diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/__init__.py
index 58c3e276ed0..cc97a89f600 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/__init__.py
@@ -40,18 +40,6 @@ except ImportError:
 MODULE_CACHE = {}
 PATH_CACHE = {}
 PLUGIN_PATH_CACHE = {}
-_basedirs = []
-
-# FIXME: the _basedirs code may be dead, and no longer needed, as
-#        we now use add_directory for all plugin types here instead
-#        of relying on this global variable (which also causes problems
-#        with forked processes). See the Playbook() and Role() classes
-#        for how we now ue get_all_plugin_loaders() below.
-def push_basedir(basedir):
-    # avoid pushing the same absolute dir more than once
-    basedir = to_unicode(os.path.realpath(basedir))
-    if basedir not in _basedirs:
-        _basedirs.insert(0, basedir)
 
 def get_all_plugin_loaders():
     return [(name, obj) for (name, obj) in inspect.getmembers(sys.modules[__name__]) if isinstance(obj, PluginLoader)]
@@ -165,22 +153,6 @@ class PluginLoader:
             return self._paths
 
         ret = self._extra_dirs[:]
-        for basedir in _basedirs:
-            fullpath = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(basedir, self.subdir))
-            if os.path.isdir(fullpath):
-                files = glob.glob("%s/*" % fullpath)
-
-                # allow directories to be two levels deep
-                files2 = glob.glob("%s/*/*" % fullpath)
-
-                if files2 is not None:
-                    files.extend(files2)
-
-                for file in files:
-                    if os.path.isdir(file) and file not in ret:
-                        ret.append(file)
-                if fullpath not in ret:
-                    ret.append(fullpath)
 
         # look in any configured plugin paths, allow one level deep for subcategories
         if self.config is not None:
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/__init__.py
index f45e2e7d65e..d64700f618c 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/strategies/__init__.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ from ansible.playbook.handler import Handler
 from ansible.playbook.helpers import load_list_of_blocks
 from ansible.playbook.included_file import IncludedFile
 from ansible.playbook.role import hash_params
-from ansible.plugins import _basedirs, action_loader, connection_loader, filter_loader, lookup_loader, module_loader
+from ansible.plugins import action_loader, connection_loader, filter_loader, lookup_loader, module_loader
 from ansible.template import Templar
 
 try:
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ class SharedPluginLoaderObj:
     the forked processes over the queue easier
     '''
     def __init__(self):
-        self.basedirs = _basedirs[:]
         self.action_loader = action_loader
         self.connection_loader = connection_loader
         self.filter_loader = filter_loader
diff --git a/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py
index 9799c311259..dc74d2cb566 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/template/__init__.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ from jinja2.runtime import StrictUndefined
 
 from ansible import constants as C
 from ansible.errors import AnsibleError, AnsibleFilterError, AnsibleUndefinedVariable
-from ansible.plugins import _basedirs, filter_loader, lookup_loader, test_loader
+from ansible.plugins import filter_loader, lookup_loader, test_loader
 from ansible.template.safe_eval import safe_eval
 from ansible.template.template import AnsibleJ2Template
 from ansible.template.vars import AnsibleJ2Vars