Anti-lockdown campaigners using children to push their agenda

[noblegiraffe]

I can't be the only one disgusted with how certain groups are using faux concern about children to push the earliest dismantling of lockdown restrictions.

They are loudly catastrophising on the front pages of the press about our kids. The lost generation. £40,000 in lost earnings. Articles about schools full of traumatised kids suffering PTSD caused by lockdown.

And the solution they propose is always to re-open schools as early as possible. Even before March 8th. Regardless of covid.

Now, the situation in schools before Christmas was awful. Some areas of the country had less than 50% attendance due to the new variant ripping through secondary schools. Secondary school kids were the most infected subset of the population by far, and are now the second least infected subset of the population behind the 70+ age group after schools were closed, demonstrating that there was a massive problem with transmission in secondary schools. It wasn't good for pupils' mental health or education to be in a situation when they didn't know if they'd be in school or out at the drop of a hat. But before Christmas, there was complete media silence on the impact that this was having on children.

CAMHS has been devastated by cuts. Waiting lists are intolerable and children in dire need of support don't even qualify. Same for social care around vulnerable children.

Yet you won't hear these people clamouring for schools re-opening as soon as possible talking at all about how to improve safety measures in schools to prevent the scenario we had before Christmas happening again. You won't hear them demanding more funding for children's mental health services and for more support for social care services.

And the reason you won't hear that is that THEY DON'T GIVE A SHIT.

The reason that they want schools re-opened as quickly as possible is because the message was that schools had to open first.

They can't get what they really want open (everything else) until schools are open, hence the massive focus on schools and how terrible things are for children.

This catastrophising isn't good for parents or kids. It's scaremongering and unhelpful.

I know that there are kids (and parents) really struggling with their mental health and worried about their education. Blaring out messages about how terrible things are and how they will never recover because you want to hype up the message about schools going back is irresponsible and sickening.

We need sensible and calm conversations about how to support children and parents. We need funding for schools and massive investment in support services. We need a long-term program of recovery, not 9 months of a Catch-Up Tsar and quick fixes. We need a measured and sensible approach to schools re-opening that won't see kids in and out and in and out due to lack of mitigation measures causing rampant covid spread (particularly with the new variant).

We need these anti-lockdown campaigners to shut up and stop dominating the narrative.

I am not anti-lockdown but it has served its purpose. We have vaccinated the very vulnerable groups that want to be vaccinated. We now have to return to normal.
Further lockdowns are not going to eradicate Covid so there is absolutely no point to them. The whole point was to reduce the numbers needing critical treatment.
The longer this uncertainty goes on the more likely we are going to see teenage suicide rates increasing.
It’s not children I see out and about regularly it’s the newly vaccinated elderly. If they feel confident then the rest of us need to follow suit. It was never about saving lives.

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

I agree with you.

They only care right now because they can see a route for their kids to be out of the house.

Pretty sure a lot of them don't have kids, but do have business interests.

Or rather, don't have school-aged kids.

Here's the thing, I've experienced the shit show of support available, I kind of don't want more people to experience that. It doesn't make me feel better knowing other people are struggling too, I don't want anyone else in our sinking boat, I want them in a good boat.

@TrustTheGeneGenie but will those people still care when schools go back.

Many parents weren’t probably aware how strapped for cash schools were before this crisis. Will many of them care once schools go back.

We need parents to keep on caring, not just to stop once schools go back.

I'm saying these people gave no shits for MH before, they won't care when CAHMS remains under funded after either
And you know that, how? How do you know If "these people" who you don't even know cared before? And how do you know they won't care after? This has opened a lot of people's eyes to the attitude in this country towards children. I am well aware of the lack of funding myself because I couldn't access any help as a teenager.

They won't care when schools are forced to become increasingly responsible for all societies ills with even less fundingt

Again you know this how? Crystal ball? Or judgemental presumption?

They only care right now because they can see a route for their kids to be out of the house
You honestly think that's all it is? Not that children NEED socialization? Really?

That says a lot more about your attitude towards children than anyone else's.

Vile

Where were the headlines from Sept-Dec about the millions of kids isolating, not even allowed to leave the house? About their mental health and disrupted education?

How do you know If "these people" who you don't even know cared before?

I've never seen a CAHMS funding campaign be as actively promoted as the current U4T narrative is being...

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@TrustTheGeneGenie but will those people still care when schools go back.

Many parents weren’t probably aware how strapped for cash schools were before this crisis. Will many of them care once schools go back.

We need parents to keep on caring, not just to stop once schools go back.[/quote]
And do you think threads like this encourage that? Or do you think it encourages people to say well fuck you then if that's what you think?

For an op who cries regularly about "teacher hating" this thread doesn't inspire us all to come together, does it? Just like every single other thread she writes.

@FrippEnos

HesterShaw1

And yet its true.

I have every respect for parents that are going through this

Where were all these political groups that care about about children's mental health when the the government were

Reducing money to Camhs.
Redefining the meaning of SEND so that they could reduce funds.
Removing schools funds for inclusion/SEND departments
Removing SENDCOs due to cost.
Reducing the amount of Statements and replacing them with even harder to get ECHPs.
Removing statements from children because they didn't fit the new descriptions.
When teachers and health care professionals where stating that the pressure on children in schools was detrimental to the mental health and well being of pupils.
and so much more.

And what do you expect to happen when the pupils go back, with the longer hours and shorter holidays and no increase in funding for SEND or mental health.

Absolutely this and everything Noble said.

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

How do you know If "these people" who you don't even know cared before?

I've never seen a CAHMS funding campaign be as actively promoted as the current U4T narrative is being...

And perhaps that's because it is going to be a much bigger problem now? Use your common sense ffs.

Children can still get socialization in safe schools (rotas etc)!
They do not need to be in full classrooms to fulfil this need !

Again you know this how? Crystal ball? Or judgemental presumption?

I must have missed the hordes of U4Ters campaigning for extra school funding in the past 5 years.

@noblegiraffe

They only care right now because they can see a route for their kids to be out of the house.

Pretty sure a lot of them don't have kids, but do have business interests.

Who are these people you are talking about?

@noblegiraffe

Where were the headlines from Sept-Dec about the millions of kids isolating, not even allowed to leave the house? About their mental health and disrupted education?

There were headlines about that but that is still better than being isolated indefinitely.

@Chollok

OP is very obviously not saying that anyone expressing worry about children is displaying "faux concern". She is talking about specific groups using children to further their own agenda.

I think people are wilfully misunderstanding.

Agree

@HercwasanEnemyofEducation

Again you know this how? Crystal ball? Or judgemental presumption?

I must have missed the hordes of U4Ters campaigning for extra school funding in the past 5 years.

Us for them is not the only evidence of "caring" you know that? I care about many things But you don't have to join a Facebook group to do that. Hth.

@noblegiraffe

Where were the headlines from Sept-Dec about the millions of kids isolating, not even allowed to leave the house? About their mental health and disrupted education?

Exactly. I posted up thread about the repeated isolations and closures at my school. My own children had to isolate over Oct half term and Christmas due to being contacts of positive cases. There was very much radio silence for us in the West Mids.

@TrustTheGeneGenie if they said ‘fuck you’ after a thread like this then I would say they genuinely don’t care about the children, because ultimately it is about the children.

I agree noble.

Safer schools with vaccinated school staff, mass testing, reduced numbers, ventilation, masks etc are the way forward. Not, open up and hope for he best.

There were headlines about that

About kids' mental health and disrupted education due to inadequate mitigation measures in schools?

From the same papers now with front pages about how terrible things are for kids with schools closed?

No there weren't.

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@TrustTheGeneGenie if they said ‘fuck you’ after a thread like this then I would say they genuinely don’t care about the children, because ultimately it is about the children.[/quote]
Is it? Doesn't seem that way. These threads are never about the wellbeing of the children. They're generally just bitching about parents.

@Moondust001

Funny thing is that I have noticed a great many pro-lockdown people also using children as their argument - and notably the OP, who posts repeated hysterical posts about how children / everyone will die if schools don't close. I doubt they could conduct a sensible or calm conversation if they tried.

You are telling lies. Noble Giraffe has not said this.

@TrustTheGeneGenie
There are children being isolated indefinetely because due to physical health conditions this unsafe opening of schools means they cannot attend ! For adults the vaccination programme will bring the end to the isolation for them but for the many children there really is no end.
They deserve to be safe in schools as well !