They leapt to her defence like so many lemmings: someone they knew had suffered a setback because they were against Woke, and the enemies of Woke were their friends, their allies in the fight against this great evil of our times. But as Woke means “
alert to injustices in society, especially racism”, and their hero was abusive has-been Julie Burchill, theirs was a campaign destined to develop not necessarily to their advantage.
Ms Burchill had left Twitter - but voluntarily, at the behest of her then publisher - and then that publisher had decided not to proceed with her latest book. Almost before one could say “
Spiked”, the righteous and sneering presence of Brendan O’Neill
was on the case: “
the reaction to Burchill’s cutting tweets is unquestionably mad. First she was hounded off Twitter”. She left of her own volition. And now she’s back. Bren lies again.
But do go on.
“If anyone ever again tries to say cancel culture doesn’t exist, remind them of this: a book on cancel culture was cancelled because the author made fun of Islam”. This is also a flat-out lie. Try again. “
That it can happen to one of Britain’s best and best-known journalists … “. Then she’ll have no problem getting another book deal, will she?
Unless Ms Burchill isn’t one of Britain’s “
best journalists”, of course. Still, on moaned O’Neill: “
the ominous nature of the cult of cancellation and the way it seeks to destroy anyone who dares to question woke orthodoxies or take the piss out of a certain religion”. He still has a problem with being “
alert to injustices in society, especially racism”.
While Bren’s pants were still burning fiercely, another useful idiot entered the fray. The loathsome Toby Young had, back in the day, fallen out big time with Ms Burchill over the closure of the
Modern Review. But now all was healed, and Tobe’s so-called Free Speech Union was on her case, though the purpose of the intervention was unclear.
“
The cancellation of Julie Burchill’s book because of a Twitter spat she got into with [Ash Sarkar] is a new low. She is a member is the [Free Speech Union] and we will be taking up her case. Appeasement is like feeding a crocodile in the hope he will eat you last”. How will they try and force the publisher to reconsider its decision? What can they do for her?
After all, she hadn’t been banned by Twitter, and just to underscore the point, back she came, like Janet Webb at the end of a
Morecambe and Wise Show (ask an older relative). “
I'm back, my beauties!” she trilled, having previously described her publisher, in a Facebook post since deleted, as “
a bunch of bed-wetting no-marks”.
Then, just to show what Spiked and the FSU were prepared to defend, she Retweeted one particular specimen who talked of “
The wokelibtards”. The mask never takes long to slip: resorting to a derivation of “
retard” in order to smear opponents. Opponents who, don’t forget, are merely “
alert to injustices in society, especially racism”.
Because that’s what this is all about: sneering dismissal of anti-racism in the name of FREEZE PEACH. That’s why the right-leaning part of our free and fearless press is so enamoured of Brendan O’Neill and Toby Young. It gives intellectual cover to their bigotry.
Ms Burchill, meanwhile, just pisses on them for shits and giggles.
No change there, then.
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It still surprises me that so many with hate oozing out of them, manage to make a living from it.
ReplyDeleteSeems Julie is back on the sauce again
ReplyDelete.
For a bunch of alleged "libertarians" O'Neil & Co have some odd ideas about personal & economic freedom & the "free market", getting very hot under the collar when a corporation like a publisher (book or Twitter) exercises it's freedom to boot someone they decide is of no benefit to their brand. I'm pretty sure Spiked's funders the Koch Bros are very choosy where they out their cash.
ReplyDeleteMe too. There seems to be a confirmed place in the mediasphere for extremely nasty hacks with little to say but plenty of bile. A sad reflection on the UK.
ReplyDelete"One of Britain’s best and best-known journalists".
ReplyDeleteAs Wikipedia would say: [citation needed].
Ms. Burchill is - and always was - an utterly useless, entirely despicable non-journalist, who made herself famous by writing poisonous drivel. A perfect match for Brendan O'Neill, then.
ReplyDeleteSeems the Alt right headbangers find other people excersing their FREEZ PEACH when it comes to dropping them and their shite work from their rosters..
ReplyDelete