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14 Feb, 36 tweets, 11 min read
1/ Thread 🧵: Gaslighters out in force today as a small group of MPs and lobbyists use the media to try pushing the UK down the GBD route.

Worryingly looks like we are about to repeat our mistakes by not addressing transmission in schools.

2/ Look at how the debate is being framed.
Zero Covid is being depicted as an unachievable fantasy only supported by scientists on the fringe.
How many times have I heard "they never want to end lockdown" said by skeptics today?
No one's really calling for that
3/ Schools debate is a good example of how the skeptics fight straw men rather than the substance of the issue.
Call for additional safety measures to get pupils back, get labelled as never wanting schools to open.
Anyone trying to speak sense now has to first battle through..
4/ the false arguments and accusations regarding their real intentions, this cuts down time to discuss real policy consequences, while allowing them to repeat their untruths.

The lack of meaningful opposition doesn't help.
5/ By failing to oppose by not setting out an alternative policy like Zero Covid, Labour have allowed the Covid Recovery Group to act as the main opposition

"Leaks suggest government is planning to __, but the CRG say __"

has been todays narrative,Labours shut out the headlines
6/ The range of policy options the media is offering between CRG's open up as fast as possible and the leaked proposals of Johnson's plan.

I've heard the leaked proposals described as "baby steps" and "overly cautious"

Insane or just reckless, those are our options apparently
7/ We know that if a 3rd wave does arrive after opening up too quickly the government will be too slow to respond again.

By allowing the CRG to set themselves up as the opposition voice Labours failure to provide a real alternative makes a 3rd wave more likely.
8/ Once again we are back to an argument about when schools fully open rather than how they do.

Not enough talk of safety measures, just timelines, nothing learned from former mistakes.

Still claiming transmission isn't an issue, groundhog day
bylinetimes.com/2021/01/06/how…
9/ One paper today said Johnson is willing to get schools fully open even if it takes RO over 1.
Does suggest GBDs vaccinate vulnerable then let it rip strategy is being adopted.

Are they really going to ignore SAGE again?
10/ While ministers keep saying schools are low transmission risk, SAGE have been saying the opposite for ages, telling government greater mitigations are needed.

A timeline of willful refusal to follow the science

July: SAGE warn about schools
11/ So in July SAGE were warning that 30 students in poorly ventilated rooms without masks or social distancing would lead to amplifying community transmission leading to spread into vulnerable groups
Worse case scenario was a large 2nd wave in December..
12/ For a while in summer it looked like we would get rotas and maybe masks.

In August the astroturfing skeptic group UsForThem who oppose masks and social distancing in schools had meeting with Johnson and ministers. Parent safety groups were ignored

bylinetimes.com/2021/01/21/par…
13/ UfT claim their meeting with Johnson was vital in preventing safety measures being introduced in September.

Then in August and September Johnson met with RW press barons and key GBD people

bylinetimes.com/2021/02/11/rec…
14/ The idea schools are low transmission and that additional safety measures aren't required from schools had already been dismissed by August.

A look at what the scientific advice was in August, all were warning against the September plans
15/ Germany reopened their schools in the Summer, infections spread in students and then spread into older age groups.

This is exactly what happened in UK, particularly in the South East where B117 strain first took hold.

16/ September saw reassuring buy misleading reporting of a PHE study, this is still being used as evidence schools are safe despite the report saying that as it was carried out during lockdown its findings were relevant to September conditions

17/ By October outbreaks were occuring in schools but this wasn't being reported, seemed to be a media blackout on bursting bubbles.

Infection rates were rising fast in the North.
Raab said in US interview that giv expected infections to rise with schools
18/ Is in the thread above, but I'll out it here again as I still can't believe he hasn't been questioned on this as it implies he accepted SAGEs warnings and understood the consequences of not listening to them
19/ Yet as outbreaks increased, causing whole year groups to isolate,the governments response wasn't to cut transmission, it was to cut isolations, now only close contacts began to be isolated.

Ed select committee proved pointless due to weak questioning
20/ As infections rise NEU calls for schools to be included in a circuit breaker as many SAGE members go on the media to explain we are at risk of a serious second wave.
Labour calls for a circuit breaker, but without schools, ignoring SAGE scientists
21/ Paper with more warnings gets put out while the media continue to talk about all the safety measures schools have showing us pictures of socially distanced students wearing masks.

22/ They ignored half term, ignored having schools in lockdown 2, and positivity in students continued to escalate, this could be the start of B117 taking hold.

Questions are raised around how risk of educators is being represented, little media attention
23/ December, lockdoen 2 clearly didn't work without schools, schools are really struggling, at one point close to a million pupils are isolating.
Talk about moving inset days starts up, proper rearranging Titanic deckchairs stuff.

24/ After 3 months of gaslighting Hancock announced transmission in South East is being driven by school age students.

Few days later he tells us transmission is spreading into vulnerable groups.

Then the new strain is announced
25/ We end up with the ridiculous situation of SAGE begging government to start a full lockdown, exponential growth, and a new strain while schools in Tier 4 were threatened with legal action for wanting to close a few days early.
26/ Christmas consisted of rolling coverage of gaslighters. Schools will be fine for a full return in January they tell us, same old studies and misrepresented data still uses now rolled out again
27/ NERVTAG paper on B117 strain is released. Sets out clear implications for schools, need to mitigate against aerosols is even more urgent, government declines to even consider masks in classrooms or any other safety measures
27/ The evidence for transmission in schools is mounting, yet this is being ignored in favour of studies carried out during lockdowns.

28/January gives us the madness of primaries coming back for one day before lockdown is announced later.

Yet the moment it starts it becomes apparent government is trying to keep as many students in school and in particular nurseries that stay full open!
29/ There is also a major push back against the governments own statement that schools contributed to transmission.

We had the Ed Select Committee meet to discuss reasons for lockdown without any SAGE or NERVTAG members
30/ The gaslighting ramped up after the Ed select committee. As did direct attacks in the NEU from MPs and RW hacks.

Strange that the all party covid committee's meeting with @SarahDRasmussen and @dgurdasani1 didn't get the same coverage
31/ I think I hear more false assumptions on the topic of schools than anything else during this pandemic

32/ Theres also a ramping up of fear regarding students well being. Of course I'm concerned but systematic change is needed to best support them.
I imagine telling students this will screw up their lives probably doesn't help their MH.
33/ Stats on educators risk have relied on quoting a few sources, these quotes are now being repeated around the world, whats the reality?
34/ What the statistics at the moment are showing
35/ The government has ignored the science on schools at nearly every step of the way, each time the consequences come true.

Are they really going to do it again this time?

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More from @karamballes

Karam Bales Profile picture
7 Feb
1/🧵Been wondering how much of a factor class and privilege have played in the UKs woeful pandemic response.

The arrogance of the establishment and its client media has been on full display this week with politicians and commentators believing they know better than scientists.
2/ People in power generally don't recognise the nepotism or cronyism that propelled them into their positions.

Most acknowledge the current cabinet arent the cream of Conservative thinkers, loyalty was the key characteristic for selection.
3/ I can appreciate why its difficult for some to accept the benefits of birth and the circles they move in, no one wants their achievements devalued, but its problematic when the privileged believe we live in a true meritocracy.
Read 25 tweets
Karam Bales Profile picture
26 Jan
1/ 🧵 Commons education select committee, stand out statements.

Schools are safe, but students transmitting the virus is a problem
🤷‍♂️
2/ Measures of controls make for safer environments.

He's referring to December.

No masks, no social distancing, classes of 30 with an open window (if there is one) is inheritly safer?

Safer than what?
Naked wrestling in a covid ward?

3/ 2.9m laptops already available?
Anyone know where that figure came from?
If its laptops schools already had then @NickGibbUK should know most of ours are too old and run down to be useful
Read 8 tweets
Karam Bales Profile picture
24 Jan
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…
Read 24 tweets
Karam Bales Profile picture
22 Jan
1/ The Education Select Committee meeting this week relied on 4 witnesses depending on limited sources to justify the DfE current policies and they will try to use these to justify not improving safety measures in the future

Full look at the meeting here
2/ Stock phrase answers used in the meeting and regularly repeated in the media

"Teachers at no greater risk than other workers"
"Community transmission"
"No evidence that..."
"Low transmission"
"Appropriate measures in place"
"Balance of risk"

These statements need examining
3/"Teachers at no greater risk"
First of all this ignores support staff and those based in the classroom like TAs do appear to be at greater risk than teachers.

This phrase is a quote from an ONS report done on risk in the workplace, many issues have been raised about the report
Read 28 tweets
Karam Bales Profile picture
19 Jan
1/ Thread: Today @halfon4harlowMP chaired the Education Committee meeting on the science behind schools being included in lockdown.
It was supposed to look at the evidence behind the decision.

Full notes of the meeting are here⬇️
2/ I was worried the moment the witnesses were announced, no epidemiologists, no virologists, just the same people who have consistently claimed transmission in schools is low and there is no greater risk to education workers.

3/I was expecting the same stock answers from a limited range of older studies and a lack of acknowledgement of the incredible difficult and unsustainable conditions we faced in December.

I wasn't disappointed as it opened with the phrase "A balance of risks"
Read 28 tweets
Karam Bales Profile picture
15 Jan
1/ Line up of witnesses by @CommonsEd on the science of school closures is very questionable.

All four have downplayed transmission, risk to workers and stuck to backing up the government narrative that schools are safe.

Where are SAGE and NERVTAG representatives?
#edutwitter
2/ Viner:
Late September he explained away disruption in schools as due to too many children being tested, said this was because they were getting tests for other symptoms.
This wasn't the case still tests for 3 main symptoms and there are concerns around this being too narrow
3/ "Misplaced and unscientific concerns about transmission in schools"

Full article here
amp.theguardian.com/society/2020/s…
Read 11 tweets

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