It's really interesting to return to the McCann files and re-read these old newspaper articles from the early days. The old reports of the Madeleine debate at the LSE in January 2008, are particularly enlightening. At this gathering of the great and good within the media world, no attempt is made to cover the contempt they feel for their readers and the public at large.
We are too stupid apparently, to grasp the finer details of Kate and Gerry McCanns' innocence, and the reason for the public backlash stemmed from jealousy of the well to do, neatly pressed, doctors. Sun readers especially, come from a lower social demographic and lack the ability to distinguish between fine dining with friends and going out on the lash. The hatred towards the McCanns was clearly based on ignorance in the ways in which their 'betters' take care of their children. Look how quickly all those middle class journalists and commentators jumped on the bandwagon to say, 'we do it too'.
While Sun readers may not have Doctorates and Degrees, they have a more caring attitude towards childcare, and they have the ability to spot a blatant liar when they see one. Let me make it clear for the intellectuals and academics who seem to have gone off in a whole bizarre direction with this one. We ALL have the ability to spot lies, it is a natural survival instinct, and none of us would be here if those instincts hadn't been finely honed. And of course, instinct is the key word here. It is not something you learn from a book, film or lecture, it's already there. Though to be fair, it may be heightened among the lower echelons as their ancestors had more to contend with in order to keep the gene pool going.
All those thousands of Sun readers writing into Kelvin McKenzie could see with their own eyes that Kate and Gerry were lying through their teeth. Grieving parents do NOT behave as they did. We have all suffered loss and bereavement and we know what it looks and feels like. In what universe does the loss of a child compare with being overdrawn on your student account? In what universe do you lounge around sunbathing (accompanied by a government spokesman) while strangers trek the surrounding countryside searching for your child!
We all know Gerry and Kate would have had entirely different treatment if they came from an ethnic minority, or if they were unemployed and living on a Council Estate. That's the way society is. What those who claim to be far more intelligent than the antis fail to understand is that we are not mad at Kate and Gerry because they have got a nice house, we are mad at the horrific crime that is being covered up. Their social status is irrelevant, parents can't just make their children disappear with no questions asked. And if saying that makes me ill bred and uneducated, then so be it.
Meanwhile, anyone still taken in by this hammy acting really should start to question everything. Have they, for example, had a serious knock on the noggin? Have they been overdoing it with the hallucinatory drugs? Have they been invaded by a body snatcher or demon? Some McCann supporters have been known to thrash around on the floor speaking in tongues. Anything is possible.
The Sun may support Kate and Gerry, but 98% of their readers don't. They can push the abduction and bent cop story all they like, but within seconds their readers can discover the truth via their tablets and smartphones.
But this snippet is not without a happy ending. We are now entering the phase when all those stuck up, we know better than you do, pompous dinosaurs will have to face up to the fact that their readers were right and they were wrong - and ouch, that's gotta hurt. And just to add to their pain, it wasn't lack of fine breeding that stopped us seeing the Emperor's new clothes, it was what my old Dad used to call 'a bit of bleddy common sense'.
_____________________________
For whatever reason, Kate and Gerry McCann have focused all their anger and hate towards Goncalo Amaral for the past 9 years. Goncalo is the detective who had charge of the original investigation and who was closing in on them, when by pressure of the British government, he was removed from the case.
Since then the McCanns have fought a proactive campaign to discredit him, aided and abetted by a complicit British media and, going by what was said by Craig Murray, quite possibly the incumbent government too. Tabloids carried hundreds of headlines and front pages insinuating that Goncalo and his team were a brutal mob of hard drinking, sardine munching foreigners who couldn't be arsed to search for Madeleine.
In 2008, Goncalo published The Truth of the Lie. A book the world was waiting for, because quite frankly, no-one believed a word the McCanns said. For all this smokescreen of innocence, the world was whispering. Goncalo had every right to defend his reputation. Ultimately, that is the only worthwhile legacy we leave behind in this world. And his book wasn't malicious. It was an honest account of a very sad story, he even shows compassion towards the troubled Kate, and a human understanding of the situation they found themselves in.
Above all, it is a factual account of the original Portuguese police investigation, it doesn't differ from the police files that were released into the public domain. What troubled Kate and Gerry was the fact that it exposed the deceit the McCanns used and continue to use, in their media campaign. A public face that says 'all is well and the police don't consider us suspects', and the chaotic reality of what was going on behind the scenes.
What irks them most of all, is that Goncalo's account of the investigation is beautifully written and easily accessible to anyone. If it were serialised in the Sun for example, the papers would fly off the shelves. It should have been a worldwide bestseller, it is far superior to Kate's Madeleine and it was of huge public interest. If it were widely read, the myth of Madeleine's abduction would be blown wide open, any dreams of a Gerry and Jim run National Centre and television channel for missing children, would be dead in the water. As indeed, they now are.
Goncalo's book will still be a best seller. The ruling in the Portuguese higher Court will have a huge knock on effect. There is a good likelihood that publishers and indeed, newspaper moguls will now take a chance. Leveson did not receive the public support that was anticipated. The public are no longer angry about press intrusion that went on, because once the anger subsided, they realised that gagging the press was not a good idea. No one is hacked off anymore, as a glance at their website shows.
Hopefully in the next few days/weeks Goncalo will enjoy the magic of a publishers bidding war. The McCanns have had their legal claws removed, they can't sue everyone. When he walks onto the set of Oprah, he will receive a standing ovation, and I hope she comes out of retirement to do a one off special.
Whilst I agree that people should no longer share Goncalo's book free online, I hope he remembers that all those who shared it are the ones who have been fighting alongside him and getting the truth 'out there'. GoFundMe was so successful, because the contributors had read the book. He should also know, that all those of us who have read it free online, can't wait to buy the first UK edition, and if we are lucky, signed by his own fair hand! I'm still holding out to write the Hollywood screenplay, in my head I have already cast Antonio Banderos in the lead!
Book was published in 24 July 2008, not 2009
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Joana I will amend. I hope that you are well and had an enjoyable birthday, same day as my beloved mum. Great to see you back posting, kindest wishes. x
ReplyDeleteThank you, it was an excellent day :) Best wishes, JM
Delete"I'm still holding out to write the Hollywood screenplay..."
ReplyDeleteAren't you jumping the gun just a little? The questions remaining to be addressed sit more in the province of CSI than CSA.
I seriously doubt the McCanns are in any way concerned about Amaral's superior literary style, any more than they are alone in being disturbed by his resilience.
Yeh, it's pompous sentences like your last one, that makes most of the pro's dross unreadable. What does that mean?
ReplyDeleteThere will undoubtedly be a Hollywood movie on the cards 14:43, this is a photogenic story (thanks Craig Murray), it is has the power to start a film studio bidding war. And this time it will have an ending, the fight for truth and justice will be the victor.
Sadly, there is no happy ending for Madeleine, she died long ago, but in Goncalo, the world has a hero. A hard working dedicated cop, who despite everything that was thrown at him, never gave up on the victim. That's pretty powerful stuff.
Madeleine will have justice when the truth is known. Hopefully some sort of altruistic memorial can be created in her name, something dignified and respectful that will benefit others. This poor child has been so hideously used for so much that is bad, it is time some good was done in her name.
Excellent blog. I take my hat off to you and everyone else who is doing all they can to help get justice. Ignore Anonymous up there. The McCanns ARE worried about Goncalo's book coming out otherwise they wouldn't have taken the steps they did, to ban it in the first place. I too have read the book and I'm planning on buying a few copies for friends and family who aren't able to read what we've been able to. Thanks for an excellent read :) x
DeleteGreat blog Cristobell. Often don't agree with you, but I like reading it.
ReplyDeleteAs for my input:
Really don't understand the adulation of Mr Amaral. Granted, he was in charge of the initial investigation -- and that put him into juxtaposition to the McCanns. So, I can understand why some on the internet are likely to flock behind him. In their Manichaeism, they are always likely to make binary affiliations for the remainder of their lives.
But let us not forget, he was convicted of perjury -- by his own people. Further to this, he wrote a book on this little girl's death, that made him a hefty sum at the time, and as far as I am aware, he did not donate the proceeds to charity. These two points raise some serious questions in my mind and I think it is hasty for many right-minded folk to hold him up as some kind of paragon of virtue.
That said, I was one of many who donated money towards his appeal fees -- simply because I did not want the McCanns to ruin the life of a man who has made some mistakes, but by and large, had seemingly served public life in a positive manner.
But all of this internet comment celebrating him like he is some kind of martyr is not a pretty spectacle to watch. Both Mr McCann and Mr Amaral have both, in my view, made major mistakes in their lives. Let's not try to paint one as Jesus and the other as Judas.
--
Now on slightly different matters, some predictions:
1) SY will eventually end Operation Grange, announcing its findings -- the elimination of hundreds of 'suspects', alongside a fundamental re-characterisation of the timeline from that night.
2) SY will pass evidence to the PJ that will dramatically strengthen their case.
3) All the internet types will decry OG as a whitewash, cover-up, and so forth -- without ever realising the true legal implications of their work.
4) The PJ will eventually submit a case, issue arrest warrants.
5) A deal will be cut, whereby one defendant will take the blame, while the other pleads ignorance.
6) A young girl will be reburied with dignity.
7) New charges relating to offences in the United Kingdom will be served.
--
8) In the end, there will be no conspiracy, no political cover-up, no MI5 involvement, no swinging... It will be a much simpler tale.
9) The likes of Tony Bennett, Joana Morais and all the other members of the internet posse will try and take credit for the case reaching the resolution it did -- when such a claim could not be much further from the truth.
Thanks,
Gadfly
Totally disagree. If it weren't for Tony, Joana, and all the rest of the 'internet posse' as you ignorantly put it, we wouldn't have been able to discuss what we do. And we wouldn't have been able to donate to Goncalo's fund. He deserves every bit of help we can give him. I notice no mention was made of the McCann 'fund' in your response. So it's ok for them to set up a 'fighting fund' begging the public for money, but not for someone to open a fund for Goncalo along the same lines?
DeleteYou're right in one of your predictions. Number five. One will be charged and the other will plead ignorance. I think we all know who those people will be. And the entire world will rejoice when justice is finally served!
Do try harder Sue.
DeletePoint 1 - we couldn't debate if it wasn't for TB / JM.
**Untrue. And the debate would be of a higher quality, free from MI5/Swinger related nonsense.
Point 2 -We wouldn't be able to donate to Mr Amaral.
**Not true - and it wouldn't matter anyway. Mr Amaral's legal wrangles have nothing to do with the current criminal investigation.
Point 3 - re: McCann fund. Nice try at creating a straw man argument. The reference I made regarding the criminal charges in the UK are related to this very point.
Do try to sort fact from opinion. And also at least attempt to interpret me correctly before trying to engage me. Finally - take down ypur shrines to JM TB and GA. One has spread rumours via a blog and has no regard for fact checking -- yes, thank her for the translations but she's harding Bernstein and Woodward. Another has personally financed the McCann PR machine through his stupidity- as JB put it: a lawyer who genuinely doesn't understand the law. And the final guy -- I respect for his public service -- but who decided to cash in on the case after perjuring himself.
Do try to find new heroes. In the end, it will be the law-abifing members of the PJ, SY, the Portuguese prosecuting authorities and the CPS who will bring this case to a close. And the only reason the case reopened was the Hubris of the McCanns. Those 5 actors are the only relevant people in this case since 2011. But it takes a little bit too much effort to understand it so I'll let you keep giving that mad UKIP-er bloke who inserted himself into the case the credit...
Gadfly
Firstly, please do not ever take credit away from Joana Morais and our Portuguese friends. Without their getting the truth to us, all brilliantly translated, we might still be in the dark with Gerry and Kate celebrated as heroes.
ReplyDeleteYou see this ending as a damp squib. I disagree. Even this past week McCann stories are in the headlines and when the truth comes out it will be sensational.
As for acknowledging the bravery and tenacity of Goncalo Amaral, well 'the world is full of heroism', and it is right that the role of Maddie's Avenger should take centre stage. How many others capitulated to the McCanns' demands? Putting their own jobs and futures above justice for the victim.
Goncalo stood solid, like a rock, no matter what they took from him, he would not surrender. That, my friend, is the stuff that heroes are made of. He sacrificed everything for the sake of honour.
As for Goncalo's past mistakes, most of which I suspect are the stuff of pro McCann mythology, so what? He is a flesh and blood human being with virtues and vices, just like the rest of us. And if you look at every popular fictional detective, you will note that they have major faults. Be it alcohol or emotional problems, their characters portray the stressful reality of their jobs. The freshly laundered, neatly pressed, non smoking churchgoers they McCann expect from Law enforcement is yet another example of their detachment from reality. Cops in boy scout uniforms would be eaten alive.
Re: The internet crowd. All their translations made it easier for people to read the files granted, but the only reasons this case reopened is because of the McCanns' hubris (I think they genuinely believed that they had duped the Home Office) and the fact that there was a change of government in the UK.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt SY felt so outraged at the start of the review that they decided to press ahead, with promises for the Portuguese if they played their part.
As for Amaral. I cannot agree. My heroes are detectives and lawyers who go to work, do their job, stay within the confines of the law, and then retire without writing a book.
Thanks,
Gadfly
Goncalo Amaral believed the dogs but didn't believe the British police who sent them in.
DeleteWhat about Eliot Ness?
DeleteOK, you can have Eliot Ness, lol. But apart from Eliot Ness, most heroes of thrillers and action films are those who have flaws and those who break the rules and go that extra mile. It is the standard plot of most detective movies.
DeleteRos @ 23.39 - why are you hammering on about fictional heroes of thrillers and action films when the subject is Goncalo?
DeleteYour comparison is just invalid.
Not at all 23:44, for 9 years the McCann Mob have been destroying Goncalo's character by portraying him as a hard drinking barbarian.
DeleteIf, which is not admitted, lol, Goncalo has had emotional, or even relationship problems, they are human frailties that can be exacerbated by a stressful job, eg. homicide detective.
I mention fictional detectives, because they humanise cops. They give us an insight into the sinister, murky side of police work and the trauma detectives have to deal with on a daily basis. How do you visit an horrific crime scene, perhaps see the body of a murdered child, and then return to your family and carry on as though everything were normal?
For detectives like Goncalo Amaral and Steve Thomas (Jonbenet), the tragedy of the victim stays with them forever. It drives them on, it probably even torments them, they cannot rest until the victim receives the respect they deserve.
I don't know if Goncalo reads my blog, but many of his friends do. Please urge him to look at the parallels between himself and Steve Thomas. It truly saddened me to see how long it took for Steve to have his name cleared. Goncalo can avoid that.
He can, and should, be giving interviews to the media. His greatest asset is his quiet, softly spoken charm. He may be vengeful at the moment, but it is the charm that has brought him thus far and it is the charm that will bring 'The Truth of the Lie' to the world.
Ros you say: "Whilst I agree that people should no longer share Goncalo's book free online..."
ReplyDeleteBut scroll down the right hand side of this page and there is a clickable link to : Anna Andress - blog and English copy Truth of the Lie.
Maybe you should delete it.
Thank you 21:12. I was torn, but respect Goncalo's wishes and have removed it.
DeleteMeanwhile, I think Goncalo has an updated edition ready to release and I am sure we are all looking forward to it!
@ Ros 23.43 - I don't often agree with you but good for you for removing it.
DeleteA quote:
"AnnaEsse said...
I decided that I would remove the translation if Snr Amaral asked or if it looked like he were to manage to get his own version published in English so that people would buy the book. It's been here a long time!
26 July 2011 at 21:04"
Let's hope that now Amaral has said that all English translations are illegal and do not have his approval, that she will now remove it from her site.
Ros says: "And if you look at every popular fictional detective, you will note that they have major faults. Be it alcohol or emotional problems, their characters portray the stressful reality of their jobs. The freshly laundered, neatly pressed, non smoking churchgoers they McCann expect from Law enforcement is yet another example of their detachment from reality. Cops in boy scout uniforms would be eaten alive."
ReplyDeleteYou do realise that fictional cops are made up don't you Ros? Most real life cops are totally normal people doing a great job.
I used the word fictional intentionally 21:17. Fictional characters tend to be caricatures, normal behaviour is exaggerated for the sake of drama.
DeleteOf course I realise cops are normal people! And normal people are not perfect. That is why the strange 'Stepford' family invented by the McCanns is so unbelievable, there is nothing there for normal people to empathise with.
Andy Redwood isn't made up and he's a fictional cop.
DeleteAnd DCI Nicola (I nick em so quick, they don't even realise they've been nicked) Wall is always 'made up' with lovely groomed hair, painted nails, and figure-hugging tailored trouser suits - but we never get to see her (unlike when Andy was at the helm). She may just turn out to be 'fictional' too.
DeleteApparently, he's stated that the book is to be updated with information not contained in the original.
ReplyDeletewell I suppose he can put anything he bloody wants in it now!
DeleteAnd I'm very much looking forward to it 22:13! I have no doubt all those who read the first edition will be leap at the opportunity to buy an updated one!
DeleteLOL 22:33, I suppose he can!
DeleteI have not seen and cannot find any quote from Amaral requesting online translations of his book are taken down so can anyone oblige?
ReplyDeleteHe acknowledges they are there, but as for asking for their removal?
Where's the evidence?
There are, of course, many who would like it taken down for very much their own reasons.
@ Tonyfan
DeleteMaybe you do selective reading - however to assist you:
"Negotiating with his publishers today, the former detective confirmed to the Resident that “what the McCanns are doing is illegal. I am in talks with my publishers for a book in the English language, as there is as yet no publisher in the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand - not even Amazon - that is selling it.
"The McCanns will learn to respect the right to opinion and freedom of expression”, he added - stressing that “any version” of Truth of the Lie in English that can be found on the Internet is also illegal, as neither he nor Guerra e Paz publishers have given their authorisation to translations."
http://portugalresident.com/mccanns-threaten-%E2%80%9Canyone-selling-amaral%E2%80%99s-book-in-uk%E2%80%9D-with-legal-action#sthash.VtGeRWhF.SSnyhqxi.dpuf
He is saying they are illegal and unauthorised - is it clear enough to you?
I am still not altogether clear Tonyfan, but in any event it is easy enough to find, simply google 'The Truth of the Lie'.
DeleteI honestly don't think Goncalo has any worry about losing sales, in fact I would go so far as to say, the first edition online will wet the appetite of the public. There will be a massive audience when the print edition and new online edition becomes available. Goncalo is a very talented writer - he leaves the reader wanting more!
On a slightly different topic, I believe they are toying with the idea of changing the title slightly - for what it is worth, I think they should stick with the original title, it is spot on.
Bjorn Sundberg , Skogsgatan 30, 587 23 Linkoping, Sweden
DeleteHello Rosalinda,
This really a little bit off the topic that you are discussing right now, but I felt I had to say a few words about Clarence Mitchell with reference to what you wrote about Clarence down under at the Commonwealth Conference 2016, in one of your previous texts. I had to listen myself to what he says nowadays. Or to be more precisely, what he said on March 13 this year on Australian TV news. Instead of talking about what he believes, he referred, as he often does, to what he has been told by the McCanns, which of course is his own view upon the Madeleine case. Here are a just a few of my own transcripts from my Swedish horizon. Having another mother tongue, I have to be very attentive to what I listen to, so be indulgent towards my translations. I may get it wrong sometimes
“…they (the McCanns) still believe, in the absence of any evidence, to suggest that Madeleine has come to physical harm, that there is as logical to believe that she might still be alive, as it is illogical just to assume that the worst may have happened to her.”
May I ask why?
Mitchell has methodically been trying to sabotage a possible proper reinvestigation by the Met into the disappearance of Madeleine, by using all his useful political- and media contacts to promote his hypothesis about Madeleine being alive, which is based on nothing but his high flown words and empty rhetoric. He has had the power to do so. No question about that. Furthermore, he never really talks about what has been achieved in the on-going reinvestigation, review, reassessment or whatever one may call it, let alone about who has been paying for keeping his ”fairy tale” about Madeleine in the public eye for more than 8 years.
This is also what Mitchell said on the very same occasion, talking about how he got involved in the first place, he said “…they(the McCanns) had a number of people who were helping them financially. One of those said he would take me on… fulltime.., as their (the McCanns’) spokesman.” Who was this anonymous person and what may his motives have been? If he referred to the Madeleine Fund, why then not say so? He is, in my opinion evasive, and often dishonest.
When someone goes missing and cannot be found within 48 hours, and if there is no reason to believe that that person has gone to any particular place by her/his own free will, it would be quite absurd and shameless, better word is perhaps; deceptive, to go around the globe 9 years later, declaring that there are no evidence to support that this missing person has come to any harm. Isn’t it?
The fact that Madeleine has not been seen ever since she went missing, or has never had the chance to talk to anyone of all those people around world, who are still looking for her, are the most damaging evidence of Madeleine being harmed, and most likely dead, as both the Portuguese P J and the Portuguese prosecutor concluded 8 years ago. Now almost 9 years later people are running the risk of being sued for saying what anyone with just an ounce of common sense would understand! Am I now being punished for my sins, because I have neither been seduced by King Mitchell’s eloquence, neither can I see the “brows of grace”, that he is supposed to wear. Who can?
@ Ros 10.48 - you believe that Amaral is a talented writer? He has written several books - were they all best sellers? How many of them where translated into English for his fans?
DeleteThe Truth of The Lie sold because it was about the Mccanns - nothing to do with Amaral's writing skills or leaving his readers wanting more!
As an author, Goncalo's work is under a cloud (I know how he feels), that is, EVERYTHING will be judged by his association with the Madeleine case. He is first and foremost a critic of the McCanns and they are litigation crazy. Not only have they destroyed his police career, they have destroyed his career as a writer.
DeleteNow that he is free of that huge stone around his neck, his books can go and sale and receive the widespread distribution and publicity they deserve.
Like I said, nowhere has he requested its removal.
ReplyDeleteClear enought to me but not you it seems, anon.
Mr Amaral's words apparently.
ReplyDelete'I never did anything to stop publication on the net,and I am not about to start now..none of it worries me'.
Yes, I saw that and have put the link back :)
DeleteLike many, I can't wait to buy the new Edition. I see the malcontents in CMoMM are already being snidey about any money Goncalo might earn. They really are a shower of sanctimonious creeps.
I hope Goncalo Amaral makes a blooming fortune from his book! He bleddy deserves it after all he has been through. I have no doubt it will go viral before too long - it is THE definitive book on the case - a first hand account by the McCanns' nemesis.
Those bleating about money being earned on Madeleine's name, have notably remained anonymous throughout, have never put themselves at risk and have sacrificed nothing!
Mccann words apparently.
DeleteUPDATE.
19 April,2016-Statement from Gerry and Kate Regarding Libel Case
We are disappointed with today's ruling from the Portuguese Appellate Court.As we have said in the past,this action has never been about money.It has always been focused on the effects of the libels on our other children and the damage that has been done to the search for Madeleine.
We will continue to defend ourselves against this libel and the search for our daughter.We will be appealing to the Portuguese Supreme Court.
Madeleine is still missing and we will do everything we can to get her home.
Thank you for your continued support.
Gerry and Kate
Order of mention:-
1st> Money
2nd> Other children
Last> Madeleine
"this action has never been about money"
May be it's never been about money but it is now,they owe the lawyers and courts a kings randsom after this ruling but the Supreme Court might bail um out.We'll have to wait and see.
I don't think they will get to the Supreme Court tbh. Goncalo's money has been frozen to ensure he could pay should he lose. The McCanns will be in the same position. They will probably be asked to put the money up front - as you say, they presently owe a King's ransom, and they are not going to get unlimited credit with the lawyers.
DeleteAs for the statement. It is as cold and soulless as everything they put out. No inkling of their true feelings, just more vows to continue. The whole libel business has gone over and above the ludicrous scale. With the amount of suspicion currently hanging over the parents, anything said by Goncalo Amaral is neither here nor there. Banning his book won't stop the tide from coming in. Talking about 'he said' 'she said' 9 years after the fact, is pointless. The world has moved on.
It's not about Maddie, it's about greed, sheer bloody mindedness and pure hatred. Their hatred for Goncalo is neither logical or rational, it is a symptom of psychopathy. And they have got it so bad they will ruin themselves and everyone around them to get their revenge. They should have paid heed to the words of Confucius 'Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves'.
Can't wait to by the English version
ReplyDeleteMy views on Buck and his appearance are well known. I will respect Mr Murray's position as a past ambassador but I'm afraid his actual evidence is virtually non-existent or anonymous hearsay. The McCann case has too much of that already.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to spoil the party but Mr Murray completely destroys his speculative argument with his penultimate sentence. Please read it again. The argument is that people at the McCann level never got such special treatment, as his own experience demonstrated, but the Blair/Brown government was unlike any other.
But his sentence is a statement of the simple truth that renders mystery explanations redundant: To the media and image obsessed disfunctional Blair government - please look up Andrew Marr's May 10 2007 BBC article on google about its near-psychopathic spin and lie possessed nature - the child's disappearance pressed every fire-alarm as an unmissable opportunity demanding a huge and immediate overkill response. For show. Like every other "initiative" of that wretched administration with a void where it's beliefs should have been only show and presentation mattered.
Mr Murray is unable to quote evidence to support his claim that the FO were to "put pressure" on a sovereign European government. Until he does so his claim is not just unlikely - when did the pathetic FO last pressurise anybody? - but worthless.
As far as I'm aware Buck's job was to bustle around, look concerned, ask or bark questions and generally pretend that UK presence could help, which of course it didn't and couldn't, as such media shows never do. Ribeiro, whose word and probity I trust, said that his famous emergency meeting with Buck was neither difficult nor improper. Among its other sins Blair's mob loved to be thought capable of bullying to get their way and were no doubt pleased at any rumours of pressure; but they only bullied tiddlers, not governments.
Unless you believe Buck carried sealed orders and a poison capsule what did he actually achieve?
Nobody bothered to tell GA that Buck's presence was media posture, purely for show. Clearly GA - a sensitive guy who doesn't like being patronised - was completely pissed off with Buck and his bustling. Buck's visit was in fact a grotesque failure of diplomacy because carrying out his visibility mission left the police officer, unaware of how far media sickness had penetrated the UK, unaware also, it must be said, of the limitations on actual FO power, understandably baffled as to what Buck's mission really was. That seed of distrust - did anyone, does anyone, ever trust the Blair gang which lied about everything? - grew to include a significant part of the Portuguese population. The growing bad relations eventually became a real factor in the case. Buck himself was the original cause of it by his putting his "bustling visibility" instructions above his experience and instincts and his duty to be diplomatic, the bloody fool.
John Blacksmith @13:32
Delete"Unless you believe Buck carried sealed orders and a poison capsule what did he actually achieve?"
He managed to interfere with the investigation for one thing. Did he not intervene when the PJ attempted to acquire the McCanns clothes, saying something about 'not coming down in the last shower'?
Of course the PJ got hold of the clothes eventually - after they'd taken a tumble or two in the washer.
It's no big deal but what is it that you think his instructions were? Are you saying that he was told to ensure that evidence was destroyed? Or what?
DeleteHi John, I hope you are well.
DeleteI actually found the Craig Murray blog very enlightening. Basically it confirmed what was said in the Wiki leaks, and it also confirmed that it wasn't Kate and Gerry's sparkling personalities that won them friends and influenced people.
I'm a huge of 'The Thick of It' and Armando Ianucci, and I have no doubt his fictional Whitehall doesn't differ too much from reality!
I suspect the first person to take the call at No. 10 that night, fell for the abduction story hook, line and sinker, and by the time it was discovered to be a hoax, it was past the point of no return.
I would love to know who the McCanns and the Tapas group were so frantically calling that night, rather than go out and search for Maddie. And then in turn, who were their family and friends calling? Who, for example, turned up at the police station the next day with brand new mobile phones for the entire group?
I have long held the belief that the Blair government would have done anything to win popularity with the public. And it was the Blair government who initiated Operation Ore, and worked closely with Jim Gamble and CEOP. The fact that there is no love lost between Theresa May and Gamble, suggests Operation Grange are not following Jim's recommendations in the report he submitted to the previous government.
At some point Buck will have to answer questions. Who was he getting his orders from? He may only have been bumbling about on the sidelines, but there is no doubt that he hampered the investigation. The example of the clothes not being collected that night proved to be a huge loss for forensics. Unbelievably the grief stricken Kate did the laundry on Saturday the 5th! I found it odd that the first police dogs on the scene were given a bath towel to get Madeleine's scent. If she had been bathed and was in her pjs, her dirty clothes from that day should have been available.
In my opinion, those who interfered are guilty of perverting the course of justice. Who knows how much forensic evidence was lost by diplomats pressuring the police not to treat the parents as suspects. So much that 9 years on, this case is still considered to be a mystery.
So it was good old Bennett spreading the "do not share links" line http://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t12667-confusion-as-goncalo-amaral-supporter-asks-for-all-english-translations-of-the-truth-of-the-lie-to-be-removed-from-the-internet and where did he get his information? One of the most notrious "pro" trolls on the case. Great research Tone.
ReplyDeletesuddenly an interesting fact revealed on justice forum
ReplyDeleteMontclair
"The McCanns don't have to pay the lawyers fees for the defendents, only the court costs."
I note that several people - including Ros, are saying they will buy the book when published in English. As these people have already read the English translation for free why don't they just send the money they have already stolen from Amaral and the publishers direct to the Amaral support fund.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest the appropriate amount would be the equivalent of what the original book sold for in Portugal.
I have read the English translation, which spurred me on to donate to Goncalo's fund as I'm sure most people who read it also did. Had it not been for the English translation, most of us wouldn't have had a proper understanding of the case, so it's actually benefited us and Goncalo Amaral.
Delete@ Anonymous22 April 2016 at 22:31
Deletefascinating as you story is - you stole from Amaral and his publishers by reading the book online.
What you did years later is irrelevant.
You conscience is not clear - you did not buy the original book that was published in Portuguese.
In that case I shall employ a government spokesperson to categorically deny any wrong doing on my part even though it's blatantly obvious a crime has been committed.
DeleteDo behave 00:11, you know darn well, we couldn't buy Goncalo's book because of the McCanns' legal actions. Happily for Goncalo we are now all looking forward to buying the next edition of The Truth of Lie, unlike Kate's book, as a writer he has left us wanting more.
DeleteJohn Blacksmith @17:18
ReplyDelete"Are you saying that he was told to ensure that evidence was destroyed?"
No, I am not.
"Or what?"
Presumably he was acting on his '"bustling visibility" instructions', as outlined here:
http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2009/03/mccann-case-freedom-of-information-act.html
My phrase "bustling visibility" referred to the Labour government seizing on what remains the number one twenty first century news story and instructing the ambassador to give every assistance to the pair and to be seen to be doing so. I maintain that this was completely correct and above board, even if it was the action of a weak, ineffectual and PR obsessed government and even though it eventually played into the McCanns' hands. M/S Morais and other Portuguese with obsessions about secret British power over poor, helpless, Portugal believes, as GA appears to have done for a time, that this assistance was really because the couple had secret importance and were being given protection.
DeleteThe latter explanation requires all the paranoid unsourced rumours quoted in Murray (many deriving from the crook D.Levy whose existence Murray seems blissfully unaware of.) My explanation requires only the known facts and the public statements of Ribeiro, together with the belief that GA was, in this case, over-suspicious.
If solid evidence of something else comes out then I'll change my mind. Until then I prefer to believe public servants like Ribeiro to Levy or to the largely unsourced blogs of M/S Morais. As for quoting the Express as a "source". you are kidding aren't you?
John Blacksmith 24.4 @19:02
Delete"As for quoting the Express as a "source". you are kidding aren't you?"
I wasn't aware that I had.
"Portugal believes, as GA appears to have done for a time, that this assistance was really because the couple had secret importance and were being given protection."
There would appear to be those who still do so, as voiced on Portuguese TV quite recently.
Personally, I do not believe the McCanns themselves were (or are) of particular importance. There is however a raft of historical 'leger de main' in this case which suggests that, whatever the government's initial motives, their subsequent behaviour has been improper, not in terms of its public face or official announcements necessarily, but with respect to activities behind the scenes.
Whether one derides conspiracy theories or not, seemingly unimportant anomalies deserve an explanation, such as how Gerry McCann was able to put in a spontaneous call to extradition lawyers and benefit from their advice - on a Saturday.
That you should prefer to 'believe public servants like Ribeiro to Levy or to the largely unsourced blogs of M/S Morais' is your prerogative entirely. Unfortunately they are not all 'like Ribeiro' are they?
Sharples/Blacksmith your contempt for anything Portuguese is deplorable, that you resort to use the 'comments page' on someone else's blog to make denigratory comments about the Portuguese that don't suit your agenda or to insult me is the act of an ignoble coward.
DeleteJoana Morais @08:39
DeleteI think we'd all prefer to believe that those in 'Public Office' necessarily see themselves as public servants - it's reassuring. It allows us to concentrate on the more mundane acts of survival we daily have to engage in.
The vindictive acts of subterfuge and personal attack we often see played out in the sordid underworld that is the Internet are understandable in the context of its being populated by 'trolls', 'shills' and goodness knows what other species besides. Not HUMAN nature, surely?
Unfortunately life 'above ground' is far more dirty, and far more dangerous, than a 'keyboard warrior's' insults.
According to the Met. Police there remains but 'one line of inquiry' in the McCann case.
Therein lies the acid test. Once that 'line of inquiry' is made public we will all see exactly how the die was cast.
Either the McCanns will be exposed at the core of DCI Redwood's 'onion' or, as I personally believe, the investigation into the crime of abduction, the crime that was NOT committed in May 2007, will have reached a dead end.
12:34 I am currently enjoying a particularly fine example of God's little green apples and your post reads like poetry in motion! I like your style :)
DeleteRegarding your final thoughts there, that all depends on whether they have stuck to the letter, that is 'investigate the abduction as if it occurred in the UK' iirc.
Operation Grange must give a final statement when the investigation is closed. I'm not sure a 'dead end' will be a good enough explanation. There either was, or wasn't, an abductor. If there was an abductor, they are leaving other children at risk and the parents in exactly the same position a they were 5 years ago. And it cost £12m of taxpayers money to do so. The world is waiting for answers, a dead end will lead to further and more intrusive speculation - the last thing a cover up needs.
In addition, 30+ homicide detectives and 4+ years on ONE missing child is ridiculously disproportionate. And it was clear that Sir Bernard HH was struggling to explain what OG have been doing all these years. He describes a room full of documents and files, (approx. 50% from Tony Bennett)that the Officers had to plough through - as though every loony and planted sighting and lead were followed through to conclusion. More fool them if that's what they have been doing for nearly 5 years, but what an appalling waste of public money!
The police are not looking good right now and as the public read the finer details of the Hillsborough cover up, their reputation will plummet even further. This may be working in the McCanns' favour, but equally, whilst there is little left to lose, they might as well throw the Madeleine case into the mix and get it over with.
Anyway, many thanks for contributing your eloquent prose, interesting times ahead methinks.
Oops I was of course being metaphorical with 'little green apples'. I'm not a fan of cider lol, I like tea in dainty china cups :)
DeleteI support the Mccanns in their pursuit to find out what happened to Madeleine.
ReplyDeleteIs it a problem to post that on here?
Not at all 22:31, I welcome alternate opinions, thank you for contributing :)
DeleteI support the Mccanns in their pursuit to find themselves in an ultimately impossible position due to lies and deception.
ReplyDeleteBjorn/Sweden
DeleteDear Anonymous 23:34
The McCanns suffer because they left their three children alone in a dark room, late in the evening, in a strange country, with all doors unlocked (ref. their changed witness statements in the P J files), apparently with the intention of not bother to watch physically on their eldest daughter for at least one hour and a half, that is from 21H05 to 22H30 according to their praxis on that vacation, but as the door “smashed shut” on Kate’s “listening -from- behind” watch around 22H00, she discovered, earlier than she otherwise would have done, that Madeleine was gone, which otherwise could have been around 23H00, or even later.
If they are innocent, this is the reason as to why they find themselves in an awkward situation. Further on, there is no evidence of an abduction and there may be insufficient evidence of the McCann’s involvement to say that they are guilty. So if it is a lie to say that the McCanns are guilty, it is just as much a lie to say that there is an abductor on the loose somewhere, which, I assume you must think, yet having no evidence supporting what you believe in. Or do you?
Bjorn again
DeleteSorry, Dear 0024
I think I completely failed to return your sophisticated linguistic smash. You really deserve game, set and match.
I meant I fully support the McCanns backing themselves into a corner from which there will be no escape. Have another look at my post Bjorn and you may see it a different way - and I hope you still keep up with the tennis these days. You were the best.
ReplyDeleteBjorn/Sweden
ReplyDeleteRe; John Stalker
In an article in Sunday Express on the 28th of October 2007, six month after Madeleine’s disappearance, which apparently is very much discussed today, John Stalker says;
“I have a real suspicion that we are not being told the whole truth. There is something else there, some issue that members of the party are embarrassed about….Unlike other high-profile cases I have worked on, not one of them has been prepared to break ranks or really come out and support each other."
He then really pointed to the sore point of the Madeleine case, which the S Y later, for some reason, ignored. Naturally the case has not progressed an inch since then. Stalker had at least a notion about what this could be about, but Andy Redwood had no idea about how to proceed a few years later.
Nine years later, the tapas 7 are still quiet, trying to displace themselves from the McCanns and from what happened to Madeleine. Yet, Stalker believed in a stranger abduction, which seems rather odd to me. If this would be the case, what could it then be, that still makes the McCanns’ friends feel so embarrassed and ashemed, that they do not want to talk so much about what happened on May 3rd 2007 in PDL. If none among them is implicated in Madeleine’s disappearance, kidnapping, accidental death or murder, why then this low profile after all these years. After all, this cannot be about “staying friends”, but about justice for a little girl, who hadn’t got one single friend, who could protect her, while she was still alive.
If the McCanns’ friends really had wished this crime case to be solved, they would have tried to be on the front pages of every British newspaper all those years. On the contrary, they are not, and has never been, on social media. What about Dr Payne, who acted like a protective father figure for Kate, preventing intrusive people in the morning after the dreadfull night, from asking her awkward questions. Where is he now? And how is Jane Tanner nowadays? Does she still dream about the faceless kidnapper, that she gave such an extraordinary detailed description of a few days after Madeleine had gone missing? I’m just being curious.
Hi Bjorn, yes, it certainly does seem as if the tapas friends have deserved Kate and Gerry. They have been strangely quiet for 8 years. Oh, apart from turning up at the Royal Courts of Justice to get a huge payout.
DeleteSo too the 'proactive' family, the best buddies, the priests and the bridesmaids. All happy to rush to the parents aid in Sunny Portugal, but notable by their absence now. The family especially, all so enthusiastic to give interviews to the press filling gaps in the dedicated McCann Sky news channel at the drop of a hat. Grannies, Grandads, Uncles, Aunts, and keyboard warrior Philomena. Aunty Phil's first cyber chainmail went viral within 48 hours - if you don't pass this on, you will all die, or something like that. I suspect Aunty Phil and Aunty Trish are probably still busy little bees, but they'd rather no-one knew about it.
The McCann supporters fear of their identities being exposed is bizarre. The facebook page is run by a nameless, faceless 'Webmaster' - Why? The anonymous trolls on twitter, run for the hills when asked who they are. Again why?
Why are they not proud of protecting this family, who they say are grieving? Isn't that an honourable thing to do? Kate and Gerry could do with some support right now, in the shape of real people who are proud to stand side by side with the parents. If someone I loved were being unfairly crucified by the press and public, I would rush to their aid, in my own name!
I suspect none of the tapas group have spoken for fear of compromising the abduction story. It was bad enough having Kate and Gerry contradicting themselves and each other, lol. However, their lives can be far from contented. They are in it up to their necks and must be living in permanent fear of that knock on the door. Jane Tanner especially. Her lies not only perverted the course of justice, but it has cost the taxpayers millions, both her and in Portugal.
Actually, perhaps I am being a bit unfair on Jane, she probably got the short straw because she had the least to lose. She wasn't a doctor. They have all played their part in creating this huge web of deceit. It began with them, it must end with them. The scale of the crime and the number of years it has dragged on due to their lack of co-operation, should be taken into account when it comes to the sentencing.
Having said all that, I actually do feel a bit sad for Kate and Gerry, they appear to be deserted. No-one is speaking on their behalf other than a paid spokesman, a couple of dumbass journalists, and a handful of criminally psychopathic trolls on twitter, who appear to have more than a vested interest in the outcome of this case.
If they had the kind of support they claim, their supporters would be rallying around and coming up with ways to deal with this latest disaster. In 2007, the family pledged to sell their homes and do whatever it takes. Well now's their chance.
Operation Grange have got the King and Queen in check. They can't fundraise while the investigation is still live. And if they attempt to raise funds for a futile libel case that has been going on for years, they won't get a bean.
I suspect that the Fund is down its bones. The McCanns have been spending like lottery winners for the past 9 years. Despite all the millions they received in 2007/8, by November 2010, they were back on our TVs asking for donations. At their spending rate, the royalties from the book would only have lasted a matter of months. The McCanns were employing the best that money could buy, in the lawyer and PR stakes, and the most incompetent pretendy detectives for the pretendy 'search'.
Strange animal, the British Press. It will fight tooth and nail to print a ' Celebrity Threesome ' story but when it comes to a 'McCann' in depth review, it stays oddly quiet.
ReplyDeleteI wish they'd furnish us with more info about that celebrity threesome
DeleteI think the main man has become a Victim Of Love because of this. He should have stayed A Single Man.
Delete17:43 Ain't that the truth! :)
Delete21:11 Ah, that celebrity threesome! Yet again proving, the more you try to hide something, the more people want to know what you are hiding!
DeleteRos - you have made a very strange tweet today:
ReplyDelete"Cristobell Author @RosalindaHu 6h6 hours ago
@walkercan1000 @K9Truth they destroyed my reputation and writing career, I won't stop til the truth is exposed."
Unless someone close to you revealed information that no-one else knew then how can anybody online have destroyed your reputation.
Anyone online would only know the information that you posted in public for everyone to see.
I was labelled a pitchforker and hater 19:07, when my book came out in 2011, every door was slammed in my face. No newspaper or magazine would touch it.
DeleteThose who know me, know that I couldn't give two hoots about any indiscretions I have may have from the past (and hope to have in the future ;) ). I liked to drink, I like to take drugs and I loved to party. I make no apologies, and if I had my time over again, I would probably do a bit more of it.
But I also worked hard. For nearly 30 years I worked as a legal secretary, and being on my own with two kids, I sometimes did two jobs. 9 to 5 locally, then 6.30pm til midnight in central London.
The Dossier handed to the police by the McCann family had over 100 pages on me! They have accused me of lying about St. Anne's Convent - not seeming able to understand that if you move a predatory, sadistic, paedophile into a home with 12 vulnerable children, it is anything but a safe environment.
Since the trial in 2010, I am back in contact with many of my childhood friends, there is bond between us that makes us siblings in all but name. They remember everything I do, and more. In fact, many have said I left much of the horror out. And I did, I only detailed what I saw and experienced first hand. Not being an orphan, I got off lightly, and I stressed that my book.
The 100 pages contained in the Dossier, which was online for years prior to the death of Brenda Leyland, was a complete character assassination. They had nothing tangible to throw at me, exposing my week smoking simply made me giggle. And yes, shock horror, I have taken cocaine in the past, and on occasion, with some very illustrious people! I have also dwunk and dwunk until I was sick. Again - no shame, only the occasional wtf was I thinking.
Now I know all that would rule me if I were to apply for a priesthood or a place in the McCann social circle, but do you know, I don't care. As Groucho said, I wouldn't want to a member of any club that would have me.
You say I destroyed my own reputation. Well hardly, many writers are old reprobates, it's a very peculiar condition, and one that editors and publishers are more than used to.
However, being accused of trolling and stalking a grieving family is a whole other kettle of fish. I have never trolled in my life! And as for stalking, I am by my own admission, way too self obsessed to stalk anyone!
Besides which, I am one of the very few McCann commentators calling for compassion and humanity. Crime and punishment is not my thing, understanding human behaviour is.
The 'Dossier' was a blacklist. The McCann supporters proudly boasted that they contacted non believers employers, especially if they worked within the NHS, and in my case they contacted my publishers.
What was the Blacklist for, if not to ruin people's reputations?
fascinating that your reply is. It does not answer my question - and to be honest - is load of bollocks.
DeleteDid someone close to you reveal all - or was it all from what you posted online?
Ros asks - "What was the Blacklist for, if not to ruin people's reputations?"
Deletewhat was the black;ist compiled from apart from online open, public comments that you made? or is there something deeper?
Is that your defence 23:18?
DeleteIt was a lot more than that as you will know, it was hastily 'shredded' after Brenda Leyland's death. Yes it consisted of 'everything' I posted anywhere on social media. Within seconds a post in a forum or a tweet were c/p and being distorted by a gang of hackling banshees. Parts of my texts were taken out of context and were being deliberately mis-interpreted to make me appear as if I were a 'hater/pitchforker'.
That you were following me 24/7 and c/p EVERYTHING I wrote on social media is creepy in itself. Whatever it was you looking for, you were never able to find so in yer face!
The dossier claimed I was mentally unstable and should not be allowed to blog! (that should wipe out most of us, tbh, tee hee). It was filled with constant references to my need for medication and a straight jacket.
In one bizarre accusation, I was accused of producing snuff films! As someone with a crippling fear of violence, I can't even watch PG films without a pillow handy!
Hundreds, if not thousands, of people saw and kept copies of that that dossier 23:18, it was clearly an organised smear campaign.
I don't have any deep dark secrets, if that is what you are hinting at. My life is an open book, and I shall unashamedly have Edith Piaf belting out No, Je ne regrette rien when I pop my clogs. And maybe Honky Tonk Angels by Kitty Kelly for all my honky tonk angel friends. :)
DeleteI love your comments lol
ReplyDeleteThe ones who don't seem to like you very much come across as very bitter & twisted, probably jealous that you can air your views without having to hide
Always thought it should be those who supported the good guys that wouldn't feel the need to hide their identity?
1matthewwright1
We have a hero in Goncalo Amaral because we will not find a hero in the quagmire of filth that is the british government/establishment, nor will we find one in scotland yard they are mere soldiers of the establishment who have sold their souls for the aquisition of a monthly pay packet and worries about loosing their pension. All this at the cost of truth and justice for Madeleine and other people now dead, who have been dragged into the coven mccann, yes Goncalo is a hero alright he is the only one I would trust.
ReplyDeleteUtter waffle. 99.9% of SY officers and MI5 officers: hard-working, well qualified, law-abiding, effective, humble, and doing their best to protect their country, citizens and justice in their country.
DeleteGoncalo Amaral - hard-working, smart, but has pushed the boundaries of the law and beyond. Sought to profit from the case. Been put through an horrific time by the McCanns. Let's not hold him up as Jesus...
--
Check my predictions above. Number one coming soon. Keep your eyes peeled and remember this is a PORTUGUESE investigation.
Gadfly
I AM SPARTACUS SMITH THE AMARAL DONER - THE END IS NIGH
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is, if you have made a kebab out of Goncalo.
DeleteIam Spartacus.I don't need to shout and Iam a donor to Mr Amaral's fund.
DeleteKeep up the brilliant work Ros.xx
While the majority of lower rank police officers are honest, they are also subservient to the higher ranks.
ReplyDeleteThey have to be, step out of line and your career is over, even when you know that things are wrong, stay silent.
Hillsborough is a prime example.
So when the lower ranks of the Leicestershire Police knew they were operating illegally in Portugal on Saturday 5th May, why did they do it
Obviously they were operating under orders from above, but who authorised this activity and why? Who sanctioned their flights and expenses?
Is this the line of enquiry OG is pursuing? if not, it should be.
If there are decent officers in the Leicestershire and Met police do the right thing and tell the truth, why cover up for a bunch of 'tossers' at the top.
The truth will come out, the days of secrecy are over ask Superintendent Duckenfield.
From recall, there was a grant to the LP of about £1m (may have been more) to cover the extra expenses the local force spent. Again from memory an officer fluent in Portuguese was sent from the MET to assist the LP. I'm sorry I can't bring links to the information, but it's how I remember it all.
DeleteCertainly a lot of water under the bridge, but whether the LP assisted as much as they could remains open, call me 'Stu Prior' was hardly proactive in securing the participation of the witnesses in the re-enactment (read the communications, on file). Equally one has to consider the Gaspars statements as being 'tardy' in the submission to the investigation. And I did read one part of LPs submission background check, that Mrs McCann\Dr Healey was on maternity leave. Being picky ... well think of the consequences of that one snippet.
Was spade and groundwork 100% from the UK side of the investigation, i.e. the LP. But they certainly held their begging bowl out to central government for a topping up of un-expected expenditure.
So, I would say that the LP assisted, as would be expected but did they go the extra mile, who knows. But they certainly stepped up to the mark when TM sought judgement for the return of certain files containing information.
We will all be here this time next year. Nothing will change.
It is impossible not to compare this case with the Hillsborough cover up. There was a blip on Channel 5 news last night, while the words dead and cover up were being used in relation to Hillsborough, the screen showed a picture of Madeleine McCann! Spooky eh?
ReplyDeleteSadly, the words 'I was only following orders' will be a main feature as each layer is uncovered, but such is life it will probably result in all the blame falling on a lowly filing clerk or secretary.
The signed statements of the Leicester police who attended PDL to assist the McCanns are beyond bizarre, each states they noticed nothing unusual about the parents' behaviour! And they give the Portuguese police nothing that would assist their investigation. Why were they being so unhelpful? Were they following orders? I don't want to condemn them too much, because they may have said more in the files that weren't released to the public, but time will tell.
I don't know how anyone could have observed the ever expanding and exuberant McCann holiday party in sunny PDL for 3 months, without becoming suspicious. Including the presence of a paid UK government representative who enjoyed the holiday facilities for 2 months at taxpayer's expense!
I take heart from the generous donation to Goncalo Amaral's appeal fund, by the group of Met Police who wanted it to be known that they were standing by a fellow Officer. It makes the chances of a cover up by Operation Grange very unlikely, there would be whistleblowers.
That there has been no whistleblowing thus far is a good sign. Fundamentally this case is about the victim Madeleine. And the officers involved are human beings, they are Dads, Mums, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles and covering up a child's death is as distasteful to them as it is to the rest of us. Probably more so, because as homicide detectives they will have seen first hand the grim reality of a young life cut short.
I think the 'one line of enquiry' is a shot across Team McCann's bows. They have exhausted every lead and still there is no abductor. No predator loose on the Algarve, no burglary gone wrong. Every sex offender has been accounted for and every lead has been followed.
If there is a paedophile ring or human trafficking network operating in Europe, then in packing up the files, Operation Grange would not only be abandoning Maddie, they would be abandoning all their future victims. So I think we can rule that out too.
Team McCann are extremely perturbed by this 'one line of enquiry' statement, so much so that they believe it has been planted by the 'antis'. The McCanns are clearly not in the loop, they seem to know as much about OG as the rest of us. No wonder Gerry looked so stressed.
They were serving, mid rank Leics Police officers. So they must have known meeting with the Mccanns in a foreign country, where they had no jurisdiction whatsoever, without the authority or knowledge of the Portuguese Police, was at the very least underhanded and deceitful and at worst illegal and criminal.
DeleteFollowing orders they undoubtedly were, but whose orders and why is the question.
When I first watched the Crimewatch special on the McCann case, I remarked to my wife that DCI Redwood seemed to keeping his distance from the McCanns. After watching it again on you tube I again felt that DCI Redwood was deliberately keeping space between himself and the McCanns. I'm not going to say they are guilty as I believe you are innocent until proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt by a jury of your peers. However I don't like the way that they try to close down legitimate questions that either contradicts their version of events or dares to accuse them of the crime itself. I believe that DCI Redwood is an honourable and dedicated police officer and is no doubt got his own opinions but hampered through lack of evidence, praying that the breakthrough will come one day.
DeleteWhen I first watched the Crimewatch special on the McCann case, I remarked to my wife that DCI Redwood seemed to keeping his distance from the McCanns. After watching it again on you tube I again felt that DCI Redwood was deliberately keeping space between himself and the McCanns. I'm not going to say they are guilty as I believe you are innocent until proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt by a jury of your peers. However I don't like the way that they try to close down legitimate questions that either contradicts their version of events or dares to accuse them of the crime itself. I believe that DCI Redwood is an honourable and dedicated police officer and is no doubt got his own opinions but hampered through lack of evidence, praying that the breakthrough will come one day.
DeleteCould it be to do with Murat's driveway?
ReplyDeleteMaybe the 'one line of enquiry' remaining is very close to home? Maybe the last field of investigation should have been the first? Maybe the McCanns and the Tapas Crew are about to be interrogated properly...................finally!
ReplyDeleteBjorn/Sweden
ReplyDeleteWith reference to what sign JJ says about the Leicestershire Police, I have a few words to say. I don't have much confidence in them, though I believe, as many of you including Rosalinda, that the case will be solved.
The Met/Leicestershire Police have sabotaged the Portuguese investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine. Here is just one little hoax among a number of other examples, that I have seen and which is easy to reveal.
One of at least two photos of a farmer’s girl in Morocco in 2007, “believed” to be Madeleine, allegedly taken by the Spanish tourist Clara Torres, was withheld some time by British authorities (the Met or the Leicestershire Police ), assisted by Clarence Mitchell of course. The withheld photo was the one that later appeared and clearly showed that the girl was not Madeleine. The other one, which experts within Interpol were using face-mapping technology to analyse, was blurry or blurred. The two photos were taken at the same occasion within just a few seconds. This hoax came about when the McCanns were under suspicion, in order to sabotage the Portuguese investigation. If the British authorities were fooled by Mitchell or by the tourist in question, who took the photos, they must have realised that as soon as the photo, in which this little Moroccan girl could easily be identified, appeared. The Met/Leicestershire Police/the Interpol have never accused Mitchel or Clara Torres for having tried to mislead the Portuguese investigation or sabotage the search for Madeleine, simply because they are all playing in the same team.
Hi Bjorn, ahh yes, the little girl in Morocco, dreadful to have used that poor family in that way, those people were completely without morals and scruples.
ReplyDeleteNot forgetting of course the criminal profilers who pointed the finger at Robert Murat. The anonymous tip off, then Lori Campbell, and a load of malicious and nonsense stories about him. Including of course, the 3 members of the tapas group, who suddenly remembered seeing him on the night, and the ever helpful Jane Tanner recognising him as the man she saw carrying a child away.
But the question of course will be, how many officials from the British government interfered? And did their interference constitute perverting the course of justice? Nine years and still no justice for the victim, so it has to be a resounding Yes. Will there be any prosecutions? I guess we will have to see what happens with Hillsborough.
It's good to see that some of the people who donated to the GoFundMe for Amaral are having the opportunity to put their point of view to the Daily Mail. Of course that is if twitter etc is true!
ReplyDeleteUltimately the head of OG is HoganHowe.
ReplyDeleteHis first 20 policing years were spent at South Yorkshire police where he rose through the ranks and was indoctrinated in their lying deceitful ways.
By the time of Hillsborough he was an Inspector, he admits he knew of the altering of police statements but did nothing and continued to keep quiet for the next 27 years.
The establishment obviously have a sense of humour as he was promoted to Chief Constable Mersyside where he met with the Hillsborough families many times and could have done much to shorten their suffering by speaking out but did nothing.
Did he attend the Mccanns balloon launch? It is unclear because so much has swashed from media accounts.(media police collusion?) Eventually he gets the number one Police job as Met Commissioner, appointed by Theresa May, a knighthood and Police Medal too.
So we have a man who helped pervert the course of justice over Hillsborough, now overall boss of OG and people still think its an honest enquiry.
Why is the man still in his job?
So much sanctimonious crap in Parliament this week but we, the people deserve better. The Hillsborough families deserve better and Madeleine McCann deserves better.
A few retired mid ranking cops will fall under the bus for Hillsborough, but no one else. How many past Home Secretaries, Government Ministers, Chief Constables and senior oficers in all forces have known and done nothing.
What will happen to them, nothing except to receive knighthoods and massive pensions.
We all know the Mccann case is a pack of lies so why do we do expect the same establishment bunch of liars to do anything to find the truth?
It is not in their DNA.
The Mccanns have no power, they are just pawns in a game where in the first hours politicians made hasty decisions and then could not bring themselves to admit to bad judgment and being wrong,and just like Hillsbrough the cover up escalated and continues to this day.
Wow, that was a big wake up call JJ!
ReplyDeleteAnd there's nothing there I can disagree with. With memories of the Hogan Howe balloon launch, it is hard to imagine Sir Bernard pursuing the parents. And in his most recent statement, he wants to find Madeleine alive, and if she is dead, bring comfort to her family. It certainly sounded as if the police were working on the McCanns' behalf.
Whilst I agree Operation Grange looks as though it is an establishment cover up, the grey, strained face of Gerry McCann in that recent video said the opposite. Ditto the prolonged absence of the parents from our TV screens.
When they had full 'protection', the McCanns were confident and ebullient - see Expresso interview - the rapid ageing started shortly after the Review was granted.
Sir Bernard may well be under scrutiny now with Hillsborough. And the Hillsborough families have a tidal wave of public support behind them - even the right wingers on BBCQT last night had to acknowledge the lies and the cover up. Andy Burnham stated they will be pressing for prosecutions and it looks as though he will have support from both sides of the House.
I'm puzzled by Theresa May, she was quick enough to accept the resignation of Jim Gamble, yet Sir Bernard thrives. Bizarre.
Bjorn/Sweden
ReplyDeleteHello Rosalinda and thanks JJ for yr info about Hogan-Howe
As far as I know, the mission given to the Met by Home Secretary Theresa May in 2011was apparently not to sort out all the mysterious circumstances around the disappearance of Madeleine, but to help the McCanns to search for their ”abducted” child. Before that, in 2007, it was all about bringing Madeleine home for X-mas, never about helping the Portuguese P J to investigate the McCanns. The only thing the Leicestershire Police did was to ask the McCanns and their friends questions, that the P J could not do, because all of them refused to go back to Portugal.
When Sir Bernard today says, that, ”there is a line of inquiry that remains to be concluded and it's expected in the coming months that will happen (broadcast by LBC radio, April 26, 2016, according to Joana Morais transcripts), he must be talking about yet another, hopefully the last, among hundreds of innocent ”suspects”, named by team “McCann” and others, who is now about to be ruled out as well. Did not Sir Bernard complain a year ago about the absurdity in looking for the “shadow man”, who snatched Madeleine, yet he has been looking for a ghost child for almost 5 years and still does so. Sir Bernard speaks in riddles and with forked tongue, but cannot add any useful information or findings to what we already know about the case. Isn’t it very unclear, to say the least, what the role of the Met is going to be in the future? Will the British version of the investigation be closed or will it be kept open with a few officers sitting and waiting for calls about new ”hot leads” or ”reliable sightings” of Madeleine?
Hi Bjorn, interesting question. What will the roll of the Met be in the future? Actually I'd add another one, what was the point of Operation Grange? Portugal has primacy, any trial must take place there.
DeleteIn the list of jobs done, Sir Bernard HH, states they have investigated 60 persons of interest and taken over 1,300 statements. That's pretty impressive, especially if the POI were non British, because as far I know, none of the English officers speak Portuguese. 1,300 statements in a foreign language - wow.
Who are going Scotland Yard going to prosecute? And of course, where? Can the UK's police simply scoop up foreign nationals and drop them in the Old Bailey?
It is impossible to believe that Operation Grange are investigating the Algarve's petty criminals. Imagine sticking half a dozen non English speaking PJ in an East End pub to see how many burglars they could apprehend.
It should really be as plain as the noses on our faces that the British cops are investigating British subjects.
But we can't believe that, because we have seen so much deceit in this case, from our government, from our MSM and from our police, that no-one knows what to believe.
I think all this burglar nonsense is coming from a desperate Team McCann who are looking for damage limitation following their loss to Goncalo Amaral. As we all know 'The Truth about the Lie' is what the McCanns have feared the most, and now it is freely available. What a shame this victory for Freedom of Speech hasn't yet been picked up by the mainstream, but it will be. As the truth unravels, the ways in which it was supressed in this case will undoubtedly be examined. There may even be calls for a Public Inquiry, let's hope so.
One may smile and smile yet be a villain! Let Justice be done or thy heavens fall ... the Mcanns are dishonest people who know the truth. What is available in the public domain is incredibly damaging to the Mcanns and their defensive position makes them look guilty as sin - they need to fire their advisers forthwith! What is not available in the public domain? expose them for who they really are. At the very least they should face criminal charges for neglect. There needs to be a completely impartial look at all the evidence, in particular the findings of those springers, never wrong .... ever!
ReplyDeleteI think it's the unspoken narrative which colours everything that emanates from the mainstream media pertaining to the disappearance of Madeleine Mccann that irritates me the most, that is: 'how dare you question the McCann's integrity? They are white, middle class doctors!"
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