Lest we Forget - Part 5

They came for the universities too author: Hugh McCarthy

by Professor Diane Rasmussen and Hugh McCarthy, first published on UKColumn and continuing the series from Hugh McCarthy, retired headteacher. Reproduced here with their kind permission.

This is PART 5 of a six-part series on the effects of Covid lockdowns on children, young people and education and focusses on the universities.

Part 1 and Part 2 summarised the so-called ‘science’ of lockdowns. Part 3 set out children’s and parents’ feelings and experiences, and Part 4 set out the educators’ feelings and experiences. The purposes of this series are to:

• Present the evidence of what has been done to our children and young people — a compendium to remind people of the damage inflicted on a generation and for which no one has been held accountable

• Reject lockdowns as a valid public health strategy

• Reflect on the experiences, words, and feelings of the children and those trying to educate and care for them, and

• Highlight that, in the words of Professor Ian Brighthope, “They knew. They did it anyway”.

In PART 5 we present the impact of the Covid era policies on Higher and Further Education In a sense it finishes the journey setting out what was done to our young people, previous articles having covered the harms inflicted upon preschool, primary and post-primary children, Part 5 extends the age profile into higher education age group.

But by way of concluding THE CHILDREN’S STORY and introducing the final Part of the series entitled ‘A Question of Science OR a question of Ethics’, I am recommending Biologyphenom’s excellent and full summations of the SCOTTISH Covid Enquiry available HERE

AND Disturbing highlights from final submissions. from the UK COVID-19 inquiry|Module 8 Closing Statements 23 Oct 2025

Introduction

Highlights presents a compilation from the CLOSING STATEMENTS of Module 8 entitled ‘Children and Young People’ at the UK COVID-19 inquiry ‘‘whitewash’’ from 23rd October 2025.

The following outlines severe lockdown policy harms not viral.

Highlights

What has been stated;

1. Litany of failures by key decision makers to recognise children’s rights.

2. From March 2020 the UK government ‘dismantled’ children’s safety net.

3. No right to play in England.

4. Children’s health more at risk from isolation than ‘COVID.’

5. ‘Generational harms’ caused by school closures on the most vulnerable.

6. Mass disablement resulted from a lack of access to therapies.

7. No evidence school closures had ANY benefit.

8. Healthcare staff redeployed to adult care.

9. Lockdown response created new mental health disorders.

10. ‘Extraordinary’ increase in eating disorders.

11. Lockdown ‘aggravated’ pre-existing health conditions.

12. Adults chose to damage disabled children over themselves.

13. School closure harms comparable to mass fatality event for vulnerable children.

14. Children lost access to basic human rights and freedoms with long term impacts.

15. Policies knowingly caused harm to children without any remedial action taken.

‘‘From March 2020 the UK Government DISMANTLED the safety net around our children.’’

‘‘Children were HARASSED for simply leaving their home to play and exercise outdoors.’’

-Steve Broach KC

‘‘GENERATIONAL HARMS were caused by closing schools to disabled children and young people.’’

‘A LARGE COHORT of children HAVE been disabled by the steps taken by government to control the virus.’’

‘‘There is STRONG EVIDENCE that the pandemic RESPONSE contributed to NEW mental health conditions.’’

‘‘When faced with a dilemma between damaging children, especially disabled children, and protecting ourselves on some considerable level, we opted to protect ourselves.’’

-Danny Friedman KC

‘‘It was recognised that government POLICIES and measures were KNOWINGLY causing HUGE HARM to children and young people.’’

PLEASE read their stories.

The Lockdown catastrophe. I think it’s important to highlight that the harms being inflicted must have been known.

and how lockdown killed more children than ‘COVID’.

Every Child Matters-their story ONE and TWO

These stories lead directly into a discussion on the ethical behaviour of the authorities and the people in power, the focus of Part 6.

Subscribe to HART on Substack and also Hugh McCarthy and BiologyPhenom

HART Editor: the article above is a timely reminder of the horrendous effects of lockdowns on students just starting out on their adult lives, only to find themselves locked in halls of residence, unable to make new friends, teaching all moved on-line, and then told they couldn't even go home. Here are just a few images.