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Karam Bales Profile picture
@karamballes
Jan 24, 2021 • 24 tweets • 9 min read • Read on X
1/ 🧵Gaslighting🧵 24/1/21

Dail Mail annoyed a lot of people with its teacher bashing today.
Also misrepresents the unions saying we are telling members not to do live lessons, NEU recently set up a hub where people can share best practice and resources.
2/ Seemed like a large part of the article was designed to make out as if many teachers aren't trying to provide quality education in difficult circumstances.

Also noted the picture shows he's using a premade resource, no issue with the resource but feels like he's over selling
3/ NEU Remote Education Hub
neu.org.uk/remote-educati…
4/ Then I saw who was sponsoring the initiative being praised in the Mail. Image
5/ Then someone told me about the man in the article. Image
6/ So I took a look at his Conservative Friends if Education group. This is from an article on Conservative Home in the summer. Image
7/ Little bit culture wars, makes out theirs too many tory hating hard lefties in education and Conservative values are under attack.

Values like misrepresenting the NEU and writing hit pieces on hard working education professionals? Image
8/ Then we get Halfon popping up to quote Jenny Harris that transmission isn't an issue in schools and workers are at no greater risk.

9/ However there are some serious questions that need to be answered regarding the evidence cited in the select committee.

@cyclingkev @MaryBoustedNEU Excellent questions here ImageImage
10/ For a more complete look at issues with the select committee
🧵here
11/ And now we have The Sun, The Times and The Telegraph all running pretty much identical stories.
Same quotes, same debatable facts.

"Increasing pressure from backbenchers and parent groups" You'd think there was a clamour for 30 kids, no masks, no SD in a few weeks. ImageImageImage
12/ Which parents group campaign are Sun, Times and Telegraph backing?

UsForThem, same astroturfing group invited to meet ministers, PM and provide evidence to a Education Select Committee
bylinetimes.com/2021/01/21/par…
13/ Scottish clone is the same
14/ Teaming up with skeptic groups ImageImage
15/ And which backbenchers are calling for quickly getting schools fully open but without suggesting what additional measures are needed to make them safer than our disasterous December
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID_Rec…
16/ And now, due to the amount of media speculation whipped up by his associates, Halfon will now be asking an Urgent Question on when schools go back.
Will they debate additional safety measures, rota etc?
No they will offer a false binary choice.
17/ This is how the political narrative is manipulated, a small hydra like group speaking the same message from many mouths, a narrow group pretending to be a broad cross section, the "will of the people"

Its a tried and tested tactic,does work😔
🧵Ends
18/ Update: Invictus the online initiative from the Mail story, which is basically a Tory Party outfit, is also a private tutoring company, the free lessons appear to be a business promotion.

Example here
invictaacademy.com/11-plus-prepar…
19/ Isn't this a conflict of interest, Tory initiative attacks teachers and unions whilst also promoting a private tutoring company sponsored by the Secretary of State?

The promotion and influence of astroturfing lobbyists with Tory links, lockdown skeptic MPs, smells rotten.
20/ 🧵Update: ONS Occupational Deaths Survey came out, the headline statistic today was "teachers at no greater risk" No mention of support staff as usual.

The headline should be reassuring, but as always the devils in the details.

Details⬇️
21/ However at least the guardian have started looking into UsForThem
amp.theguardian.com/education/2021…
22/ The more people look into UsForThem the more dodgy they look. Clone operations in US, Germany and others.
23/ Times today says only 3% of primary schools had outbreaks, only problem is many outbreaks weren't officially classed as outbreaks.
I know heads that were told after multiple cases was told to stop contacting PHE

See this head and others who replied
24/ So how did the Urgent Question go?
Williamson didn't attend, and it appears there will be no attempt to improve inadequete measures we had in December.

Ignoring transmission in schools means lockdown 4 is a possibility?

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More from @karamballes

Karam Bales Profile picture
Jul 3
🧵A thread of links on Reform's general election
2/ Worth noting this other UK based coordinated disinformation network includes Together Declaration

Image
3/ Casting doubt on validity of UK voting process
Read 21 tweets
Karam Bales Profile picture
Jun 26
🧵Oh what a suprise, Together Declaration are part of this network, and members of the Exec like UsForThem founder Kingsley accused anyone who said they were a hard right political project of smears and defamation
Image
2/ Founded as anti-lockdown but going straight into anti-vax talking points, Together then switched to anti Ulez, anti net zero heading towards climate change denial
3/ They have been one of the main groups peddling nonsense about the WHO pandemic treaty, starting two years ago with Farage then becoming the leading face of a new astroturf group
Read 6 tweets
Karam Bales Profile picture
May 24
🧵The Covid in Schools Scandal

While much of the media claims the inquiry is accomplishing nothing, its slowly revealed the gov knew transmission occurs in schools and causes harm to a not insignificant number of children
2/ The much delayed testimony of Simon Case reveals that covid in schools policy ignored the science and was designed without expert advice

Macnamara
"Genuine suggestion that we secretly do different things in schools in places to see what the impact is.. last straw for me" Image
3/ Sunaks appearance revealed that the senior scientific advisors had warned that schools were the most significant risk to transmission

Image
Read 205 tweets
Karam Bales Profile picture
Apr 24
1/ Contrary to its name, changes in the Data Protection and Information Bill further shifts the balance of power towards commercial interests
2/ The bill gives the Secretary of State the power to add to the list of interests that can access your childrens data through secondary legislation avoiding parliamentary scrutiny Image
3/ The Bill also permits 14-18 year olds to be targeted with political marketing Image
Read 7 tweets
Karam Bales Profile picture
Apr 24
1/ The thing is, the UK is institutionally not curious about identifying harms directly caused by covid

For instance it's been a year since they stopped collecting and publishing data on long covid
2/ Many families of children with long covid have faced gaslighting and struggled to access meaningful care
3/ More and more evidence emerges of the long term harms caused by covid, but the UK govs preferred paedatricians continue to peddle claims that with enough infections children will develop lasting immunity
Said this would occur after 1 infection, what is it now? 5? 7? 10?🤷‍♂️
Read 15 tweets
Karam Bales Profile picture
Apr 11
🧵Cass Review
Not had a chance to read the whole thing yet, but have had time to look through the main points

What positives can be taken from it? The time spent on waiting lists was identified as a major issue, all children's services are massively underfunded at the moment
2/ I would like to think that this will lead to an investment in all children's support services like CAHMS, more pastoral support in schools etc

That would be a positive outcome, regardless of what else is included in the review, unfortunately real terms cuts are the reality
3/ What matters is how government interprets the review and what it chooses to implement, additional funding for children isn't going to be prioritised over tax cuts to appease RW papers
Imagine if the billions from last round of tax cuts had instead been invested in children
Read 11 tweets

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