The Conservatives’ next election campaign will be run by Lynton Crosby, an Australian whose success has earned him the title ‘The Wizard of Oz’. On examining L. Frank Baum’s classic children’s book, the nickname seems more pertinent than you might imagine.
Lynton Crosby’s skill, according to Andrew Gilligan in the Telegraph, is not so much a genius for strategy, but the ability to ‘instil direction and confidence’. The Wizard has a knack for this too. When Dorothy and her companions return to the Emerald City to see Oz, having defeated the Wicked Witch of the West as bidden, his rewards for them would be useless if they didn’t have confidence in his power. It is because they believe in him that the Scarecrow feels ‘wise indeed’ after Oz stuffs his head with brains of bran, the Tin Woodman is ‘greatly pleased’ with his sawdust heart, and the Lion feels ‘full of courage’ once Oz has given him a drink.
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