Breaking the binary: The New Zealand National Party and strategic populism for elite ends

Globally, political parties across the ideological spectrum have attempted to frame themselves as representatives of everyday citizens. In both the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA), the rise of populist and more openly nationalist politicians on the centre-right has led to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNew Zealand sociology Vol. 37; no. 2; pp. 26 - 37
Main Author Clifford, Joe
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Auckland, N.Z University of Auckland, Sociology, School of Social Sciences 01.12.2022
Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand
Subjects
Class politics
Comparative studies
Confusion
Discourse
Ideology
National identity
Nationalism
Nationalist movements
Neoliberalism
New Zealand National Party
Ownership
Political discourse
Political elites
Political leadership
Political parties
Politics
Populism
Prime ministers
Property
Rhetoric
Right wing politics
Speeches
New Zealand
United Kingdom > UK
United States > US
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Summary:Globally, political parties across the ideological spectrum have attempted to frame themselves as representatives of everyday citizens. In both the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA), the rise of populist and more openly nationalist politicians on the centre-right has led to electoral success. The rhetoric of this populist politics is premised on their supposed reclamation of a national people-centred politics from a corrupt elite. While the political discourse of the centre-right in Aotearoa New Zealand makes much use of the concept of 'everyday'-ness, it is fundamentally different from the anti-elite expressions of the new right in the USA and UK. The New Zealand National Party’s use of the term everyday New Zealanders is purposefully fluid; in their discourse, they equate the everyday or ordinary with bourgeoise and neoliberal values. The expressions of the everyday Kiwi by the centre-right is aimed at the confusion of a national politics with a class-based one. This involves the attempted association of what it means to be a New Zealander with the ownership of property and businesses. The evocation of the everyday and 'Kiwi way of life' comes to serve an ideological function for those who would use populist-lite rhetoric for elite ends. Analysis of this type of political style is an under-researched area in Aotearoa New Zealand politics and constitutes an increasingly important form of claim-making in contemporary politics, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and other comparative countries.
Bibliography:New Zealand Sociology, Vol. 37, No. 2, Dec 2022, 26-37
Informit, Melbourne (Vic)
ISSN:0112-921X
1173-1036