Meeting online about covid & schools live now

[fastwigglylines]

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

Last speaker, Jeremy Corbyn.

Urgh Jeremy Corbyn?!?! Completely irrelevant and pulls down the rest

Lots of thanking peeople.

[We? NEU? Labour? Not sure] need to argue the case why keeping schools open is so dangerous.

NEU meeting probably record breaking in terms of numbers.

This government was told a year ago this week that a novel virus was in China and that it could be a pandemic.

WHO called for testing. Urgent action took place across the world.

Yet, we were getting nonsense about herd immunity from our government. Herd immunity kills people.

If you're in denial about covid, listen to Michael Rosen and others who've had it.

Lots of stuff about how the government has got it so wrong e.g. their first impulse is to privatise or give contracts to their mates.

Surely we have learnt that public services matter.

Necessary and important to close schools.

@Hazelnutlatteplease

Urgh Jeremy Corbyn?!?! Completely irrelevant and pulls down the rest

He's hosting it on his Facebook so I guess he gets to get his tuppence worth in!

Also he has a large platform so it gets it out to lots of people.

It'd be good to see Labour doing similar, and other organisations too.

I lost connection! Missed his summing up.

He's hosting it on his Facebook

That's a shame. He is a has-been politician who bought shame on the labour party through his support of racism; making the labour party unelectable in the face of Boris Johnson.

Everyone else was interesting.

Oh, another "last" speaker!

Alasdair Smith

He's worried Boris will try to divide parents and teachers in his talk tonight.

They've called a meeting for Thursday [Who's they? NEU?] and encourage local organising.

Corbyn spoke with sense and compassion. Rosen was fabulous as was Zara (in her fluffy hoody)

@pursuedbyablackdog

Thank you for updating fast

Thanks but I'm not sure how useful I was, I missed a load of it as the DC needed some attention too!

Here's a bit I meant to post from Corbyn when I lost connection:

The science advice is clear. People all over the world are suffering. It doesn't fall equally: disproportionately on eg poor, BAME, disabled communities.

Pay NHS workers properly. Deal with inequality.

Public services are valuable to our society as a whole.

It's good to see this kind of thing being done publicly, online.

Zoom really has changed how we do things, hasn't it?

What do people think Boris will say tonight? He's got to shut schools, surely?

DS and I have just joked that maybe he will come on and say 'fuck it, I'm off to France with me Dad'.

Schools closed. Peston is hinting at cancelled exams.

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

That’s true. I work in FE.

Thank you so much for the commentary @fastwigglylines, I wasn’t able to watch it as doing bedtime but thanks to you have been able to read it whilst lying in the dark with DS.
I didn’t realise how badly Michael Rosen was affected

Zara is fantastic followed her on Instagram for a while and she speaks a lot of sense. Also don't understand instant Corbyn bashing? Fair enough if people didn't want him as leader but he's a long term activist for many issues not just interested in political gain.

I agree @Allispretty