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THE OF NOSTALGIA:

THE PETTY-BOURGEOISIE AND THE EXTREME RIGHT IN NEt|l ZEALAND

A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Phi losophy at Massey University

Paul Spoonley

1 986 l1

ABSTRACT

From the early 1970s, extreme right-wing groups began to jn proliferate New Zealand and to contribute to public debate. These groups represent one response to the growing pol iticisation of racjal jssues, and gender d discontent at the trends in modern capitalism and a nostalgia for the unity and certainty that is seen as epitom.ising the immediate post-war period. Poulantzas identifies these groups as primarily petty-bourgeois in origin and thjs class link constitutes a central focus of thi s thesi s. js It argued that the old or traditional petty-bourgeoisie are a declining class fraction who exhibit reactionary tendencies. Thejr form of petty-commodity production, both rural and urban, is threatened by the development of the corporate economy, exemplified by the interventionjst state and the growing size and centralisation of monopoly capital. The resulting decrease in petty-bourgeois posjtjons produces a crisjs of confidence as the reproduction of small-scale product'ion is no longer guaranteed. The marginal position of the old petty-bourgeo'isie is further confirmed by the absence of po'litica'l influence. They feel unabre to halt the growing ,moral decadence, of recent decades because they'lack the political power of capital or labour, or that of expanding class fractions such as the new petty- bourgeoisie. Radical right-w'ing groups are an expression of these cl ass concerns.

The old petty-bourgeoisie have not always identified with reactionary political organisations. Their support was an important factor in the election of the Labour Government in 1935. But during the 1930s, they articulated an ideology that perceived speculat ive capital, and Jews,as an important cause in financial decline. This world-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and the conLribution of thc'o1d petty-bourgeoisie to moral debates on 'race', gender and peace issues was increasingly superseded by post-war generations and movements.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 articulate petty-bourgeois concerns and to counter weak representational links wi 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 cf these 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 three questions: (1) in order to widen jts const'ituency, are alliances with other 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-wing groups are an expression of petty-bourgeois revo'lt and they constitute one 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 the questjon of the class bases of 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 of . 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-wing politics 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 is acknowledged by simply being accurate and not misrepresenting ind'ividuals or events. But'tout comprendre, c'est tout pardonner' is not my attitude. I reject total'ly the valjdity of extreme right-wing interpellations and believe them to constitute an impediment to the practice of a liberal democratic system. Equally, however, I do not share the'bleak pessimism' (Bottomore, 1984:37) that characterised the 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 their support. 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 other substantial commitments. It has been a long and at times difficult project, 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 could have. 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 Relations Conciljator'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 the subjects cf this study, members of New Zealand's extreme right. TABLE OF CONTENTS P age

Preface IV

Acknowl edgements

Table of Contents vi

List of Diagrams and Tab I es

List of Appendices X1

Li st of Abbrevi at'ions and Conventions xi i

CHAPTER ONE: I ntroduct i on 1

CHAPTER TWO: The Politics of the Petty-Bourgeoisie: 7 A Theoretical Argument Fascism and the Extreme Right: 9 A Def i ni t'ion Analyses of the Extreme Right and 15 Fasci sm (i The Authorjtarian Personality t5 (i'i Al'ienation and Modern Society 16 (iii Marxi st Expl anat'ions 19 The Petty-Bourgeoisie 23

I deo I ogy 32

Rac'ism, National i sm and Sexi sm 39 Ideo'logy: A Reformul ati on 44 Key Elements of Petty-Bourgeois 45 Ideology: A T.ypology Polit'ics 4B

Pol i tical Style and Social 0rganisation 51 The Potential for Fascism in New Zealand 57 The Theoretical Framework: A Formal 60 Statement (a) The PoIitics of the 0ld Petty- 60 Bourgeoisie (b) The Ideology of the Extreme Right 61 (c) The 0rganisational Structure and 62 Style of the Extreme Right (d) The Potential for Fascism in 62 New Zeal and P age

CHAPTER THREE: The Historical Precedents of Petty- 64 Bourgeois Interpel lat'ions in New Zea'l and, 1890-1972 Raci sm: Ideolog'ical Struggles 69 1890s-1930s

Soc'ial Credit and the Petty- 71 Bourgeoisie: Jacob'inism in New Zealand Politics A.N. Field ol Conclusion B3

CHAPTER FOUR: Contemporary Petty-Bourgeoi s Interpel I at'ions: 87 Extreme Right-l,ling Groups as an Express'ion of Political Revolt The Post-War Development of Extreme 91 Right-Wing Groups

The Rural Petty-Bourgeoisie and an 97 Extreme Right-Wing Group: The Country Party Cliff Emeny: A Profile 102 The Urban Petty-Bourgeoisie and 104 Extreme Right-Wing Groups (a) Zenittr Appiied Phitosophy 107 (b) Tax Reduction Integrity Movement i15 Conclusion 124

CHAPTER FIVE: Contemporary Petty-Bourgeois Jacobjnj sm: 128 The New Zealand League of Rights The Establishment of the League of 132 Rights

The New Zealand League of Rights and 134 Soci al Credi t Supporters of the League of Rights 140 fhe Activities of the League of Rights 145 Ideology and the New Zealand League of 151 Rights

Anti -Semi ti sm and the League of Ri ghts 156 Conspiracy and the League of Rights 159 Eric Butler: A Profi le 163

Joy Clapham: A Profi le 169

t,l.A. Ross: A Profile 172 Conclusion 1/4 P age

CHAPTER SIX: Racial Revolutionary Interpel lations: 179 Neo-Fascism and the Working Class

Post-War Developments 183 (a ) Natjonal Soci al i sm atot o1 Col in King-Ansel 1 : A Profi le 192 (b) (j ) National Front 194 B. B. Thompson : A Profi I e 199 (ii) New Force/Nationaljst 200 l,'iorkers Party Kerry Bol ton: A Profj le tul (c) Christchurch Groups t-tt Conclusion 214

CHAPTER SEVEN: A Comparative Analysis of Fascjst and 218 Extreme Ri ght-Wi ng Interpe'l I ations : Eritain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand (A) Bri tai n 220 (i) National Front 229 ( a) Ideol ogy ZJI ( b) Support IJJ (ii) Petty-Bourgeois Expressions 239 of R i 9ht-t,li ng Radi cal i sm (iij) Eritish League of Rights 242 'i (B) Au stra I a 245 (c) Canada 252 Conclusion 259

CHAPTER EIGHT: Petty-Bourgeoi s Jacob j ni sm As a Pol i t'ical 26s Force: Potentialit'ies

The Crisis in Political and Economic 267 Rel at i ons ( a ) The State and Capi tal i sm 268 (b) The Crisis in Representational Ties 275 The New Right 281 New Zealand and the New Riqht (oJ4da (a) Libertarian Right (.J J (b) Moral Authoritarians 286 Pol i tical Representatives of the Ri ght: 290 Al I i ances and Debates Rac'ism and Anti-Semi tism 296 The Response of Agencies to the Extreme 303 Right ( a) The Medi a 303 (b) Human Rights Commission/Race 305 Rel ations Conci I i ator (c) The Police 307 Conclusion 309 Page

CHAPTER NINE: Conclusjon: The 0ld Petty-Bourgeoisie 315 and the Extreme R'ight Crisis and Petty-Bourgeois Extremism 316 Petty-Bourgeoi s Extremi sm: 322 0rganisations and Ideology Compari sons 327

Contemporary Crises and the Prognosis 331 for Petty-Bourgeois Extremism

Theoretical and Methodological 337 Impl i cati ons

Appendi ces 342

Bi bl iography 385 P age DIAG84U5

4t. Schematic Development of Petty-Bourgeoi s 67 Interpel lations and Representational Ties.

j 2. Companies L'inked with Zenith Appf ied Ph losophy 109 and Tax Reduction Integrity Movement, Early 1980s' Chri stchurch.

3. Lineage and Assocjations of Neo-Fascist Groups in 186 New Zealand.

4. Maior Traditjons jn British Right-Wing Extremism, 222 1923-1982.

5. The 8ri ti sh League of R'ights and Assoc.i ati ons t^li rh 243 0ther Extreme Right-Wing GrouPs.

6. Conservative and Reactionary Politjcal Groups 1n 291 New Zealand Politics, 1970s and 1980s.

1. Politjcal Support for Social Credjt, 1954-1972. 79

2. Major Ideological Concerns of Petty-Bourgeois 260 Jacobinism and Working Class Neo-Fascism in the 1970s.