Julie Burchill - From Frying Pan To Fire

[Update at end of post]

She is published regularly by both the increasingly desperate and downmarket Telegraph, and the increasingly alt-right Spectator magazine. But now Julie Burchill has a connection that is not merely right-wing, or even alt-right, but way out there in neo-Nazi territory. And both the Tel and Speccy have thus far been remarkably quiet about it.

More repenting at leisure, perchance?

After she encouraged a pile-on against Ash Sarkar last December, amid a slew of vicious abuse Ms Burchill either originated or encouraged, publishers Little, Brown dropped her and she had to find someone else to promote her new book. She duly found someone, and the someone was Stirling Publishing. But her troubles were not yet over.

The Evening Standard has now discovered that Stirling Publishing’s Tabatha Stirling “was ‘outed’ by a group called the Glasgow Anti-Fascist Alliance in December as ‘Miss Britannia,’ an author who wrote articles for the website of far-right group the Patriotic Alternative”. And guess who’s behind Patriotic Alternative? “The Patriotic Alternative is led by former BNP leader Mark Collett”. Ah, the supposedly acceptable face of neo-Nazism.

Do go on. “Miss Britannia posted a series of articles on the Patriotic Alternative’s website last year. One, on the Scottish education system, said Miss Britannia’s son was at a school that was ‘a hellhole for sensible, secure White boys’ and claimed “there is one member of staff who is openly gay, and I mean RuPaul extra gay”. And there was more.

“She defends tweets she wrote saying ‘I did those tweets about Jews and Israel yes I did because when you’re very anti Islam and you haven’t thought about the JQ [Jewish Question] and it hasn’t been in your periphery [sic] vision… it’s kind of the way you’re lead … I can put up my ancestry document with 100% European if that would make you feel better. Being called a liberal Jew’s hilarious, I mean, that’s very funny’”.

You'll have to speak up, I'm a bit Mutt And Jeff

Glasgow Anti-Fascism Alliance added these comments: “Tabatha is incredibly posh (think Katie Hopkins) and is very highly educated. She's lead a very privileged and professional life so this descent into nazism was quite fascinating to study … we discovered that she wrote reviews for her own books as if she was someone else”. There is more.

“Tabatha had been attempting to lead a double life where she presented herself professionally as a liberal author but was secretly a prolific far right streamer and propagandist for the white-nationalist group Patriotic Alternative. She … wrote 4 articles for the PA site. In one, she complained about the immorality of having a gay man teach in her son's school. She frequently touts white genocide conspiracy theories”. And more.

“Tabatha was part of a 'White Art Collective' and also ran a 'White Book Club’ … Although Tabatha managed to delete all her own racist and homophobic content, what she couldn't control was shows she was a guest on and leaked audio”. Ms Burchill celebrated her deal with Stirling Publishing just three days ago. Her comment may return to haunt her.

“I’ve found someone who’s JUST LIKE ME - not only can I work with her, but have a lot of fun with her, and we know how much I like THAT”. But Glasgow Anti-Fascist Alliance had outed Tabatha Stirling LAST DECEMBER. Didn’t Ms Burchill do her due diligence on her?

Perhaps the Telegraph and Spectator would like to comment. Don’t all shout at once.

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[UPDATE 1550 hours: the Guardian has now  told the world that Ms Burchill has effectively fired Stirling Publishing. "I have always been against racism in all forms, so am terminating my contract with Stirling Publishing with immediate effect" she has told.

That may come as a surprise to all those followers of The Prophet, for whom Ms Burchill has not been quite so unequivocally anti-bigotry in the past. Still, small steps, eh?]