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Original poster

Madeleine McCann

1606 replies

morningpaper · 11/09/2007 20:49

Instead of starting lots of new posts about Madeleine, could I politely request that anyone who wants to post on the subject please post on this one thread? (N.B. Duplicate threads may be flamed hysterically.)

Please note that this thread is not to criticise Madeleine's parents or family, as this is not in the spirit of Mumsnet.

Please can I take the liberty to quote from this article:

"This is the real life of Kate and Gerry McCann, and it must now have become a place of agony beyond all understanding. Pity them, if you have any compassion at all, and demonstrate the minimum of grace: the ability to desist from judgment."

OP posts:
wannaBe · 01/05/2008 10:57

I don't think it's a smoke screen.

But I do think that a lot of people are reluctant to back this because the Mccanns are fronting it.

I think the amber alert is a fantastic initiative. There is clear evidence that it has been very successful in the states, and that a lot of missing children have been found as a result.

But the Mccanns are still suspects in their daughter's disappearance. If it turns out that they were responsible, (and reality is we really don't know), backing a system that has been talked up by people who might have actually killed their own child would just take away the spotlight from the initiative and everyone would know what it stands for.

Imo it should have been publicised by someone who is not quite as controvercial.

Not everyone thinks the Mccanns are innocent. No-one knows what happened to Madeleine, so it is still possible that they played a part in her disappearance. And if they did, then the whole notion that the amber alert would have found Madeleine will be blown out of the water and the system will lose credibility.

lucykate · 01/05/2008 10:59

does it really matter if it is a smoke screen or not though?, even if madeleine mccann hadn't been abducted, the amber alert scheme is a good idea regardless

luciemule · 01/05/2008 11:03

I agree with lucykate completely - it really doesn't matter whether the McCanns back it or not - it's a good idea and nothing can be lost for implementing it across Europe.
How do I lobby all of the UK MEPS at once, rather than just my local one?

JustRose · 01/05/2008 11:13

thanks lilyloo, couldnt get on on that one?..but found the other thread so thanks

JustRose · 01/05/2008 11:14

luciemule, i got the option of 3, local (my 'area') counsellors, local town counsellors and all mep's

NotABanana · 01/05/2008 11:19

Have justwatched a bit of G and K on This morning and it brought tears to my eyes every time they showed a picture of Madeleine. My DD is blonde, blue eyed and 4.

Oh FFS why can't anyone find her??????

JustRose · 01/05/2008 11:28

the has to be something amiss with the original search as they should have found 'something'????????what about robert murat?, what did they have on him to suspect him, remove his property, dig up his house????..if they didnt have evidence against him, how could they do this?

PrincessConsualaBananaHammock · 01/05/2008 11:32

I have just watched the programme from last night about Maddie and I could not stop crying everytime I saw Kates face I just felt so so sorry for her as Maddie is her baby, her little girl and what she is going through you just cannot imagine. I think Kate was very brave through the GMTV interveiw this morning also. I just wished something will come through or come up and someone find her she will be 5 soon and that poor girl has already had 1 birthday without her Mummy and Daddy she don't want another.

NotABanana · 01/05/2008 11:33

That has just made me cry.

Just feel so helpless and need to see my daughter.

noddyholder · 01/05/2008 11:35

I just saw them on this morning and they are so insincere i think they will put people off what looks like a great initiative.Every time the questions get tough they are 'unable to discuss'the investigation ?

lilyloo · 01/05/2008 11:38

although they did answer why they left her which i think must be the toughest question for them.
I felt the things they can't discuss are more linked to actual details i.e what Kate said she found in the apartment for her to know she was abducted and didn't wander off.
They have to be careful not to jeapordise the investigagtion by giving too much away i think.

belgianbunwonttestearlyagain · 01/05/2008 11:48

I disagree noddyholder - they are constrained both by the legal situation and their own desire not to jeopardise the ongoing investigation.

Couldn't bare to even walk 3 ft in their shoes. I thought they came across as a very normal family wanting to do what's best in a really dreadful situation.

Good luck to them.

Pinkjenny · 01/05/2008 11:51

Have emailed my MEP - to be honest, I would want the Amber Alert system firmly in place if (God forbid) we were ever in this situation.

I would support it regardless of the situation with Madeleine. Heartbreaking documentary and heartbreaking situation, whatever the circumstances and your personal view of the decision that they took.

They will have to live with that for the rest of their lives. I think that's punishment enough.

wannaBe · 01/05/2008 11:57

I think peoples' view on how sincere they are depends on whether people think they were involved. And a lot of people do think that the Mccanns had something to do with Madeleine's disappearance (75% in a recent survey).

RosaLuxembourg · 01/05/2008 11:58

I'm glad I'm not you Wannabe. The world must be a very nasty place from inside your head.

noddyholder · 01/05/2008 12:13

wannabe is right though.they do have little support in spite of what they say.As soon as frn asked if they had left them before they faltered and they are still saying the tapas bar was in sight of the room and 50yds away and it clearly wasn't.

NotABanana · 01/05/2008 12:16

I get the point of the Amber system. Can anyone tell me why we haven't got it or it isn't been ratified? (if that's the right word.)

posieflump · 01/05/2008 12:19

how did they manage to be on bbc1 at 8.30am and on gmtv? I guess gmtv is prerecorded

belgianbunwonttestearlyagain · 01/05/2008 12:28

50 yards / 60 yards... they faltered because of the legal constraints, not because of a difference of 10 yards.

I can't believe people are still this nasty a year on. They have lived with that hindsight/guilt/pain for a full year, accused of the most dreadful things.

There is NO evidence against them or they would have been charged.

PrincessConsualaBananaHammock · 01/05/2008 12:45

They were on GMTV at around 7:15 so I suppose they went to the BBC afterwards?

luciemule · 01/05/2008 12:58

Well - sent my email to my 7 MEPS and the first who wrote back, couldn't even get my name correct (doesn't bode well!).

He gave me a load of twoddle about the McCanns being suspects etc and I replied (telling him about writing my name wrong) and said he'd completely misinterpreted the email and linked the whole Amber Alert System to the McCanns! I said I'd want it in place regardless of the McCann case. How insensitive of him I think!
Anyway - another guy's secretary wrote back a minute ago saying his MEP doesn't usually sign EU declarations but after reading the details, he'll seriously consider signing!

Greyriverside · 01/05/2008 13:00

Justrose, all they had on robert murat was that he didn't cooperate with the woman reporter who got her revenge by saying he 'looked suspicious'. Eyes too close together I expect. You can always tell.

RosaLuxembourg, you say "I'm glad I'm not you Wannabe. The world must be a very nasty place from inside your head" but the point is that the real world is a nasty place. Not pink and fluffy at all. Some of us can bear to face it and some can't. I don't know that they had anything to do with it directly, but am amazed at people who want to rule them out because they look nice on TV. If only life were that simple we could close all the courts and police stations.

Anyway, we do know they buggered off for the evening and left the kids alone and were too cheap to pay for a babysitter. Around here the SS take the kids away from you for that.

RosaLuxembourg · 01/05/2008 13:13

Glad I'm not you, either Greyriverside.
And FWIW, I might well have done what they did.

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 01/05/2008 13:19

GRS - you are absolutely right.
The MEPs have to be careful about endorsing the actions of people who are police suspects in a serious crime, as it could easily be twisted by the arch-spinner Clarence Mitchell whom thry have employed to imply support for individuals themselves who may well soon be on trial.
Lilyloo - it was in now way comparable with a toddler slipping out of your sight in a split second in a playground - they had being doing this night after night, even after supposedly M asked them why they had not been there when she was crying

RosaLuxembourg · 01/05/2008 13:21

Or you, Mrs Guy.

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