Ok, in light of baysmum's posting. Can we have a show of hands for deletion of threads.

[homemama]

I can't believe I'm posting this as I don't actually agree with thread deletion other than in extreme circumstances. However, Baysmum has confirmed that Madeleine's mum is likely to be a Mnetter and if not then her close friends and family certainly are.

Whilst I would have no objection to them reading anything I have posted, I'm horrified to think that we (collectively) may cause the family any more distress either now or in the future.

Therefore, if most participants of the threads agree then perhaps MNHQ will agree also.
Thanks

I don't think I agree with deleting them - although I am not 100% sure.

I also don't really feel people were actually judging - I think they were running through scenarios about would they or wouldn't they have done the same - but it was all speculation I think. We still (I don't think) really know how far away the parents were from the apartment.

Distateful as some posters have said they found it - I think this has shocked many mothers (and fathers) to the very core. Definitely a case of "there for the grace of God go I" - and yes I think many people did and do feel sick about it.

Everyone deals with stuff differently and it would be nice if we could all respect different opinions and styles.

How much does it cost us/you/MN to delete a thread, ffs? How important can it be, to you? If there is the very slightest chance that it could reduce the unimaginable pain these people are in, how can one justify not deleting it out of respect?

I am fervently in favour of free speech and personally I think MN has proved itself (ie Justine et al) to be firmly in possession of the requisite bollocks to push this issue to its conclusion, for the benefit of everyone who believes that censorship on the internet is outdated, anachronistic and wrong.

But that only works if we can assume that common sense and basic human compassion can be assumed and don't need to be legislated for. IMO.

NFK, can I respectfully ask that you start that debate on another thread. I really don't want to be responsible for starting another thread where theoretical debate accounts for 300posts.

(BTW, I'm all for debate, theoretical or otherwise. I just passionately believe that now is not the time.)

I agree the McCann family probably won't read now or in the future, but I can't help feeling sad that people who do know them, as Baysmum said, might have seen some of the more questionable posts
I think leaving the threads as they are, though, will reassure anyone connected to the case and reading, that overwhelmingly people on MN are thinking of the McCann family in a supportive and concerned way. Once a post is deleted there is no way of telling why/what was said and the impression that gives might be worse.
So, no to delete from me

Aitch - well how about MN assumes that they would mind and deletes?

Doh! No to delete some posts only. Whole threads or nothing IMO
Message deleted looks so sinister

I don't think individual post should be deleted. The whole thread should go if its questionable. I think thats fair

well that's mnhq's prerogative, of course, nkf. i'd get over it very quickly. but a 'vote' is bogus, imo.

imo, delete thread

Greensleeves - one could always not post though. But people want to. What is happening I think is that some people think there should only be certain types of posts.

you lot are nuts. an mner comes back and finds no mention of the biggest news story of the year? apart from a (noticeably quite short, btw) prayers and thoughts thread? and that wouldn't be utterly sinister?

I agree, Greeny.
Why keep a thread that is of no use to anyone and which may actually cause an entire family distress?
If that child's mother comes on here looking for support and comes across all this then we should be ashamed of ourselves.

Sinister?

Nah, you must be talking about elections in Scotland if you're using that term.

I agree marina - far better to see that those who were judgemental were outweighed by those of us who weren't at all on those threads (and lots of us who found those points of view distasteful).

Of course they are going to know some people will think this way anyway - it's been hinted at and there are some murmurings of it in the press today. If they could be bothered to look on here, I doubt the thread would come as a surprise to them at all tbh.

However, I do wish some people would think before they bloody well post, I really do.

Homemama, I don't think there's any need to feel responsible for the way a thread develops.

who is this 'we'? we're not all the same, we don't all have the same opinions. there wouldn't be an MN if we did. i really don't understand this hive thinking.

Please let's delete it.

In this case I feel strongly that sparing the feelings of Madeleine's family should take precedence over our MN 'right to free speech', so I would say delete.

Batters, that's just it. You're imagining there were some pretty awful things on there, but it wasn't that bad at all. if it's deleted, the McCanns or their friends/family will imagine it must have been horrific to have had to have been deleted.

Batters - it depends on what you mean by "awful".

batters, my god, read the threads and make your own mind up. MNHQ routinely deletes any posts that are held to be offensive, that's fine. what you're talking about is deleting positive and negative comments. do you really think that the overall thrust was against the parents of a child who has been abducted?

I think people should read the threads before 'voting' that they should be deleted

Ok, Aitch, it would make ME feel ashamed to think I'd taken part in something which could cause obvious distress to a potentialy grieving mother. (though I'm still praying she will just be a mother who went through hell for a few days)