story Jonathan :-)

[Morus]

That's a heck of a scoop, Jonathan. Congratulations!

[anthony.scholefield]

Well done-another scoop for conservativehome

[Robert Eve]

I won't support Libertas as they want to change the EU rather than leave it.

Trouble is that's also the Tory line.

[Dominic Llewellyn]

Agreed Tim & great article Mr Isaby. I am much more angry though about Ganley & Libertas. It is atrocious that Libertas has decided to field candidates against us. Our European policy platform on the Lisbon Treaty is identical to what I've heard Ganley say. Politics is about service not about massaging & enlarging egos. Well done Declan for winning in the last referendum; win the next one, please don't lose us votes here.

[Malcolm Stevas]

"Elections in this country should be decided by British people not by foreigners."
You mean, British people of the awe-inspiring calibre of, er, Brown, Clegg, Cameron..? When the bloodline gets weak bring in something robust from outside. And Libertas isn't necessarily to be deplored: those of us who are not anti-European (as many here seem) but are very much anti-authoritarian, and in favour of total transparency & accountability, might well find a Libertas candidate appealing. And if this means voting for them rather than a Tory prospective MEP, so be it: given the Tories' wishy-washy attitude to Europe, which is vague, equivocal and ineffectual even by comparison with their other pseudo-policies, one could do worse.

[Better Off Out]

I wouldn't worry about this. Those who want to leave the EU will vote UKIP. Those who want to stay in will vote Lib/Lab. Limp sceptics will vote Tory. Libertas is aiming for the Europhile Lisbon-sceptic vote, all three of them that - if they're still alive - voted for the pro-Euro Conservative Party back in '99. Libertas - if they even get on the ballot under that name - are going nowhere in the UK.

[Comstock]

They actually seem very pro-Europe, just not happy with the current state of affairs.

"We believe that the European Union has limitless potential. It is one of the most successful projects in world history. But it has lost its way"

(from the Libertas website)

Which party do we reckon Libertas will take most of its votes from then?

[Yet Another Anon]

Libertas is a pan-European political movement dedicated to creating a new, democratic, accountable and open European Union.
To what purpose exactly? Those who have called this new party a pressure group masquerading as a political party rather have a point. They are running for public office, they are pro-EU, but to do what exactly, their proposals are all about reforming the system of decision making, nothing about what decisions should be made?

Partys who propose changing the EU usually end up extending it. It is long past time that the UK left the EU.

[Peter]

I wonder if he was involved when Libertas had to find a new name in a hurry, and came up "New Dawn for Europe: Libertas.eu"?!

[Shaun Bennett]

Is this a conderted effort to undermine UKIP and the BNP and split the anti-EU vote in the European elections?

First Libertas set themselves up on the anti-EU ticket, and today we have Bob Crow and his unions against Europe (or whatever its called).

Lets be quite clear, these people are trying to boost the EUphile parties by splitting the anti EU vote. That is their purpose, that is their aim.

I'm sure neither Brown, Clegg or Cameron are going to be too unhappy by this recent outbreak of Eurosceptic parties.

[Dave B]

I thought the Conservatives 2005 general election campaign both unpleasant, and ineffective. Is he really such a star?

[Oberon Houston]

Well, Crosby's campaigns have been effective, but not because they super clever or sophisticated. What you are paying for is discipline, no questions and a conventional but efficient campaign. Surely we don't need to pay a motivated Aussie and his wife/kids/pals/kids pals/pets to instill that in our campaigns? Get Pickles. Ministers in waiting would leaflet until their shoe leathers worn to the bone for him... OR ELSE!

[Helen]

The notion of a pan-European party makes about as much sense as pan-European politics, which is the EU's aim. Libertas.eu is playing the same game. Does Lynton Crosby know? Does he care?

Incidentally, the idea that you can somehow make the EU more democratic through the European Parliament (laughable to all who know how the EU is structured and how it has come about) is, indeed, very similar to the Conservative view that electing them will somehow change the European project.

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

I think it's just best to ignore them and other fringe parties.

[Comstock]

"I thought the Conservatives 2005 general election campaign both unpleasant, and ineffective. Is he really such a star?"

Dunno, but I must admit a certain grudging admiration for the way he 'worked the doughnut'* to such brillant effect in the Mayoral Election last year.

*What this means- basically Lynton saw that there were enough Tory voters in tube zones 5 and 6 to win the election. In 2000 and 2004 they didn't turn out perhaps because they didn't agree with the idea of a mayor or they didn't really see themselves as Londoners. He got them out, and Boris won.

[distressed guardian reader]

"...message to these two foreigners. Keep your nosies out of British politics.
Elections in this country should be decided by British people not by foreigners..."

What a distressing outbreak of xenophobic little englander racism...[insert cliche as required].

Surely it can't really be our Jack that as posted such a comment.

[Oberon Houston]

Comstock: There was nothing he did that was special. The electoral intel was handed to him. As I said, it was the latching onto the obvious & the cracking of the whip which worked wonders. What I wonder at is our (i.e the Tories) rubbish efforts in acampaign without a very expensive motivational coach. Even with him, I regularly saw 'activists' lounging around whilst many £££s of centrally distributed election material was dumped in big bins.

[Shane of Darwin]

What do you mean bloody foreigners mate - you transported to the fatal shore in chains and when we come back to teach you how to play cricket, kick a ball and run an election or two you get all defensive. Its bad enough that you make us stand in the alien queue at Heathrow without insulting our nationality. And to think of all those 10 pound poms we gave a home to over the decades - foreigners are we?

[james morgan]

Jonathan. I think you have got carried away. Nobody in the know gives Mr Crosby the full credit for John Howard's victories. The 2005 UK Election was a disaster and really with the rise in Tory sentiment evenSteve Norris would have won against Ken last time. Mr Crosby is simply a good organiser, an excellent self promoter and a good administrater. A stratagist he is not.

[Dave B]

@Shane of Dawin
Well said!

[Steve Foley]

"I thought the Conservatives 2005 general election campaign both unpleasant, and ineffective."

----------------------------------------

Well it was the best result the Conservative Party had since 1992! There is no way that the Tory Party could have WON in 2005, but Michael Howard managed to cut back the Labour majority to a more realistic figure and did far better than Hague in 2001. I often wonder of there is a dark hidden reason why some Tories downplay Michael Howard's achievement in 2005?

[snegchui]

Michael Howard did not belong to the time. No matter his expertise and incisiveness, he carried baggage that allowed many "non-thinkers", "time-deprived voters" to make judgement calls that would not be in his favour.
Not fair, but that is the way the world is. I admire his intellect but also said the Tories made a massive collective misjudgement in running into 2005 with Michael. Just one of those very unfair, unpalatable things.

[Dave B]

@Steve Foley
In 2005 Labour got 36% of the vote, down from 42% in 2001, and 44% in 1997. But the voters who had deserted Labour did not come to the Conservatives.

You say the 2005 result was 'far better' than 1997? In 1997 the Conservatives got 31%, in 2001 32%, and in 2005 33%. I don't see how the 2005 was 'far better' than the 1997 result.

[Raj]

The Tories should have snapped him up.
No other party should have been allowed to get him.

He didn't exactly mastermind a glorious victory in 2005 for Howard, did he?

[Michael Parsons]

When Jack Stone says "Elections in this country should be decided by British people not by foreigners", on which side does he place Patricia Hewitt and Peter Hain?

[Tony Sharp]

How many people are going to realise Libertas has a pro-EU standpoint? The media coverage of the group thus far might lead some people to think Libertas would be a vehicle for opposing the EU and seeking withdrawal. I wonder if Crosby will seek to capitalise on that?

[pp]

Tim

Lyntons PR clearly worked on you!

I would like to believe that election results reflect the wishes of the majority of the electorate rather than reflecting who had the money to employ who to run the campaign.

Many people have submitted (with relatively little complaint) to three terms of government by a party they despise - they did so in the belief that the will of the majority should be respected. Everyone has a duty to ensure that it is the majority will that prevails - anything else leads to revolution.

[Super Blue]

"My message(sic) to these two foreigners. Keep your nosies(sic) out of British politics.
Elections in this country should be decided by British people not by foreigners."

Is this blatant racism or what?

[Chris Howell]

Regardless of what effect Lynton Crosby may or may not have had on the Conservative Campaign last time, its hard to imagine he was value for money at the prices he charges...

[Yet Another Anon]

In 2005 Labour got 36% of the vote, down from 42% in 2001, and 44% in 1997. But the voters who had deserted Labour did not come to the Conservatives.
There were people switching between the main political parties, and people switching to UKIP, Respect and other small parties, and some increase in turnout.

A lot of Labour supporters between 1997 and 2005 got dissilusioned or simply felt that Labour couldn't lose and didn't turn up, if anything more so in 2001 than in 2005, Conservative support as a percentage of the Popular Vote increased in 2001 and 2005, but total Conservative support although up in 2005 was still well down on 1997.

There have been a variety of crises which alienated Labour support, support lost over the War in Iraq has been returning over 5 years, Labour has been recovering support lost in 2007/08 over the abolition of the 10p tax rate, things such as the Bernie Ecclestone Affair. Labour will never get back to the levels of support it had in 1997, but it has huge reserves of support still among many who in a situation where the Conservative Party is stronger than it has been at any time since at least 1993 will cause many who had switched to smaller parties or simply stayed at home to feel the need to vote Labour.

The Conservatives will almost certainly get 10 million+ votes at the next General Election, but as with Labour in 1987 and 1992 this may not look so much of a shift in terms of percentage vote because of a recival in the Labour vote.

[Martin Cole]

4th June is shaping up to be a shocker for all parties with sitting MEPs except perhaps the Greens.

Yesterdays launch of "no2eu - yes to democracy" looks most likely to affect Labour and the BNP.

Libertas in the UK will threaten the Tories and UKIP as will any English nationalist vote for the English Democrats gaining strength with every prescription payment!

No2eu is obviously targeting all parties with sitting MEPs and it is gratifying to see my idea of 8th January 2004 now taken up in this way.

Mr Crosby will now most sensibly direct the Libertas campaign, as Ganley has already begun, by targeting the corruption of all those who have been elected in the past.

Cameron's selection strategy makes the Tories particularly vulnerable, all Conservative MEPs deserve to lose their seats with the possible exceptions of Dan Hannan and Roger Helmer and no UKIP MEPS deserve re-election in my view.

Great report from Conservative Home, compounded by Jack Stone's awful opening comment!

[PB]

Apart from Boris's campaign it should be noted that Lynton's experience is based in Australia - where voting is compulsory.

Boris's campaign was based on discipline, a little slick marketing and a revolt from the suburbs vs. Ken. Not rocket science.

GOTV in European Elections is not easy. Machinery is essential.

[Cluedo]

Crosby's influence in 2005 and the Mayoral Elections is exaggerated. He was v good at his own pr and creating a sense of mystery and very quick to claim plaudits.

As for the claim that anybody other than Howard could have led the Tories in 2005 it is ludicrous. Do you not remember that state the party was left in under IDS? Divided, unprofessional, disorganised, no sense of purpose.

Howard was clearly the only purpose to sort out the mess in the time available. Most of what cameron is doing is a continuation -both in terms of organisation and policy development.

[Jason O'Mahony]

Bear in mind the fact that if Libertas plays the little England card in the UK, it plays very badly in Ireland, where Ganley is running himself. Ireland gets all the UK's media, and is still a very pro-EU country.

[TomTom]

Jack Stone says "Elections in this country should be decided by British people not by foreigners"

Can't be old BNP Stoned can it ? He sounds like Alf Garnett when he let's his hair down....

[TomTom]

he let's his hair down....

absurd use of apostrophe....sorry

[Bishop Swine]

A very unwelcome but inevitable result of our fall into the "common" market.

" He sounds like Alf Garnett when he let's his hair down...."

We need a good deal more of that kind of viewpoint. Alf was an important safety valve for Britain. He knew exactly how awful the new England was going to be and rightly he said what he thought was right. Most of the time he was spot on which was why he was so funny.

Alf would have been purple with rage that some foreigners could pull a stunt like this.
Of course they are the death of democracy in the UK. If our governement wasn't so keen to sell us off, they would ensure that these Libertas's stunts were impossible.

"My message to these two foreigners. Keep your nosies out of British politics.
Elections in this country should be decided by British people not by foreigners."

Yes that's right tell them to sod off.

[Super Blue]

"Jack Stone says "Elections in this country should be decided by British people not by foreigners"

Can't be old BNP Stoned can it ? He sounds like Alf Garnett when he let's his hair down...."

TomTom: Not just racist on Troll-Stone's part; surely offensive, nasty, selfish and uncaring as well, surely? :)

[Shane of Darwin]

Alf Garnett was a hero in Australia but you lot have become so 'politically correct', up tight and apologetic about being British that you have lost your way and disowned him. Before you throw stones at the foreigners (Jack Stone that was a pun in case you missed it)just remember it was the very same foreigners - the Australians in case you have already forgotten - who lined up with you in two world wars and every major conflict that mattered. As for Bishop Swine only a pom would say 'sod off', what are you a sheila; you need to go watch a ferw re runs of Alf mate and get a a few lessons, he was far more direct (almost an Aussie).