Please support a Europe-wide missing child alert system

[popstar]

Kate and Gerry McCann have been in Brussels at the European Parliament presenting a declaration proposing a Europe wide alert system when a child goes missing. The similar AMBER alert system used in the US has led to the successful recovery of many abducted children. 393 MEPs need to sign this in order for it to be looked into.

Please take a moment to click on the link in order to identify your MEP and request that they sign the declaration to move this proposal forward.
Find your MEP

Here is a sample text which you can cut and paste-

I am writing to request that you sign the declaration presented to the
European Parliament by Kate and Gerry McCann requesting a Europe-wide
alert system and telephone hotline for when a child is abducted.

We will never know whether this would have helped in their own case and
led to the recovery of their daughter, Madeleine, but there is
overwhelming evidence from the United States that such a system can
prove crucial in recovering an abducted child before they are harmed.

I feel it is vitally important for the safety of all our children that
the implementation of such a system receives your full support.

Done.

Done - blimey I've got about 9 MEPs!

It may not have helped Madeleine, but if it helps any child in the future, it's got to be worth a go.

agree have mailed all 6 of my meps

Will do as soon as the children are in bed, good post popstar

Thanks everyone. Needs 393 signatures so the more people who petition their MEPs the better.

.

Thanks N1EBF! Don't mean to nag but.....

Off to bed now. Will nag further in morning. Thanks to all who have supported.

I've just done it.

.

.

Done. Well done you for providing the link, and keeping this bumped.

For those of in the EU outside Britain you can search for your MEP here.

.

morning bump - worthy cause ladies

I have recieved this reply -

Dear X

Thank you for your message urging support for a written declaration, by the
EU's consultative assembly, in favour of an EU-system for reporting missing
children.

Such written declarations have no legal force, and each one is acclaimed, or
ignored, by the EU's un-elected bodies (Commission, Council and Court - where
all power in the EU resides) depending upon whether the subject is already part
of their programme, or not. In this way, such declarations either give
publicity to existing programmes or have no effect at all.

UKIP's representatives in this assembly do not subscribe to EU-legislation of
any kind, including written declarations, because none of the EU's bodies is
democratic - not even the assembly (which, although elected, has no general
electorate - only compartmentalised electorates, which are largely ignorant of
one another's views)

European coöperation, furthermore, is rather hindered, than helped, by the
centralised bureaucracies of the EU, which, by abolishing national frontiers,
have made EU-territory a playground for all types of crime, and which, in
general, are rather intent on extending their powers than on governing wisely
and well. This is only to be expected of an organisation, which lacks all
democratic accountability.

Indeed, the only way the huge, multilingual territories of the EU can be
governed is by means of a repressive police-state, where every identity, asset
and movement is monitored. When such powers are in the hands of a non-
democratic government - as will soon be the case, if the Lisbon Treaty is
ratified - then the resulting structure can only be described as totalitarian.

It seems most unlikely that the proposed EU-network would be used only for
reporting missing children, when such a system could easily be used for
reporting all "missing" (or wanted) persons; and that, I believe, is the other
end of the wedge. The EU always starts with some fine-seeming, "cuddly"
initiative, which gradually hardens into something, which is not "cuddly" at
all.

The American "Amber Alert-System" is quite different. Note, on its website - www.amberalert.gov/ - how it disclaims any "endorsement or recommendation of the United States Government" and describes itself as a "voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry". That is not how the EU operates.

There is no reason why border-controls should not be restored nor why national
police-forces should not coöperate in circulating lists of missing children;
but we cannot restore border-controls, while the EU exists, and we do not need
EU-government to institute coöperation between police-forces.

As usual, the EU is using an emotive issue, which could be better dealt with by
other means, to promote its policy of total domination by non-democratic
institutions. I hope you will see through this facade to the unpleasant
reality it hides.

Yours sincerely

X

I can't support anything promoted by those two

...now ask them to respond in English!!

In fact if you peel the layers away from the onion, what they are in effect saying, is that they, the UKIP party have no gumption heavy weights, or desire to fight for such a cause. (thats how I read it!) Maybe their members have no children, and are totally satisfied in the security & safety of their off-spring world-wide! They then in turn twist it and blame the EU itself.

However, if lay folk dont protest, raise petitions blah blah blah, how would anytihng be recognised or moved forward. How would they ever know the mood of the people they are supposed to be representing.

The Madeleine McCann incident (for want of a far more emotive word) has struck a dire cord in many many families, worldwide. It has opened a can of worms, a world that was no doubt alien to the majority of us - that of abduction and people/child trafficking.

NOW, we want action, and even if this is only a temporary solution, even if only 1 child is saved, surely it has got to be better than what we witnessed with the McCann case and the Portugeese Police - who had/have NOTHING in place(& whom lets face it, are not the only ones in Europe to have lapse policies in place for such events, not the only country to have no large scale police stations in sleepy resorts / villages - we too dont have them, not really). So if such a system were in place, would it not be a GREAT idea for communities to aide the Services, and be vigilant for that one poor wretched soul who has been snatched and wrenched from the security of his/her family home.

I tell you what, it would help me sleep better at night knowing such a system was in place, especially when going abroad. I like to give my children some freedom in their play time when out and about (park, beach), but I find myself watching over them like a ruddy hawk. This wasnt how I was bought up and allowed to play. Its just a very very sad era imo, but things can improve, and we can all pull together and make it better.

Keep bumping, this is a worthy cause.!!!

If anyone wants to write a response to it, i will email it back but to be quite honest i think the bloke has just rattled on.

lol which two?

rattled on? rofl!!! Mmmmmm.... here, I've had two responses so far, both using middle ground English....

First:

Dear...

Roger Knapman MEP has asked me to thank you for your email and to reply as he is currently travelling to Brussels.

He strongly supports the McCanns and the work they are doing both to find their own daughter and to help others. He can only imagine how hard it must be for them to bear the weight of their own difficulties not to mention the unfounded hostility they have faced from some quarters.

He supports their initiative and will do what he can to support it. He does not ever sign Written Declarations on any subject; this is because on grounds of procedure he objects to the system. However he will find other ways of supporting this important campaign.

Best wishes

Piers Merchant
Assistant to Roger Knapman MEP

SECOND:

Dear...

Thank you for your email. I have forwarded it to Brussels for Mr Parish's attention.

Kind regards

Joyce Grant
Assistant to Neil Parish MEP

*

C'mon!!!! lets get this moving.

Oh and wrt to RK NOT signing petitions, thats all well and good, I just hope he takes on board the nature of the petition, and rallies on the peoples account. iykwim !

We're obviously in the same area, Wolfgirl. Here's the response I got from Roger Knapman last week-

Roger Knapman MEP has asked me to thank you for your email. He strongly supports the McCanns and wishes them luck with all that they are doing and his sympathy for the very difficult position they are in.
Best wishes
Piers Merchant
Assistant to Roger Knapman MEP

I took that to be very supportive, but didn't realise he had no intention of signing! How frustrating.

I did consider leaving out the McCann's name when I started this thread as it's not actually directly about Madeleine but for ALL our children, but thought their association made the concept more identifiable. Sorry you feel that way NH.

Just to clarify last comment- I only considered leaving out McCann's name to try to prevent any further negative comments regarding them.

As one of the problems people had was the amount of publicity given to Madeleine compared to other missing children, surely this is a way to redress the balance.