By Kate Brownlie, REFORM UK List Candidate for Highlands Region

I am an educational psychologist (EP) and for the past year I’ve been unable to work. Normally nipping in and out of many different schools, (usually to assess the needs of young people with autism, anxiety or behaviour issues), my days have instead been filled with DIY and internet research, as the schools steadily ground to a halt and then closed – despite children being neither vectors nor victims according to official Covid data. Being a freelance, I’ve spent the year without income but with lots of time to fully investigate what exactly has been going on with the ups & downs of the Covid journey. I avoid using the word ‘pandemic’ as it was redefined shortly before the outbreak and gives the impression of something wildly out of control; yet control is this pandemic’s middle name.

But today I’m focusing on masks.

1. Initially we were told not to bother with masks as there was ‘little evidence’ of their effectiveness. This lasted for 2 or 3 months. I’d already bought N95s & goggles (!) for my immediate family & thought “They’re only saying that because there isn’t enough PPE to go around”. In those early days we we’re taking things really seriously as the ‘virus’ had yet to show its teeth. An additional order of masks from China for my extended family was quietly cancelled by the vendor and my money refunded as the goods were diverted elsewhere for frontline use – or to a higher bidder! Who knows?
2. By the early summer, the tune had changed. Just as the victim figures were tumbling, we were suddenly instructed to start wearing masks to go shopping. This made no sense. Especially when I picked my Mum up from an empty Hairmyres Hospital. It began to seem like the masks were symbolic rather than practical. A bit of internet research quickly proved that at least 30 studies – that the WHO were well aware of – had concluded that masks were not effective tools against viruses. Jokes about ‘bluebottles & chainlink fences’ began to circulate as a way of describing the relevance of a mask.
3. Throughout the first 6 months & into the autumn, I followed the blogs of various virologists, immunologists, retired public health officials & other worthies, searching for key data to make sense of the U-turns in political stance. I learned that the Spanish Flu of 1918 had shown that masks were not only ineffective, but also damaging to health and had resulted in record levels of bacterial pneumonia in people’s lungs. That’s happening again now.
4. I also learnt that masks do a lot of other nasty things. They quickly become a medium of infection, passing from pocket to mouth & back again. They trap in CO2 that needs to leave the body. They obstruct oxygen flow and can result in fainting, falling & passing out. They negatively change the mouth flora, encouraging pathogenic strains and causing dental issues. They are made of dubious materials that can result in breathing in fibres and toxins, including known allergens, carcinogens & controlled substances such as formaldehyde. I recently read an article “Potentially toxic masks distributed in school & day-cares in Quebec” which stated that 85% of masks were a risk to health, were completely UNREGULATED and allow through 97% of droplets. And none can stop a 0.125 microns virus particle!
5. In short, there is NO statistically significant reduction in transmission or any benefit to wearing masks and quite a number of adverse health effects. For this we have to endure the virtue signalling of the convinced mask wearer who will be the first to tell us that we are endangering their health. “Sheesh!” as Yogi Bear would say, “Heavens to Murgatroyd”. It’s a charade folks. Time to say “No”.

My next article will be on the psychological effects of masks on children’s health & well-being including their ability to learn emotional signals.

Kate Brownlie is a registered psychologist with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC), and a former teacher & environmental scientist. She holds additional qualifications in functional medicine and nutritional healing.