Madeleine / Brits abroad should have all their expenses paid by the Foreign Office

[Oblomov]

Been on holiday abroad for few days, so sorry if this has been covered / if I have got this wrong. The family made a statement, earlier in the week, saying they would stay in Portugal, until she was found.
It sounded as though , that was, finances allowing.
Shouldn't the British Foreign Office, support their every need, organise hotels, nannies for their other children, and everything they need, so that money was the last of their problems , in this traumatic situation.
Or am I missing somethiing major here ?

Nobody is being harsh

I think, in the scheme of things, the amount required is actually very little. However, I do think Mark Warner should be making sure they have accommodation, food, etc.

I have to disagree with mamazon. Am a bit shocked by her commetns. First I do think it is in the interests of the case for the parents to stay. Secondly, can you imagine them leaving ? - other posters here have said they would be unable to leave.
Thirdly, we don't have a bottomless pit ? Hello - wise up - Yes we do, we waste billions on all sorts of shit.
We can surely afford to support this family.

what about paying for medical treatment abroad to save a kids life?

I agree that they are in a rare and tragic situation, but I think that the State should only bail people out as a last resort, and in a planned and startegic way, not out of some kneejerk reaction. The state has helped by sending out police officers, and with the Embassy staff working locally. The couple will have some degree of cover in their jobs (both State funded I think?). And with a family income of over £100,000 per year, yes, I'm afraid I can think of a number of more worthy causes.

In any event at some point they have to face whether it is appropriate for them to stay in Portugal. Not yet, but eventually.

But in any event I think that currenlty they are being mainly funded by their employers and Mark Warner. The question as to funding a continued widespread search for Madeleine is a different issue.

you don't think it's harsh to say it's of no help to the search for her parents to be there?

Don't you think they are staying in the desperate hope that they are going to get a call to say Madeleine has been found, safe and well, and they are being picked up straight away to go and get her? So that they can pick her up and hold her as soon as she is found?

Why would they want to travel home to England and leave their daughter in a foreign country alone?

or paying for cancer drugs that people can't get in the uk without a huge battle?

Do they know which foreign country she is in quietmouse?

I wouldn't be able to come home, it would feel like giving up. I would sell or remortgage my house or whatever it took.

QM I have been worrying about you for the last few days.

You seem to be taking this so personally.

You get so het up.

Take a chill pill & sit back a bit.

MW is funding the parents stay, realistically though, they can't do this forever, and realistically, after a while, the parents will need to come home & continue with their life, for the sake of the rest of their children.

Nothing harsh about it, just the way life is.

no - why?

i think a fund has been started in order to cvover their costs, you are more than welcome to contribute to that.

also the tax payers money gets spent on silly things like teh NHS and free education or social security benefits and the police force.

im sorry but everyone complains when their tax goes up each year, no one says "uits ok cos it paid for a couple to stay abroad whilst they searched for their daughter"

I cannot imagine waht pain these people are going through and i hope i never will, but we simply cannot afford to fund every parents living costs if they go through a tough time.

Ther are loads of little darlings in hospitals all across the UK tonight who can't get the latest cancer drugs

that was to Ladymuck.

Devils, don't worry about me, honestly, no need

hang on YOU are not actually paying for the family to stay in portugal, but you ARE arguing about doing it????
someone asked should we (as tax payers)and lots of people are saying no i wouldnt because xxx, you cant solve a problem that hasnt arisen, stop heckling this family and leave them be

How do you know the amount is little?

No one knows how long this could go on for - Ben Needham is mentioned enough times to know that it could be years.

And their expenses wont just run to accommodation, food etc. (for 4 people remember). If they are lucky they will still be drawing a salary (which ironically probably is paid out of our taxes since they work for the NHS) but probably still have a mortgage/bills etc to pay at home. Where would you draw the line as to what to pay for and for how long?

I am desperately sorry for this family and what they are going through, but paying for them out of my taxes? No way.

SaintGeorge - I don't mean the amount is little as such, I mean in the scheme of things that the government devotes resources to.

I still feel that, to some extent, people in this situation would rely on their own resources first but I think the key thing is to not have money as another thing to worry about.

why not pay for parents to spend time with their kids when they are in a hospital not in their home area.

NurseyJo - exactly!

If we could choose what we spent our taxes on, I think we'd all have quite a long list of things we'd rather not contribute to.

no one has heckled the family. we have merely given our opinion on the thought that they family should eb funded to stay in Portugal until their daughter is found.

what about other parents going through terrible traumas?