Thread by @karamballes

1/ Thread: Remember Sunak saying recently once 15m people are vaccinated we can just open up and pretty much get back to normal?

Its the latest iteration of GBD, protect vulnerable, everyone else just carry on , forget about long covid and many CEV,CV not vaccinated yet.

https://twitter.com/Peston/status/1344726459957522432

2/ This is why they are scrapping the vaccine second dose, to get up to that 15m as fast as possible, of course there's also panic about rising rates but if they were that concerned about cutting transmission they wouldn't be planning 30 kids in classrooms without mask next week

3/ While a logical argument can be made about giving as many people the first dose as possible, it seems the move has alarmed many in the medical and scientific community.

It is a sudden change of strategy, first to suggest it was Tony Blair and that was met with derision.

4/ I wonder where the idea originally came from.

Whats fascinating is looking at whats going on in other countries, politically and socially Germany has some interesting parallels with the UK.

They have their own anti lockdown GBD supporters with exactly the same narrative.

5/ These alt-right libertarian groups have spent the last week arguing for exactly the same policy, rush out first jabs, dont worry about second and get back to normal once a fraction of the population have had it. Very dismissive of long covid.

6/ Other interesting parallels is many of the GBD groups are well entrenched in propagating culture wars, misinformation, and conspiracy theories.

Like in the UK its almost like Qanon have set up a franchise system, the more extremist stuff gets filtered through RW hacks into

7/ mainstream news narratives. With lots of smearing of others they set out policies as sensible alternatives whilst using the trigger words that embolden the far-right.

We see this in non covid issues as well

https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1272607966601056256?s=19

8/ So last night recent threads of mine were being shared by German accounts, many translated tweets later the parallel debate raging over schools there really is remarkable.

There is a parents group that started in spring calling for no safety measures in schools...

9/ This group is widely promoted by lockdown skeptics, gets a lot of media time, doesn't believe children should be tested, is demanding schools go back straight away, ignores long covid and has no concern for risk schools pose to CEV families

10/ This is why a recent thread of mine regarding the influence and access UsForThem have was being shared in Germany, they started taking a look at the similarities themselves

11/ A journalist over there has decided possible links between the two groups due to the similarity of argument and approach.

12/ German campaigners for safety in schools, question who is supporting their group with its media operations.

13/ Concerns that meetings with this group over the summer organised has influenced a group of politicians into arguing for a less cautious approach to German schools

14/ Various actions of the German group are secretive

15/ Politicians and pundits in Germany who never before showed concerns for disadvantaged and marginalised groups are suddenly talking about why schools shouldn't have safety measures for the benefit of the disadvantaged

Grassroots parents groups are suspicous

16/ Groups were worried Germany didn't do enough to stop transmission in schools. Pressure finally got money for improved ventilation, scientists in August warned that their second wave would come from infection spreading from students into at risk groups

https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1296212565295595525?s=19

17/ They feel their concerns are dismissed by the skeptic school lobby groups.

Lobby groups produce documents setting out their case which argue against the mainstream views of the scientific community. UK sources and their own GBD Sikora types are used.

17/ Class sizes are considered too large by many in Germany, they have better measures than us but this is still considered dangerous by many.

17/ CEV/CV families don't feel their concerns are being listened to.

18/ The no safety measures in schools group's Facebook appears to be a hotbed for more skeptics.

19/ The school skeptics group speak of meetings behind the scenes with politicians and the effectiveness of their letters in changing opinions.

Seems to be a lot of secrecy

20/ As we have seen with the constant use of the Childrens Commissioner's meaningless 40,000 years lost for one day, it seems like people in certain institutions are supporting the skeptics narrative and engaged in gaslighting.

21/ There are worries the group are a stalking horse for GBD, which is in turn feeding the conspiracy theories and distrust the far right feeds on to lead people down the rabbit hole, whilst playing on the selfishness of some people to support their proposals

22/ The parallels are striking.
And with perfect timing @UptonAndrea has just produced this thread for me to leave you with.

Time for journalists to take note?

https://twitter.com/UptonAndrea/status/1344978016741560320?s=19

Original thread

https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1343359587932626944?s=19

50k+ infections almost 1000 death in a day
"Stop testing children, let them stay in school if they have mild symptoms" Yet meetings with government, media coverage etc?

https://twitter.com/MissStanleyYr6/status/1344984534991966208?s=19