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Covid

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Original poster

Meeting online about covid & schools live now

42 replies

fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:09

This looks interesting.

There's an online meeting on schools being broadcast right now, with:

  • Mike Rosen - author & broadcaster
  • Kevin Courtney - Joint general Secretary of NEU
  • Jeremy Corbyn - MP Islington North
  • Zarah Sultana - MP for Coventry South
  • Jordan Rivera - Health worker Homerton Hospital
  • Farrah Mirza - UCU Havering College

Just started, Kevin Courtney's talking now.

See it at Facebook here: www.facebook.com/JeremyCorbynMP/videos/151820363153364

Or Zoom here: bit.ly/4safereturn

OP posts:
Hazelnutlatteplease · 04/01/2021 18:10

Thank you

Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:12

Kevin Courtney scathing about the government not following Sage advice.

He's talking about why the NEU advised their teachers not to work. It's because they think schools are not safe, according to the science. So it's not about teachers not being safe in the classroom as reported, but about it not being safe for everyone.

Sage, apparently said you can't get the R rate below 1 without closing schools but Gavin Williamson has ignored it.

And, Gavin Williams had this advice since 23rd December.

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Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:13

Kevin apologising for disruption to parents, saying they have no idea what Boris will say later but he hopes he's listening and he'll work with schools and unions.

Next up, a parent form Islington.

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Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:14

Actually, a parent from Nottingham.

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PurpleHoodie · 04/01/2021 18:15

Thanks.

Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:22

Zara Sultana MP for Coventry(?) speaking now.

Also calling for government action.

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Panickingpavlova · 04/01/2021 18:24

Lady talking now is great but I'm afraid it's hard to believe the likes of j corbyn care about anything except bringing any government down.

It dilutes the case when he or people like Owen Jones tag into the next big thing.

Panickingpavlova · 04/01/2021 18:25

Zara was great.

Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:26

Mark McDonald, Human Rights Barrister up now.

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Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:27

He's talking about fines and how tough it is for families with vulnerable people at home, and how the government removed protection for these people.

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Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:29

@Panickingpavlova

Lady talking now is great but I'm afraid it's hard to believe the likes of j corbyn care about anything except bringing any government down.

It dilutes the case when he or people like Owen Jones tag into the next big thing.

Corbyn has been a campaigner for years. He's not my choice for Labour leader (life long Labour voter here) but if you think he only cares about party politics, you haven't got the measure of the man at all.

He's good at single issue campaigning, and genuinely gives a shit about people.

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Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:32

Parent from Islington now....

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Clariana · 04/01/2021 18:35

Really just a lot of government bashing. It is very easy to critique things with hindsight. They don't appear to have any solutions though from the snapshot I heard.

pursuedbyablackdog · 04/01/2021 18:35

Thank you for updating fast Thanks

Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:44

I had to go deal with the DC and missed a bit, anyone know what I missed?

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Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:44

Farrah Mirza - UCU Havering College - up now

OP posts:
Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:45

Farrah saying there's no bubbles or social distancing at FE colleges.

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Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:48

Karen Reismann, NHS nurse from Manchester now.

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Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:50

Karen saying the government haven't learnt lessons. They've ignored advice until the virus has got a grip on the community and people have died as a result.

She estimates if the original lockdown had been a week earlier, 20,000 lives would have been saved.

She says people will die now because of the government's failure to act. She also thinks this third phase will be worse than the 1st or 2nd phase because the virus is so much more infectious this time.

OP posts:
Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:51

She's saying hospitals in the south have run out of CPAP machines.

Hospitals struggling because of 10 years of austerity.

She's saying we need to take control ourselves and take kids out of schools.

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Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:52

And that we can't rely om government but need to organise to protect ourselves

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Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:53

Michael Rosen up now

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Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 18:54

Michael saying the idea that this country is doing well is a lie - look at the charts.

OP posts:
Piggywaspushed · 04/01/2021 18:55

Michael Rosen is just fabulous.

Thanks for this running commentary OP!

Original poster
fastwigglylines · 04/01/2021 19:00

Michael Rosen: the government's record has been chaos with delay.

Because of covid, he still can't see with one eye, can't hear with one ear and has numb toes and feels woozy because he had blood clots in his brain from covid.

Herd immunity was a bogus idea. Pursuing such a policy kills and mains yet the government wanted to do this at first.

Michael sees that they were prepared to entertain it, this points to a cruelty at the heart of our government and he sees the government's dealing of the crisis through this lens.

So, are schools safe? No. They're not safe for the whole school community. Not just the kids, but all the people who work there and also the families at home.

He was in intensive care for 48 days and he wouldn't wish it on anyone.

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