Thread by @karamballes

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.

https://twitter.com/StephenJamesGBR/status/1353313136305168384?s=19

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.

5/ Then someone told me about the man in the article.

6/ So I took a look at his Conservative Friends if Education group. This is from an article on Conservative Home in the summer.

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?

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.

https://twitter.com/halfon4harlowMP/status/1353405172530163714?s=19

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

10/ For a more complete look at issues with the select committee
🧵here

https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1352645572574982144?s=19

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.

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

https://twitter.com/NeilMackay/status/1353269171031830529?s=19

14/ Teaming up with skeptic groups

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.

https://twitter.com/halfon4harlowMP/status/1353473544810881024?s=19

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

https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1247678149778866178?s=19

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⬇️

https://twitter.com/CharlotteSantry/status/1353790671753273346?s=19

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.

https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1344943178839953409?s=19

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

https://twitter.com/smithsmm/status/1354131013006405632?s=19

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?

https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1354193024054677504?s=19