Madeleine McCann

[morningpaper]

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."

noddy, it's neither your business nor mine what question they were asked and what answers they gave or didn't give. Lie detector evidence is not admissible in many jurisdictions.

It's up to them whether to return to Portugal. Frankly, I don't blame them for not going back. They didn't "hawk" her face around. The Amber Alert system depends entirely on making certain that the child's face and description are circulated as widely as possible. It is despicable to draw a negative inference from them trying to replicate that

How they chose to deal with their emotions in the aftermath of their child's disappearance is their business and to suggest that they should have been out knocking doors all across Europe is beyond idiotic. Most parents are not in the position they were, and are, in, thank God.

What a vile post.

noddy, they do not have to prove themselves to you. Just as well.

Gosh those poor sods - they can't win, can they?

The only anxiety I have about their behaviour is that I do think it is improper for the Find Madeleine fund to have as one of its objectives the financial support of an already relatively wealthy family.

I don't believe that at the point there was a massive uprush of sympathy for the parents that people who donated the money (me amongst them) had any idea that the payments would be used to support the family. We thought it would be used to find Madeleine.

So I'd like to see some public accounts as to how the money has been spent. I'd like to know how much (if any) has gone to fund the family.

for real they used the money to support themselves, Quattro?!

their kitchen as the size of our old flat!

i could have fit DD1's bed in the alcove/fireplace in there.

I just knew this thread would end up like this.

That's just it, I don't know whether they've actually used any of the money to support themselves but they could do - here's the link

www.findmadeleine.com/

you'll see that one of the objectives of the fund is to provide support including financial assistance to the family

which is wrong I think because I didn't know that was a possibility when I donated

and there are no accounts or anything despite it being swathes of public money so they could be doing anything with the dosh

I hope they are using it in the way that the people who donated the cash would have wanted it to be used - ie in finding Madeleine.

and?obviously their joint medic income will result in large salubrious home.what has that got to do with size of your home?

I have no problem with it being used to support them to be away from work for longer than any employer could reasonably be expected to give paid leave. Gerry McCann was on unpaid leave. The mortgage still had to be paid and living in Portugal for several months didn't come free, as far as I know?

Now that Gerry McCann is back at work, I would not expect it to be used to pay day-to-day living expenses but I don't think that there is any evidence that it has been.

SM, can you ever post on here without being chippy?

i am honestly curious.

Fair point, MsH

ExPat?obviously their joint medic income will result in large salubrious home.what has that got to do with size of your home?

But there's no evidence that it hasn't, is there MrsH? I mean it could be being spent on a Harvey Nicks and Cocaine habit for all we know (not that I think it is mind you, just that I think there should be some proper accounting and disclosure).

Quattro, it's not "public money". Taxes are public money i.e. money that you have no choice but to give.
This is private money donated by members of the public.
It's not the same thing.
They have been upfront about the terms of the Fund. Caveat donor?

LOL dont know what chippy is?Food?if you mean dont state an opinion you dont care to hear - well you have lots to say too miss so nope!size of your home is incomparable to the harrowing tormwent of losing a child you know

SM?! Since you made it personal, I'll let you know that I haven't responded to any of your posts on any thread and if there were an iggy function I'd put you on it, because I have found you nothing but chippy and nasty to people on pretty much every thread I've ever seen you on - and it's not witty, it's tiresome and dull.

So I'm not about to start now.

You can go back to your usual MO.

I would say 'Okay?', but I won't because I don't really give a toss about your posts, tbh.

I expect that, like other private companies, the accounts will be published in due course.

indeed and subject to external auditors

But Quattro, surely you were aware of this when you contributed, no?

At the time the donations were made, no I don't think the terms of the fund were known.

And yes I do think some proper public accountability is appropriate. All companies have to disclose accounts, as do all charities etc. This is money from public donation, and I do think it is appropriate to make full disclosure

But then I am old fashioned about propriety. I even think it is wrong for MPs to "employ" members of their families.

Or use public monies to pay for their wives' taxi trips, eh, Quattro?

Nothing wrong with MPs employing members of their family provided the family member does the work they are paid for.

And nothing wrong with the Fund supporting the McCanns if it furthers the search for their daughter.

Each case on its merits.

Quattro, I would argue here that the family need the money to support themselves. I doubt if the McCanns' can work completely full time in the search of their daughter and so would be losing money which would help pay for their home etc.

We think they are finacially wealthy but they may have lots of hidden costs that we do not know of. - having time off to do press interviews etc that they respective employers may say has to be time off without pay.

I don't know obviously but there are always hidden costs that we don't know about.

I should imagine that the fund is very carefully scrutinised considering how much public donations have been put in there.

Just my thoughts.....

Good thoughts, Candlewax.

Ah see how we differ

I think that MPs families should not be employed in any capacity by their offices - even if they do the work they were claiming to do - which the majority of them appeared not to be doing anyway

see how prim I am?

TBH I'm not going to comment further on the money in the McCann fund as I have no evidence that they have drawn on it for their own private gain. I sincerely hope they haven't, but as scottish says, we'll see what happens when the accounts are published.