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Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author.
THE POLITICS OF NOSTALGIA:
THE PETTY-BOURGEOISIE AND THE EXTREME RIGHT IN NEt|l ZEALAND
A thesis presented in partialfulfilment of the requirements for the degree
of Doctor of Phi losophy atMassey University
Paul Spoonley
1 986
l1
ABSTRACT
From the early 1970s, extreme right-wing groups began toproliferate jn New Zealand and to contribute to public debate. Thesegroups represent one response to the growing pol iticisation of racjaland gender jssues, d discontent at the trends in modern capitalism anda nostalgia for the unity and certainty that is seen as epitom.isingthe immediate post-war period. Poulantzas identifies these groups asprimarily petty-bourgeois in origin and thjs class link constitutes a
central focus of thi s thesi s.
It js argued that the old or traditional petty-bourgeoisie area declining class fraction who exhibit reactionary tendencies. Thejrform of petty-commodity production, both rural and urban, isthreatened by the development of the corporate economy, exemplified bythe interventionjst state and the growing size and centralisation ofmonopoly capital. The resulting decrease in petty-bourgeois posjtjonsproduces a crisjs of confidence as the reproduction of small-scaleproduct'ion is no longer guaranteed. The marginal position of the oldpetty-bourgeo'isie is further confirmed by the absence of po'litica'linfluence. They feel unabre to halt the growing ,moral decadence, ofrecent decades because they'lack the political power of capital orlabour, or that of expanding class fractions such as the new petty-bourgeoisie. Radical right-w'ing groups are an expression of thesecl ass concerns.
The old petty-bourgeoisie have not always identified withreactionary political organisations. Their support was an importantfactor in the election of the Labour Government in 1935. But duringthe 1930s, they articulated an ideology that perceived speculat ivecapital, and Jews,as an important cause in financial decline. Thisworld-view was reproduced intact into the 19l0s. At this point, a
general economic recession emphasised the prob lems faced by petty-cornmodity production and the conLribution of thc'o1d petty-bourgeoisieto moral debates on 'race', gender and peace issues was increasinglysuperseded by post-war generations and movements. Also, the
iii
traditional party of this fraction, Soc'i al Credi t, experienced a
change in leadership in 1972 that marked a rejectjon of '1930s
arguments. Extreme right-wing groups were establ ished to articulatepetty-bourgeois concerns and to counter weak representational linkswi th conservati ve pol i t'ica1 part'ies.
The ideology and poljt'ical style of these groups is described
in detail. Case studies of the League of Rights, the Country Party
and Tax Reduction Integrity Movement/lenith Applied Philosophy are
provided, along with profiles of key activ'ists. The class base cfthese organisations is confirmed by the contrast with working class
neo-fascism and forms of conservatism such as the New Zealand Party.
An international comparison involving the United Kingdom, Austral ia
and Canada identjfies the spec'ific tendenc'ies of the New Zealand
situation.
The final section djscusses the prognosis for extreme right-wing groups jn a situatjon of crisis. The analysis centres on threequestions: (1) in order to widen jts const'ituency, are alliances withother classes or fractions possible; (2)'is mass fasc'ism a
possibility; (3) are the old petty-bourgeoisie a significant or
authentic socia'l force. The thesis concludes that extreme right-winggroups are an expression of petty-bourgeois revo'lt and they constituteone of the most important examples of reactionary politics with an
impact on contemporary socjal relations and debates.
IV
PREFACE
Some brief preparatory comments need to be made before proceeding
to the body of the text. The first concerns the generat'ion of a data
base. Throughout the thes'is, there are extensive references to
secondary sources such as newspaper items or articles. It may not be
'immediately obvious that a considerable amount of the data came from
primary sources, especially contact with members of the extreme right,intervjews with them and attendance at meet'ings. Material from these
sources has been woven into the analysis and the origin is often not
identjfied or clear. Secondly, although this thesis addresses thequestjon of the class bases of extremism in New Zealand, class'is taken
as read. There is no'intentjon of exploring class in'its own right.That was beyond the scope of this project. And finally, my personal
attitude towards the subject matter, right-wing extremism, may be
gauged indirectly from the analysis but'it'is very seldom explicit. The
extreme ri ght represents a trad'iti on that di verges j n 'its val ues and
bel'iefs from social democratjc culture, and from the liberal values ofsociology. The opposed pos'it'ions of sociologist and extreme right has
often meant that the latter have been carjcatured in socjology. By
that I mean that the complex'ity and commitment of extreme right-wingpolitics has been inaccurately portrayed. The ajm here was to convey
something of the jntricacies and rjchness of this tradition, and to
acknowledge the integrity of the people jnvolved. Ihis integrity isacknowledged by simply being accurate and not misrepresenting
ind'ividuals or events. But'tout comprendre, c'est tout pardonner' isnot my attitude. I reject total'ly the valjdity of extreme right-winginterpellations and believe them to constitute an impediment to thepractice of a liberal democratic system. Equally, however, I do not
share the'bleak pessimism' (Bottomore, 1984:37) that characterisedthe Frankfurt School on this same subject, and if soc'iology can add
anything it is to create positive options through competent analysis.
AC{N0t4/LEDGEUENJS
As with any undertaking of thjs size, others have made a major
contribution and it would simply have not been possible without theirsupport. There are four people to whom I owe a partjcular debt.
Graeme Fraser and Chris Wilkes have supervised the thesis, and have
done so w'i1Iingly and extremely competent1y in spite of othersubstantial commitments. It has been a long and at times difficultproject, and I am grateful for their col legial encouragement.
Jill Cheer has been involved in typing the material. Her sk'ill and
reactjon to aspects of the thesjs have been very valuable. And
Jennifer Crowley has l'ived with this project as much as I have, and
has been a motivator and a companion'in a way that no-one else couldhave. To these people, and to my parents, I am deeply grateful.
There are others who have provided help, adv'ice and'information, and have actually made the collection of data possible.To the following, mJ thanks: Mjchael Eanton; Paul Earcham;
Stan Barrett; Karren Beanland; Eritish Counci l; Harvey Buchman;
Graeme Coleman; Michael Danby and Austral.i a/lsrael Publ ications,Melbourne; Josh Easby; Ken Gott; HART; Wally Hirsh and the New
Zeal and Jewi sh Counci 1; Humani ties and Soc'i al Sciences Research Fund,
Massey University; Chris Husbands; Jerry Gable and Searchljght,London; 0r Jacob Gewirtz and the Board of Deputjes of British Jews,
London; Paul Gordon and the Runnymede Trust, London; Mike Hannah;
Glenys Jennings; Francesca Klug; Derrick Knight; Michael Law;
Isi Leibler; Rod Lingard; Ernest Markham; Lesley Max; Bob Mi les;Michael May and the Institute for Jewish Affairs, London;
David McLoughl in; David Pearson; Penny Poutu; Race RelationsConciljator's Office staff; Bert Roth; Gil I Sejdel; Pat Shannon:
Paul Smith; Tainui Stephens; Stephen Stratford; Toby Truel l;Victorian Jewjsh Board of Deputies, Melbourne; t,Jiener Library,London; Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Ho'locaust Studies, Los Angeles;Vernon Wr i ght.
I also have lo acknowledge that help was provided by thesubjects cf this study, members of New Zealand's extreme right.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Acknowl edgements
Table of Contents
List of Diagrams and
List of Appendices
Li st of Abbrevi at'ions
P age
X1
xi i
1
7
9
15
t51619
23
32
39
44
45
4B
51
57
60
60
IV
vi
CHAPTER ONE:
CHAPTER TWO:
Tab I es
and Conventions
I ntroduct i on
The Politics of the Petty-Bourgeoisie:A Theoretical Argument
Fascism and the Extreme Right:A Def i ni t'ionAnalyses of the Extreme Right andFasci sm
(i(i'i
(iiiThe Authorjtarian PersonalityAl'ienation and Modern SocietyMarxi st Expl anat'ions
The Petty-Bourgeoisie
I deo I ogy
Rac'ism, National i sm and Sexi sm
Ideo'logy: A Reformul ati on
Key Elements of Petty-BourgeoisIdeology: A T.ypology
Polit'icsPol i tical Style and Social 0rganisationThe Potential for Fascism in New Zealand
The Theoretical Framework: A FormalStatement(a) The PoIitics of the 0ld Petty-
Bourgeoisie(b) The Ideology of the Extreme Right(c) The 0rganisational Structure and
Style of the Extreme Right(d) The Potential for Fascism in
New Zeal and
6162
62
CHAPTER THREE:
CHAPTER FOUR:
CHAPTER FIVE:
The Historical Precedents of Petty-Bourgeois Interpel lat'ions inNew Zea'l and, 1890-1972
Raci sm: Ideolog'ical Struggles1890s-1930s
Soc'ial Credit and the Petty-Bourgeoisie: Jacob'inism inNew Zealand PoliticsA.N. FieldConclusion
Contemporary Petty-Bourgeoi s Interpel I at'ions:Extreme Right-l,ling Groups as an Express'ionof Political Revolt
The Post-War Development of ExtremeRight-Wing Groups
The Rural Petty-Bourgeoisie and anExtreme Right-Wing Group: TheCountry Party
Cliff Emeny: A ProfileThe Urban Petty-Bourgeoisie andExtreme Right-Wing Groups(a) Zenittr Appiied Phitosophy(b) Tax Reduction Integrity Movement
Conclusion
Contemporary Petty-Bourgeois Jacobjnj sm:The New Zealand League of Rights
The Establishment of the League ofRights
The New Zealand League of Rights andSoci al Credi tSupporters of the League of Rights
fhe Activities of the League of Rights
Ideology and the New Zealand League ofRights
Anti -Semi ti sm and the League of Ri ghts
Conspiracy and the League of Rights
Eric Butler: A Profi leJoy Clapham: A Profi let,l.A. Ross: A ProfileConclusion
P age
64
69
71
ol
B3
87
91
97
102
104
107i15
124
128
132
134
140
145
151
156
159
163
169
172
1/4
CHAPTER SIX:
CHAPTER SEVEN:
CHAPTER EIGHT:
Racial Revolutionary Interpel lations:Neo-Fascism and the Working Class
Post-War Developments(a ) Natjonal Soci al i sm
Col in King-Ansel 1 : A Profi le(b) (j ) National FrontB. B. Thompson : A Profi I e(ii) New Force/Nationaljst
l,'iorkers PartyKerry Bol ton: A Profj le
(c) Christchurch Groups
Conclusion
A Comparative Analysis of Fascjst andExtreme Ri ght-Wi ng Interpe'l I ations :
Eritain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand
Bri tai n(i) National Front
( a) Ideol ogy( b) Support
(ii) Petty-Bourgeois Expressionsof R i 9ht-t,li ng Radi cal i sm
(iij) Eritish League of RightsAu stra I 'i aCanada
Conclusion
Petty-Bourgeoi s Jacob j ni sm As a Pol i t'icalForce: Potentialit'ies
The Crisis in Political and EconomicRel at i ons( a ) The State and Capi tal i sm(b) The Crisis in Representational TiesThe New RightNew Zealand and the New Riqht(a) Libertarian Right(b) Moral AuthoritariansPol i tical Representatives of theAl I i ances and Debates
Rac'ism and Anti-Semi tismThe Response of Agencies to the
Ri ght: 290
Right( a) The Medi a(b) Human Rights Commission/Race
Rel ations Conci I i ator(c) The PoliceConclusion
(A)
P age
179
183a o1tot192194199200
tult-tt
214
218
220229ZJIIJJ239
242245252
259
26s
267
268275
2814da(oJ(.J J
286
(B)(c)
296
Extreme 303
303305
307
309
CHAPTER NINE:
Appendi ces
Bi bl iography
Conclusjon: The 0ld Petty-Bourgeoisieand the Extreme R'ight
Crisis and Petty-Bourgeois Extremism
Petty-Bourgeoi s Extremi sm:0rganisations and Ideology
Compari sons
Contemporary Crises and the Prognosisfor Petty-Bourgeois Extremism
Theoretical and MethodologicalImpl i cati ons
Page
315
316
322
327
331
337
342
385
DIAG84U5
Schematic Development of Petty-Bourgeoi s
Interpel lations and Representational Ties.
2. Companies L'inked with Zenith Appf ied Ph j losophyand Tax Reduction Integrity Movement, Early 1980s'Chri stchurch.
3. Lineage and Assocjations of Neo-Fascist Groups inNew Zealand.
4. Maior Traditjons jn British Right-Wing Extremism,1923-1982.
The 8ri ti sh League of R'ights and Assoc.i ati ons0ther Extreme Right-Wing GrouPs.
Conservative and Reactionary Politjcal GroupsNew Zealand Politics, 1970s and 1980s.
4t.
P age
67
109
222
t^li rh 243
291
260
186
1n
5.
6.
791.
2.
Politjcal Support for Social Credjt, 1954-1972.
Major Ideological Concerns of Petty-BourgeoisJacobinism and Working Class Neo-Fascism in the1970s.