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The Far Right Playbook

Nau mai. Welcome. Here in Aotearoa, we’re entering an election year where misinformation is rampant, Te Tiriti is under constant attack and there’s a relentless barrage of changes being made at an impossible pace. These are symptoms of far-rightism.

We know that the far-right hasn’t gained power and influence by accident. They repeat a set of tried and true tactics to manipulate us and affect change - creating an atmosphere of fear and division. And right now, we have a government that’s actively rolling these tactics out at will.

This website and book are tools to help you identify and make sense of some of these tactics. We do this in the hope that you will take this knowledge into your own organising and action for a world that puts people and our planet before the profits of the few.

Finding ourselves in this time and place, it’s important that we ask ourselves: what is the far-right and how does it affect us? We’ve identified a few key tactics that describe the behaviours and intentions of the far-right, in the hopes that defining what it is becomes less important than how it’s affecting us. You can learn more about the history of the far-right and more about these tactics in The Far-Right Playbook.

Far rightism in Aotearoa is underpinned by a global and local history of colonial conquest. The idea that far-right politics are something that happens "over there" and have occasionally, or recently, washed up on New Zealand shores is comforting. It also lets our country off the hook.

Since the 1800s we have been promoted as an escape from oppression happening "over there". A benevolent, just and harmonious nation where everyone gets a "fair go". These escape fantasies require one to suspend the brutal realities of invasion, colonial land theft and white supremacy upon which New Zealand, the nation state, was formed.

— Tina Ngata in "A History of the Far Right in Aotearoa", The Far-Right Playbook.

Corporate Capture, Privatisation & Profit Propaganda

When governments over simplify economic policies, prioritise profit over people, use neoliberal economics and enable mass privatisation.
(Neoliberalism) is a form of class warfare, but one that draws on old and new forms of subordinating labour. It is about expanding the free market (an economic system with little or no government intervention), but in very specific and constrained ways, ones that have to do with undermining democracy. And, as many theorists have pointed out, it is not only an economic project, but also a social project, one aimed at transforming ways of life.
— Simon Barber and Neil Vallelly in “Neoliberalism? Let’s talk Corporate Capture, Profit and Privatisation”, The Far-Right Playbook.

Far-right Governments will often sell the idea of a ‘common sense approach’ to economic policy. But the reality is that these policies tend to push neoliberal A political approach that favours free-market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending., trickle down economics that prioritise private interests over public good. When they’re doing this, they will sell the idea that ‘profit’ and ‘growth’ will help us to achieve better living standards for all, despite evidence to the contrary.

Attacking Te Tiriti o Waitangi

In Aotearoa our democratic foundation is premised upon the agreement between Māori and the Crown through Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi remains an essential part of our modern democracy, with the responsibilities of the British Crown now represented by the government. It recognises the rights of Māori as the Indigenous peoples of this country, but in modern times it is also a crucial safeguard for many of the rights of all New Zealanders, Māori and non-Māori alike.
— Luke Fitzmaurice-Brown in “Attacking Te Tiriti 101”, The Far-Right Playbook

By threatening social cohesion and creating division, a far-right government undermines Te Tiriti and the role it plays in law, policy and democracy as a whole. It does so by passing legislation that undermines the power of Te Tiriti in our societal institutions and defunding initiatives aimed at strengthening Māori self-organisation. It stirs up and invokes racism as a smokescreen to dismantle Te Tiriti based mechanisms that stand in the way of privatisation and corporatisation of state assets.

Evading Democracy & Suppressing Voters

To protect their own interests, far-right governments change the things that protect democracy – like electoral rules, voters rights or ignoring submissions through the select committee process.
Democracy is an ever-changing and contested political project that can take many different structures. However, as Isabell Lorey explains in Democracy in the Political Present, the word does have a core definition: demos (people) and kratos (rule). Simply put: the people rule or the people self-govern together. When the people govern together, decisions are made with collective wellbeing in mind.
— India Logan-Riley in “Democracy at its Core: How Voter Suppression, Participation and Power Play Out.”, The Far-Right Playbook

We expect that when we participate in democracy, our voices will be heard, our votes will be counted and that our values will be represented by the elected government. But when a far-right government is in power, they will work hard to stop voters who are more progressive from participating in democracy.

They do this by removing or weakening the things that protect public interest (like fast tracking bills) and maintain a safe or reasonable level of oversight (like defunding the electoral commission).

Weakening Journalism & Spreading Misinformation

By discrediting independent journalism as unreliable and spreading disinformation themselves, it becomes harder for citizens to know what the facts are.
Misinformation is communication that misleads, but this can happen in a variety of ways—including through claims that are technically true, and through negligent or accidental sharing. When misinformation is deliberate, it sometimes aims at persuading people to believe something — but other times, it’s used merely to distract and confuse.
— Matt MacDonald in “Misinformation: The Many Ways to Mislead”, The Far-Right Playbook

Eliminating independent media is a way for Governments that want total control over the way they’re seen and the ways people can see what they’re doing. Spreading mis/disinformation is a way of eroding trust in verifiable news sources that drives people further into fear and division. Disinformation can be used as a diversion from real world issues and solutions that would contradict the motives of capital.

Weakening Civil Society

Healthy democracies have strong opposition and an independent press. Authoritarian politicians and regimes attack not only the press, but also the influence of other voices, such as NGOs or other critical organizations.
Joining and participating in civil society organisations is the best way to help protect and strengthen civil society. Civil society works best when the greatest number of people are involved. We must also view government and private enterprise operations critically and with scepticism. That means we must be vigilant in pushing for proper checks and balances to make sure that they do the right thing. We must seek accountability and transparency for decision making.
— Valerie Morse in “Weakening Civil Society”, The Far-Right Playbook

Civil society acts as a counterbalance to governance. These organisations often represent communities or groups that don’t have a voice at decision-making tables, but offer vital insights into how governments can look after us all. Civil society can be shrunk through formal means, by cutting its funding or criminalizing dissent. Its credibility can also be taken away through astroturfingThe deceptive practice of presenting an orchestrated marketing or public relations campaign in the guise of unsolicited comments from members of the public (creating fake grassroots movements) or hijacking social justice narratives to push harmful policy.

Declaring a Crisis & Scapegoat Politics

Far-right governments will manipulate crises and blame others to undermine democracy and secure their power.
Immigrants are a common scapegoat for a manufactured crisis. Immigration can be portrayed as the cause of violence, such as terrorism or gendered violence. Immigrant populations can be blamed for a vague (but always negative) idea of social and cultural change or, in less overtly racist cases, blamed for high unemployment or housing shortages.
— Byron Clark in “Scapegoat Politics and the Role of Social Media”, The Far-Right Playbook

When an issue is labelled as a crisis, Governments can justify urgent or harsh measures to address that crisis. Far-right or populistA person, especially a politician, who strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups. leaders are known to use the power and pressure of a crisis, while often blaming minority groups for society’s problems. These tactics skew our idea of what is truthful, reasonable, fair and just. It also leaves our major challenges unresolved because we are given ideological solutions, instead of evidence-based approaches.

Flooding the Zone

Far-right governments will make rapid changes in quick succession, creating confusion and preventing people from being able to respond to every issue at hand.
What is often described as “flooding the zone” refers to a mode of governing where decisions are made at such speed and in such volume that scrutiny, participation and public understanding struggle to keep pace. The outcome is not just confusion, but disengagement. When people feel overwhelmed, they are more likely to withdraw – and when withdrawal becomes widespread, democratic accountability weakens.
— Māni Dunlop in “‘Would You Like Urgency With That?’ Drive-thru Politics, Governing Through Overload and Flooding the Zone”, The Far-Right Playbook

The key motivator for this tactic is overwhelm and disillusion. The thinking becomes: why bother? Far-right politicians will intentionally stack policy and legislative changes together, so that the media flurry and responses are overshadowed by other topics.

Planting Allies into Positions of Power

All governments will put their own people into positions of power – but a far-right government will intentionally put people into positions of power and influence where they will deliberately cause conflict.
Fighting back against the far right doesn’t always look like confrontational street protests. More often it looks like people participating in their local communities through joining and being actively involved with civil society organisations, making them less vulnerable to infiltration attempts. Each of us can play a vital role in protecting democracy and democratic institutions.
— Byron Clark in “Planting Allies into Positions of Power”, The Far-Right Playbook

Planting allies works by destabilising the autonomy of organisations, business and boards by installing hostile allies into positions of power. This can include government overreach, where conflicts of interest are overridden, disregarded or encouraged to protect an adverse political agenda.

Glossary of frequently used terms

Astroturfing
The deceptive practice of presenting an orchestrated marketing or public relations campaign in the guise of unsolicited comments from members of the public.
Authoritarian
Favouring or enforcing strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.
Civil Society
The "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, comprising non-governmental, non-profit and voluntary organizations.
Fiscal policy
The use of government spending and taxation to influence the economy, aiming to promote sustainable growth, manage demand and reduce poverty.
Neoliberal / neoliberalism
A political approach that favours free-market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending.
Populist / populist politicians
A person, especially a politician, who strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.
Privatisation
The transfer of a business, industry, or service from public to private ownership and control.
Propaganda
Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a particular cause, doctrine, or point of view.
Trickle down economics
A theory suggesting that tax cuts and financial benefits for corporations and the wealthy stimulate investment and job creation, ultimately benefiting the entire economy.