IS IT RIGHT/WRONG TO DISCUSS THE CASE OF MISSING MADELEINE?

The One Million mark for me, has been a time for reflection, and a time I think, in which to explain how my blog began and why I am still here. 

In 2010, I had the offer I have dreamed of since childhood, a book deal with a major publisher!  My dreams of a bestseller however, were crushed.  For many reasons, tis true, it was the wrong time, it broke the Misery Memoir genre (not miserable) and my name was absolute filth on the internet.  No-one would review it, and no-one would publicise it. No-one would connect their name to it.

There were also a number of dedicated sites such as 'The Lies of Rosalinda Hutton' and hundreds of pages devoted to my 'imagined' life as a Hater in their notorious death dossier and they trashed my books on Amazon. They had great fun discussing my mental health issues, urging me to take my meds, and rolling on the floor laughing when they pushed me to the edge.  All tastefully accompanied by eating popcorn emojis. 

But I'm no victim - as if!  I get knocked down, I get back up again (among, my funeral songs), I've never had the resources to launch legal battles, and I wouldn't if I could.  Listening to barristers hurling references from ancient books at each other, is an experience I never want to have again, in this life or the next. 

I do however, care very much about the legacy I leave, almost as much as I care about my kids.  I don't want to be remembered as that evil woman online who tormented a grieving family.  I will put my hands up to every crazy thing I have done in my life, but I have never been malicious.  The words of my beloved Dad are always with me. 'Never hurt someone just because you can'. 

For me, commenting negatively on the Madeleine case was a real crisis of conscience.  I could not forgive myself if I added to the McCanns pain if they were innocent.  I didn't comment negatively, until I had passed my own, very strict criteria, of 'beyond reasonable doubt'.  And even once I did, I stuck within my own self inflicted moral codes, those that allow me to sleep well.  I don't libel anyone, I don't accuse anyone and I try my best to steer 'antis' away from hysteria.  I know the power of words, as Maya Angelou said much better than I, it's the way you make people FEEL. 

The words Honesty and Integrity too, have served me well.  In one of the first writing classes I attended, the lecturer (thanks Mike), wrote them in large letters on the blackboard (yes it was that long ago). You can use writing a memoir as 'payback' for example - but why would you?  When it can so easily be used as a basis for reconciliation.

But I want to use the Million mark, to thank all those readers who have stuck with me, many of whom go back over the years and with whom I share fond (and crazy) memories.  It's been a roller coaster ride.  My blog is as it is. Nothing planned.  As an ageing hippy chick, I can't complete a daily 'to do' list let alone a life plan - I accidently wrote New Year's Resolutions on the last whiteboard I had in permanent ink, by March it was driving me demented.

Whether we should or shouldn't discuss the case of missing Madeleine McCann is a dilemma we all face from time to time, I'm sure.  On the surface, it seems ghoulish, dig deeper, and it seems judgemental and a class issue.  You can see why no MP wants to bring the subject up.  Those hurling rocks at Gerry and Kate, are chavs and Sun readers, the educated elite wouldn't dream of being so crass as to suspect, two middle class doctors of disposing of their child's body. 

That isn't true of coursse, as the exposure of poor Brenda Leyland revealed, disbelieving the McCann's abduction story is not restricted to the Council estates and the travellers' sites.  Not believing the McCanns, crosses every class, and educational level.  Saying it out loud however, is another matter.  It is still politically incorrect and can destroy a journalist's or blogger's career in seconds.

Any 'sane' person in my position would have stopped commenting on the McCann case, as soon as the backlash began.   I didn't of course. Unfortunately, their attacks brought back that outraged little 5 year old, who refused to accept any form of injustice!  I was the only girl in the boy scout pack for example.  My instinct was to fight back, my dear old dad would have said, for heaven's sake don't follow your instincts, but I probably wouldn't have listened to him.  Much of his wisdom, didn't kick in until many years later. Doh!  That I followed my instincts, should make it absolutely clear that I wasn't in it for the money. 

Speaking of the wise.  I once watched a documentary about the fighter pilots horrifically injured in WWII.  They were a terrific bunch, brave beyond compare, and even in the face of all they had suffered, they were still having a giggle at the funny side.  Their Treasurer for example had no legs, they said with mischievous grins.  One particularly outspoken old gent recalled his days flying out to protect Britain's shores. 'The cheek of it!', he said, with such force, the handlebars on his moustache flew upwards.  I found myself applauding and saying 'here, here' or is it 'hear hear', as his words and the way in which he said them became a permanent fixture in my brain! 

The cheek of it!  How dare these people think they can destroy my childhood dream.  Now, I can hear my feisty mum, shouting 'here, here'.  My blog, I hope, has gone some way to repairing the damage caused to my name by my links to this case.  That is, those who take the time and trouble, can see for themselves, that this is not a hate site filled with malcontents abusing the McCann family. 

But should we discuss the details of such a high profile crime on social media? And the most likely answer is, most of us do feel uncomfortable with it, and are very aware that it affects real people, including children.  But it should be clear by now, that 99% of my posters, observe their own high moral code and are considerate in their replies. 

Against that, people are being hurt by the deception that is being put out, and having children, should not make public figures immune from criticism.  The idea is absurd.   Common decency tells us that families, and kids in particular, should never be stalked and harassed, but they shouldn't be held up as human shields.  And they shouldn't be used to prevent the public from discussing the validity of the abduction story.  Particularly, as Gerry and Kate have historically always called on the public to help find their daughter.   

I regularly question myself on the morality of what I am doing here.  I don't need Judges, censors or lawyers from Carter Ruck, I torture myself enough already.  Ultimately, I feel I have no option but to continue.  I have to get past the 'bad name' label that has blighted every area of my life. 

I know for example, that should I publish a book, which I am going to within the next few months, hopefully by Christmas, it will immediately be trashed on Amazon.  However, as I mentioned above, I am not a victim, and I believe just as much as I did at 8 years old, that I was going to write a seminal book!  And I believe talen will always find a way.  Tis true, I didn't think it would take this long to find the right formula, but there you go. 

If I am ever to fulfil my dreams, a cottage where I can hear the sea, a bright yellow noddy car, a country kitchen where I can make cherry pies for my platonic friend Big Ears,  I will have to get my head down.  I would also have a crazy mutt, or several,  the kind of dejected looking oldies who appreciate being pampered and won't criticise my pastry or give me zero points for my hostessing skills.  Dogs are great - even if you throw 'the fecking pie' at them, they are not offended, in fact, they come back for more.  To my readers of old, I haven't entirely given up on the idea of a beach hut in Cuba and a toenail painting, guitar strumming Rastafarian, but now I am considering all the dangers of a swinging hammock - I fear it would play havoc with my arthritis.

But before I go book a flight to Cuba, or go visit a local dog Rescue, I am committed to clearing my name.  I know that my blog is read by many, including the educated elite, and I hope that when this case reaches it's conclusion, both my real name and my pen name will no longer be taboo. 

Meanwhile, the million mark has emboldened me to have another go at publishing a book online, this time, in my favourite genre, comedy.  Beneath this serious, academic, exterior (yeh, I know), lies the crazy, wise cracking spirit of my deceased (and hilariously funny), mad Irish mother.  At the moment she passed, I felt her character take over mine, like a Queen passing her crown on to her heirs, I got all her gags.  In my mum's lifetime, I didn't mimic her elaborate body language, her booming 'royal voice', or urges to cause mischief, because it would have felt disrespectful.  But she when she passed, she gave me a shove, a sort of have as much fun with them as I did, wink, wink.   

But I have probably given enough away about where my book will be coming from.  Suffice to say, it will have nothing whatsoever to do with the Madeleine case and I hope this time around, the fair reviews will counter the predicted bad ones. 

But let's get back to the opening question.  Is it morally right to discuss the case of missing Madeleine?  It is a question I ask myself regularly, then I wonder if it is morally right to watch and read propaganda that is intended to hurt and deceive others without challenging it?  The Edmund Burke quote, '.......when good men do nothing', makes me wonder how I would answer when future generations ask how the wonder and freedom of the internet was taken away from us, by the government and armies of vigilantes?  Where did it all begin?

 

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MADELEINE FUND PART II

UPDATE - 18.10.17

I am delighted to say my blog has now received over 1 million hits!  A small step for the internet, but a giant leap for moi :)

Thank you all for returning again and again, and for helping this blog to grow into a sane, logical, and ethical commentary on what I am sure will be one of the biggest scandals of the 21st century.  I think we have shown that it is possible to discuss a highly controversial, and highly emotive subject, as reasonable thinking adults, without the hatred and intolerance that has engulfed other forums and facebook pages. 

I think we are finally moving towards the 'end game' or perhaps I should rephrase that to 'game up'.  Those who think the police are several notches below them on the intellectual scale, may find it's something the police don't take too kindly to.  That is probably the reason why there are still two live investigations, millions being spent and no sign whatsoever that the police are going to give up. 

Interesting times ahead!

Meanwhile, please vote on the poll in the right hand column.  'Did the Multimillion' Madeleine Fund, scupper the investigation?

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Once again, the comments section runneth over, so time to open a Part II.

VT/Ziggy gives much away in his posts, particularly when you sort the wheat from the chaff.  I have actually whittled him down to two McCann main players, one more than the other. 

But before I move onto those leaking bits of information that he seems to be unaware of, in one of his last posts he made a good point.  Why aren't there more posts in support of the parents?  As long as they are civil, or make attempt at being civil, I am happy to publish them.  As a humanitarian I would like to see more posts supporting them, I am saddened that only one person speaks on their behalf.  This blog has a large audience of reasonable and compassionate people, it is as good a platform as any, to clear up the myths that surround this case. 

Back to those leaks.  For some time now, VT/Ziggy, has been building a case against the British police.  He has gone from their interference in the original investigation to the chavvy 'they are having jollies on the Algarve at taxpayers' expense'.  Why?  His posts recently, are showing more and more frustration and hostility towards the British police.  And he is hinting that British police, very early on, are behind any cover up that took place.  The architects and instigators perhaps? But the fuzzy allegations are not just aimed at the police who flew out to PDL, but also at their bosses. 

Shots too seem to have been fired at Clarence Mitchell, and today the Tapas group.  ZT helpfully pointed out just how much the 'tapas' have to lose should they break the pact of silence.  Beginning with paying back the damages given to them by Express newspapers, (odd priority), but if the answer to every question is 'money', about right.  Followed by careers, lives being ruined etc. 

All very good reasons I'm sure, but they make no allowance for conscience and the guilt of having to lie to people.  including those you love, for the rest of your life.  It would drive most people insane.  On the freedom front, they have lost the freedom to be themselves, and I can't think of a worse prison than that.

Whilst I don't think the infighting has quite reached the 'every man for himself' stage, there is clearly disharmony between the factions.  I didn't think this would come until much later, that is, the pretence that there is a good relationship between the McCanns and Operation Grange, would end in the same way as the good relationship between the McCanns and the PJ ended 9 years ago.

Now it seems they are no longer keeping up the pretence of being happy with Operation Grange.  And to be fair, no-one could blame them for being angry and frustrated (on this occasion).  They still don't know what happened to their daughter and the search for her is coming to an end.  

But worse, they still have that same cloud of suspicion hanging over them, Operation Grange has done nothing to establish their innocence.  There are no signs of an abductor, either from the original evidence collected from Apartment 5A or from the thousands of statements the police have taken over the years. The sighting of Jane Tanner was discounted by OG, and Smithman who looks exactly like Gerry, remains the main suspect.

I know that people closely involved with this case read and post here, it's the last social media battleground they use regularly.  And the reason is, because the discussion here is far removed from the playground mentality of the cesspit and the 'myths'.  I can't say it bothers me that they post anonymously, but I always think if you are going to defend someone, doing it in your own name, adds weight to your argument. 

But I understand.  Opening your life up to the scrutiny of social media carries everything you feared and then some.  But once, you have picked yourself, and distinguished the psychopaths and trolls from the genuine, you are full steam ahead.  And I speak as someone who has had many stalkers over the years. 

On my blog happily, I don't have a troll problem, because I don't acknowledge trolls as a problem. They have no impact whatsoever on my life, or my writing.  I couldn't care less who they are, and I have no desire to track them down and put them in the dock.  I'm a big girl, I can handle name calling and snide remarks online in the same way as I have in the real world since the age of 5.  Whilst I could happily discuss the history of the old oak tree in the local park for hours on end, I have zero time, or patience, for those eaten up with negativity.  If I took it on too deeply, I would become their 'free therapist', because I still kind of pity them.  But I don't want to digress.

I'll end with three questions:

1.  Are Operation Grange closing in?
2.  Is the Madeleine Fund going to prove problematic?
3.  Are ZT's veiled threats a sign that there is infighting between members
     of 'The Pact'?

THE MADELEINE FUND

There is something fishy going on with Madeleine's Fund, nothing new of course, but I feel Madeleine's Fund doesn't really get the attention it should, because it has of course played a major part in keeping the Madeleine story in the global news. 

The Fund, for example, stirred up a (barmy) army of McCann followers, who blindly believed that money would find Madeleine.  Gullible folk who could not believe bad of two church going doctors.  Appealing to the religious was a master stroke of PR btw.  On the gullible front, they were halfway there. 

But let's cut to the chase.  WTF was the Fund all about?  How did finding a missing child turn into a quest for cash?  Even Gerry himself, said (very, very early on), that he didn't see the need for money.  That however changed rapidly, into 'let's make this the biggest Fund - ever'. 

On the Director front, the biggest wobble came when Esther McVie announced the Fund wouldn't be used for legal purposes.  Ie. It would not be used to defend the McCanns who had just become Arguidos.  'That's crazy', said Gerry, 'we have this massive fund and aren't allowed to use it'.

Esther McVie went on to quit as a director of course, and from then the Fund was much less transparent.  No-one, not even the wonderful Enid O'Dowd would now be able to distinguish between search fund and legal costs. 

All that remains of the millions that poured into Madeleine's Fund is £750,000, but it may be £500,000, who knows, confusion is good. That lump sum is currently being moved between accounts, and in some tabloids being claimed as the McCanns' own money. 

The McCanns are of course facing a major dilemma.  They presently owe hundreds of thousands of pounds, possibly millions, in legal fees in Portugal, and it has been owing since April this year.   Will the Fund be held liable? or the McCanns, as the claimants, personally?  Or are their assets now so entwined with The Fund that they can't separated?  Their appeal to the ECHR doesn't put their debt off.  It is still payable now. 

To be fair, I haven't glanced at the Madeleine Fund or it's accounts for quite some time, but, as pointed out, by a poster on my previous blog, if the abduction is faked, the Fund is fraudulent. 

For genuinely grieving parents, all the money in the world will not cure their grief, or give back to them the precious child they have lost.  The last thing on their minds would be fundraising, they trust the police, they don't run their own their own parallel investigation.  And they don't need to convince us of their innocence and the police incompetence.  The mothers of Sara Payne and April Jones, didn't need to tell us they did nothing wrong, we never thought for one moment they did.  And they didn't need to hire spokesmen, lawyers and a media monitoring team.  Their reluctant, pain filled TV appearances reached our hearts directly, no PR necessary. 

But back to the Fund, arguably, the MAIN reason, this case has dragged on for over a decade.  All we 'libtards'* have always known that money can keep people out of prison.  One brief glance at prison statistics and the ratio of blue to white collar crimes, confirms that.  This case however, has a twist.  Gerry and Kate were nouveau riche, bedazzled by the sudden accumulation of millions, their misery was bumping up the cashometer.  And it was all going so well, until they were made arguidos.

I would say it was at this point that the donations to the Fund dried up.  The Vatican removed 'The Charity' from their website, and the battle between the McCanns and Goncalo Amaral began.  In their 'we can do anything because the world loves us' mind set, GA was to blame for the minor blip in their masterplan, but if they destroyed him, it would be happy days again.  That was Plan A, but I think we are now approaching Plan Z.

Of course, if the abduction was fake, then it would therefore follow that the Fund to Find Madeleine was fraudulent and all those directors and administrators may find themselves being investigated.  So too all those on the payroll.  What were they raising funds for? where was it going?  Has even one penny of it, been used to help another child?  A victim of Grenfell, a displaced refugee orphan?  A child in need of a prosthetic limb? 

No, of course it hasn't.  Because the Fund (not a Charity) has always been for one child, and her extended family.  It's written into the Company's objectives, legally above board because the lawyers used were specialists in their field.  The Fund can and has been, used for whatever Gerry and Kate wanted.  An extended holiday in the Algarve for family, friends, vicars and bridesmaids.  Runs on the beach, cocktails and tennis, while police, locals, holiday makers and volunteers, trekked through brambles, hedges and wastelands, searching for their daughter.  But let's not leave out Clarence here, who also had a 3 month vacation in Portugal, as a 'government spokesman'. Meanwhile, Warners resort, was dotted with collection boxes, for all those journalists and members of the public who had flooded to PDL, to watch the circus. 

We can only guess at how many millions have passed through the  Madeleine Fund, the promised transparency ended years ago.  In 2007, the Find Madeleine website received over 50million hits, and that may even have been daily. The cashometer on the site was spinning out of control and  taken off the site when it went over £1million.  The huge waves of public sympathy became manifest in the way of hard cash. To such an extent, the money grasping Clarence suggested people simply put cash in brown envelopes and mail to the Gerry and Kate in Rothley. 

Why did the parents of a missing child, need millions of pounds in cash? What could cash do that those physically out searching couldn't? And it should be pointed out, those actually searching were doing it voluntarily, ie. without payment.  And when was enough enough?  £1million, no clearly not, £4m/£5m?  Again no.  Having frittered £4m or £5m, the McCanns continued relentlessly with their fund raising events. For what?  Did they have a target?  No.  Because they couldn't even explain themselves what the money was needed for.  They had the attention of the world's media, raising awareness didn't ring true. 

Yet the Fundraising continued.  Those who have followed this case with the same obsession I have, will remember, the excruciating interviews in Autumn of 2010, when they were pleading for donations because the Fund was down to it's last half a million.  At this point, I'm sure, Kerry Needham was saying 'Ye Gods', but I don't want to digress.  Twenty quid will buy 100 prayer cards, a fiver, 5 minutes to man a 24/7 hotline, blah, excruciating blah.  FFS Gerry, the parents of a missing child man their own 24/7 hotline, they don't need paid employees, you effing psychopath.  Ok, I've had a drink, glass down, walk away. 

Here's what I typed earlier. 

Why the need for a Fund.  The Portuguese police were undertaking the biggest missing child search in their entire history. The British police were involved, the entire public were behind them.  Why the need the to plan massive fundraising events for Madeleine, the following year?  A pop concert, something sports, something arts, a Madeleine Day for the whole world?  This at a time when Madeleine had been missing for only a few weeks and could have been found at any time.

Why did John McCann and Clarence Mitchell, give up regular well paid jobs, to make searching for Madeleine their full time careers?  Realistically, most of us know, that abducted children who aren't found within 24 hours are dead, and their bodies usually turn up.  For John and Clarence, that was one hell of a chuck of the dice. 

We kind of know that all those millions were not spent on searching for Madeleine.  The one and only set of transparent company accounts released by the Madeleine Fund, showed only 13% of income spent directly on the search. 

True, the McCanns were scammed by several firms of dodgy private detectives, but bizarre that they didn't select their private eyes as carefully as their lawyers.  Bizarre too, that among the criminal activities of their former private detectives, was money laundering.  At that, apparently, they were very good.  Due to my overuse of the word bizarre, I will have to say it was also very strange that the normally very litigious  parents didn't try to get their money back from these scammers via the Civil Courts. 

But what did happen to the rest of the money?  I guess if you want to 'lose' huge amount of cash, two options would be, move it to an offshore account or employ high price lawyers.  Unfortunately, the latter, can prove to be highly addictive, it is the legal equivalent of being armed with a powerful weapon that can destroy all your enemies, all the while you can afford it that is.  When the cash runs out, so does the protection and power to destroy others. 

As a former legal secretary, I encountered many Vexatious Litigants.  Usually when I was working in Libel Law.  Once did a temp stint at Mischon de Reya, which was, hmm, particularly enlightening.  Did I ever mention too, that I did several long stints at TFLA in Covent Garden.  Just thought I'd mention that.  I knew a few of the founding partners very well, and I genuinely liked them.  They had some pretty sassy feminists running the show, and I was in awe!   

VLs never give up.  And are a gift to a lawyer aiming to up his profit margins.  It is incredible how much people are prepared to pay to prove themselves right. They truly believe that a Court ruling, will note them down in history as a good egg. Happily for lawyers, hurt feelings have no upper limit on a damages scale, and for some people, the ability to be affronted and outraged has no limits.  They will literally scour everywhere their name is mentioned in order to claim harassment. 

Just like the eejit who died protecting his right of way.  VLs are literally not happy, until they had lost absolutely everything, until they finally have nothing to mount another new libel claim.  Then they turn into Bennett, and start representing themselves.  When they win, it is not enough, next time they will win more.  As a lifelong people watcher, I have always found them particularly fascinating, it's like watching a slow motion car crash without the blood, or sympathy.  When one particular 'you will respect me' psychopath, left the office with his 5p award, declaring a win, we support staff struggled to hold back the laughter. 

Gerry and Kate may be respected medical professionals, maybe even academics, but they are not very bright.  Without wishing to be kind, God forbid, they are in fact, incredibly naïve.  As much as they have used and exploited others, so too they have been used and exploited.  Carried along with the grandiose ideas of spin doctors and lawyers who have walked away with a pretty large chunk of the Fund themselves. 

Madeleine's Fund cannot be separated from Madeleine's disappearance.  The public's response to Gerry and Kate's first appeals created a phenomenon the world had never seen before.  For the first time we were witnessing the incredible power of the internet as the McCanns took the case global within the first few hours, away from PDL some might say.  The world responded as they would to a major disaster, and the donations poured in.  Within days they had raised more cash for one child, than most major charities raise in a year. 

When the debates begin, and they will, some might say, that having this huge Fund, put the McCanns above the Law, and that it has prevented the police and honest investigative journalists from doing their job.  And the reason why, 10+ years on, no-one has ever been charged with the disappearance of Madeleine. 

  






* I should dislike this word lol, but strangely, I don't lol. 

£154k FOR ONE SMALL CHILD, OR ONE LARGE CONSPIRACY?

UPDATE:  01:10:10
GERRY, KATE AND TAPAS FRIENDS - NEVER INTERVIEWED BY SCOTLAND YARD

I am not sure who the source of this bombshell news is (yet), but it undermines any idea that the parents and the police are working together.  The most important witnesses on the night Madeleine disappeared, are her parents and their friends.  They hold far more information than Warners' employees and the random suspects who have been cited worldwide.  Anyone of them could hold the key to what happened to Madeleine - experienced detectives can draw out details that a witness may not think important, but might solve the case.

Kate refused to answer questions from the Portuguese Police, on the instructions of her lawyer.  At the time it is possible they did not know the police files would eventually be made public, because those '48' 'no comment' answers have plagued their claims of innocence ever since.  Until now, we have been led to believe that the McCanns were co-operating with the British police at least, but the above negates that. 

I would imagine ALL clammed up on the advice of their lawyers, and this is no doubt the reason this case has dragged on for so many years.  Once a suspect says 'I want a lawyer' - that's it. The police then need to prove every element of their case, and quite often the case is simply shelved and left to go cold, as Madeleine's case was in 2008 when the Tapas friends refused to return to PDL for a reconstruction. 

This case hasn't been left to go cold.  Some, it would seem are determined to uncover the truth, and for those involved in Madeleine's disappearance, that determination must be chilling.  


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Apologies for going missing in action, but the last blog was going nowhere, as one astute poster pointed out (before I pulled the plug), it was being swamped with the same malicious and sordid allegations that are promoted on websites, such as the cesspit. 

I have said, again and again, the case of missing Madeleine McCann does not need to be sexed up.  And certainly not with the freaky imaginings of a fire and brimstone preacher in Essex.  I am sick and tired of hearing about the Madeleine and the make up photographs - who the f**k thinks a 3 year old dressing up is sexual? And I hope those reading those words, had the same shiver down the spine as I had, typing them.  And certainly not a group of highly ambitious and sociable doctors who were perfectly at ease handing their talkative toddlers over to nannies every day.  And those insisting Madeleine died earlier in the week, might like to take a minute to think that through too. 

Quite frankly, my patience has run out with the 'nonsense' theories, they are so stupid and perverted they offend me, and as a follow on from that, I am going to assume they offend many of my readers too.  Bennett, Hall, HideHo and Hyatt (possibly Petermac too, can't be arsed to read him) have painted themselves into corners, and should be left there to rot.  Their theories haven't panned out, in any way whatsoever, and never will.  Please restrict them to the cesspit and weirdo corners, the sane and the logical have long since moved on.  I'm looking for the truth and my time is too precious to waste on the braindead.(Ah, now I know why my students used to call me 'the Bitch'). 

So, let's get bang up to date.  Operation Grange have been granted another £154,000 to continue their investigation until March 2018.  Most of the backlash and outrage of course, is aimed at Gerry and Kate McCann, something SY must have been aware would happen, and something that negates any idea that the McCanns are being protected.  As yet, I haven't seen any comment or statement from Gerry, Kate or their spokesman, but please correct me if I am wrong.

Team McCann, should of course be ecstatic, Operation Grange are not giving up on Madeleine, that should be cause for celebration and a prompt reunion of all the poster, t-shirt and mug makers, and of course all those missing children charities and organisations because they only have 6 months left.  May I suggest a slogan 'Scotland Yard aren't giving up, neither should we'. 

But I suppose on top of ALL the money that has been spent on the search for Madeleine, £154,000 is but a drop in the ocean and not worthy of comment or thanks.   For the family of a genuinely missing and findable child however, I am sure they would be overcome with gratitude.  Kate and Gerry cannot understand why people don't like them, if they are reading, it's stuff like this. 

In this instance however, the McCanns are not to blame for all that extra funding.  They weren't the ones asking for it.  They seemed to have accepted that Operation Grange could go no further, and were preparing to re-start their own search.  Were their voices part of the request to the Home Office?

I'm going to go with No.  Because whatever is driving those officers of Operation Grange, it is not the heartfelt pleas of the parents, or even the public.  The public overall, have moved on, very few remember, and fewer still, care.  I don't think anyone, other than Gerry, Kate, Clarence and Pamela Gurney, believe Madeleine is still alive.  For those who have moved on, it isn't really because they don't care, it's because there have been thousands of heart tugging human tragedies since.  And News in general, has become far more sensational than anything Clarence could think up.  Clarence is old school greaseball, he thinks a stern Aunty Beeb voice and a smart suit, gives him authority - such is life, he would now be crushed by a stampede of enthused fourth formers exiting a media class. 

Those still arguing that Operation Grange is one big cover up, must now be covered entirely in egg or one large omelette.  Seriously folks?  All this for an inept burglar who didn't even grab the valuables?  An uneducated misfit who has for the past 10 years dodged all those reward grabbers (at one time it was over a £1m), all those police, all those detectives?  Or a gang (which of course multiplies the number of informers) of traffickers, paedophiles, all of whom have been free to carry on abducting kids undisturbed while two police forces read files?

If you have any understanding of this case whatsoever, the complexity of the investigation should not be a surprise.  What might be a surprise, is the sheer determination of two police forces to solve it.  That is, Scotland Yard here in the UK, and the PJ, who of course, have jurisdiction and the lead over the original crime.  A good question might be, why would SY need another £154,000 to investigate a crime they can't prosecute?  Why did Amber Rudd, like her predecessor, Theresa May, write a cheque that could implicate her in a crime?

I'm not quite sure who won the poll I put up asking if OG was a cover up.  I think however, it should be perfectly clear by now that Operation Grange are not going to quit without a result.  As much as I hate to say it, for both investigations, here and in Portugal, it may have become personal.  Arguably, it did for Goncalo Amaral.   For him, it has always been about the victim, and that is leitmotif for all those dogged real life detectives who pursue cold cases. 

I have never believed that 33+ homicide officers and untold administrative staff, would collaborate to cover up the death of the child.  The idea is absurd.  People forget sometimes that police are HUMAN, susceptible to all the same emotions and prejudices as we are.  It is not a coincidence, that the best writers of crime and thrillers, give their heroes 'human' flaws.  The accusations thrown at Goncalo Amaral, of excessive drinking are not a symptom of callousness, they are symptoms of yet another dagger, tearing at the heart of an intrepid old thieftaker.  He is hurt.  And the hurt shows.  That's endearing.  Not many admire automatons.  Even Superman is having to show a dark side. 

But, let's get back to the latest news.  There was an air of finality about this last extension, the previous ones always carried an option to ask for more funds, this one doesn't.  That must send a chilling message to those responsible for Madeleine's disappearance, whether it be who we think it is, or someone entirely different. 

It would be utterly humiliating now for both the UK and Portugal, to announce to the world that despite having spent millions of pounds and Euros for over a decade, neither police force has been able to achieve a result.  I'll give the 'cover uppers' a few minutes here.  There's a lot to take in. 

Cover up, I think not.  Now is the time for those interested parties (TM) to launch a new Campaign.  And I'm talking about a reunion of those media whizzkids who made Madeleine's disappearance such a global phenomenon in the first place. They need slogans;  Tapas 6, Tapas 9, Tapas 2?  Maybe Tapas 130+, if we go by Sir Bernard HH's Freudian slip at the launch of Operation Grange.  I suspect however, with Operation Grange, we may see a re-run of everything was tickedy boo with the PJ, until it wasn't.   

But, time is running out.  Whatever, they are going to chuck at Operation Grange and the PJ, they really need to begin now.  Will they claim both investigations were unfairly influenced by Goncalo Amaral 'who had it in for them' from the start? Will they claim it is impossible for them to have a fair trial?  Will they blame Leicestershire Police, how about CEOP, how about MI5 or MI6?  Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, multiple New Labour MPs, who attached their names to the spectacular fund raising Gerry and Kate, and their bravery in demanding the shut down of Freedom of Speech? ID cards, stricter border controls, policing of the internet, compulsory DNA, you can almost hear the Blair Babes (male and female) shouting bravo, bravo, bravo. Let's ennoble the pair, dress them in ermine, and give Lorraine Kelly first option on Maid of the Toilet rights.  

I will close here.  The blog however, is now re-open.  Not for those hung up on the 'paedo' angle or those who those who unleash their inner vitriolic personalities into my post box.  No, I still don't believe in censorship, but I do have standards of morality and decency, that some of you will probably never understand.  Not because I am religious or a pillar of the community, but because I always consider other peoples' feelings.  HONESTY AND INTEGRITY.  

There is no honesty and integrity in those who come here to use anonymity to be nasty.  Your own cesspits and forums have dried up because no-one likes your nastiness, so you think you can crash mine, because I'm a namby pamby liberal who invites free thinking.   Which of course I am, 99% of the time.  In this instance however, the quality of my blog takes precedence over the garbage I am being sent.  I have no problem with people putting forward opposing views, but at least do so with a bit of civility and good grace.  I won't tolerate in your face ignorance in the real world, I certainly won't tolerate it here. 

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McCANNS .V. FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Of all the injustices in the case of missing Madeleine McCann, the one that outraged me the most (and outrages me still), is the parents' demand that only their side of the story can be legally published and distributed.  And it outraged me that they embarked on a vendetta, not only to silence the former detective who searched for their daughter, but to destroy his life. 

Let's clear up one of the nasty myths created by Team McCann.  And I refer specifically to those witnesses for the team, who travelled to Lisbon to cuss a book they claimed not to have read because it is beneath them.  Weird how McCann supporters use NOT reading as a sign of their moral and intellectual superiority.  So let me set them straight.

Goncalo Amaral's book The Truth of the Lie, is not filled with childish playground insults, nor is it filled with cold, hard, brutal allegations.  GA recounts the investigation not only as a detective, but as a compassionate human being.  Goncalo is much too talented a writer, and of course legally aware (he has a Law degree) to write the kind of garbage the McCanns imply, it is obvious from page 1, that he is a gentleman and a scholar.  If even one of the McCanns' allegations were true, why do they not produce the offensive lines as evidence?

But I'm going to take a big auld left of left turn here, and move onto Freedom of Speech, because once again my blog is bombarded by those issuing warnings and threats to myself and John Blacksmith to curb our language.  Well actually I'm not sure my turn is left of left, because being politically correct is where I and the Labour Party part company.  I demand the right to offend!  And just like anyone who practices that right, I will reap the consequences.   

I'm afraid I have zero sympathy for those who claim to be mortally wounded by words.  Especially those privileged white middle classes, who want to enjoy their privileges without being criticised, eg. politicians and former suspects.  For those having their homes repossessed and queuing at foodbanks, a neighbour calling them a auld trollop is the least of their worries.  Karen Matthews for example, had she been a bit brighter and had shed loads of money, could have sued every UK tabloid.  True, she only had 3 weeks, but Gerry and Kate were lawyered up and raking it in by Day 3.  Who knows what the outcome would have been if she had had several million at her disposal? 

But this is about Freedom of Speech.  Must stay focused!  I am passionately opposed to those who would go through dictionaries with a black pen, believing that if certain words and phrases are redacted, we would all live happily ever after.  Oblivious to the fact that forcing people to be politically correct, under duress, leaves a lot of tensions simmering. Just thought, I'd throw that in.

The thing is, writers, artists, poets, musicians have been dodging censors for centuries.  They can and do find ways and means to get the message through. Happily those doing the censoring have always been far too ignorant to spot them.  But while I'm freestyling, I get away with it, because I am one of those fuzzy liberals who won't commit to anything.  If Jim Gamble gets me in the dock, my first response will likely be, 'Is a cup really a cup?'

Whether I stumbled into it, or the fickle finger of fate intervened, this case became a personal battle for me against the backdoor way in which Gerry and Kate have used the fate of their child, to add further to the arguments of those who would strike black lines through the English language.  As if obliterating words will obliterate everything those words stood for.  Those dumb enough to release their inner psychopath online, will receive exactly the same treatment they would in the real world.  Some will challenge them, some will support them, but most will shun them.  The extreme paranoids will lock themselves away in panic rooms, which given their sensitive natures may be the best place for them.  My own blog demonstrates the power of laissez faire, it has found it's own level, the psychos have upped their game or crawled back under a stone.  The sane are winning, I hasten to add!

Whilst harsh words can indeed cause any one of us to go ouch, so what?  As Marx said, (Groucho, not Karl), If you don't like those views, I've got plenty of others.  I interpret that as, if those ones offended you, wait til you see what's coming next.  Ban words, ban phrases, ban views, and others will replace them, language is a living, constantly growing organism, it evolves as we do.  Those wielding black pens, might just as well be wielding quills and inkpots for all the effect they will have on the 21st century dictionary, regular, urban or otherwise. 

Ninety nine percent of us, don't sue people who offend us, not just because it is a pathetic waste of money, but because we can't be arsed.   Suing people for financial damages is the preserve of the wealthy, funds have never been available, even via Legal Aid, for the impoverished to make such claims.  While the well heeled offended battle it out in the Courts, the rest of us couldn't give a monkeys, though we might tune in for the juicy bits.  A successful libel action has never turned anyone into a hero, in most cases it has left them reviled.  Even the fabulous and much loved Oscar Wilde, managed to turn the public against him.

No-one needs a Court of Law to fight their case or defend themselves.  In this age of rapidly growing technology, we all have, at our fingertips, the means to put forward our side of the argument.  The McCanns especially, who have contact lists full to bursting.  But they don't even need that, the media world is now a level playing field (which is why I also feel I need to up my game lol), they can put out blogs just as I do, they can contribute to their Facebook page, as themselves, they can speak to the press directly, not through a source or a spokesman.  They can show their real sides to the world, just as GA has, and let the world judge for themselves. 

Even with all the legal victories and financial awards the McCanns received in the early days, and with Carter Ruck on constant watch, the parents' reputations are more damaged than they ever were.  Ergo, the idea that a libel win against Goncalo Amaral will repair their reputations is ludicrous, with every libel claim they have made, suspicion of them escalates. 

It clearly crucifies Kate and Gerry to have this cloud of suspicion hanging over them, but they have always had the power to remove it.  As the Portuguese archiving report stated, they lost the opportunity to prove their innocence.  Had they returned to PDL for a reconstruction and answered all the police questions, they could have been ruled out from the start and we wouldn't all be here 10 years on.  That cloud of suspicion didn't begin with Goncalo Amaral, it began with their own weird behaviour and the circus and money spinning industry they created out of their daughter's disappearance.  GA's side of the story wasn't heard until much, much later. 

Punishing Goncalo Amaral, does nothing to find the missing child, nothing to repair their reputations, and nothing to convince the public they are nice people. Honest.  They weren't asking for GA to be jailed (though that would have been a nice bonus for them), they were asking for the proceeds of book, not filing their claim until a year later when the royalties had mounted up.  The punishment they wanted, was for him to be stripped of all his financial assets, and Portuguese Law, such as it is, immediately froze the royalties from his book, the title deeds of his family home and all his earnings which left him unable to defend himself while the McCanns pursued him relentlessly. 

For me it is the cruel streak that runs through this claim of Gerry and Kate's, this hounding of the former detective, is premeditated, deliberate, and intended to bring pain and distress.  This isn't the result of the runaway train, or moments of madness, they need Goncalo Amaral to feel pain in order for them to feel better.  That isn't noble, it's not even moral. 

The McCanns appeal to the European Court won't fare any better than their appeals in Portugal.  By their very nature, these Courts have to be bang up to the minute, unlike the crusty old wig bedecked British Judges, who have to blow the dust off ancient text books.  The world has changed since the McCanns claim began, the ancient elite no longer run the show.  A policeman has the same rights as a doctor.  Despite being stripped of all his assets, Goncal Amaral could fight back, because the internet made his plight known, and the public responded generously. 

The McCanns told their side Madeleine, in their own words, Goncalo Amaral told his, The Truth of the Lie in his own, (far more eloquent) words.  How can one be legal and the other not?  Or should Madeleine be banned too, because they didn't prove Madeleine was abducted, along with every book in the crime section that mentions crimes not proven?  Bear in mind, this would include their very own Summers and Swan. Where does it end? 

Whilst others have got on with their lives, Gerry and Kate are still claiming to be victims.  Fair enough, their choice.  But they still want new Laws to be introduced, that would enable them to sue more people.  The thrust of their legal argument with GA can be summed up in two words. Without proof.  It is with those two words that they have GA and the entire UK media by the short and curlies.  They seem to have taken over from the previous two word chant, 'no evidence'. 

Given my absolute abhorrence for the word 'Ban', (censor comes a close second), this war on Goncalo Amaral (bless him), is a war on Freedom of Speech.  The McCanns have, without any laws being passed, been successful in preventing the publication of The Truth of the Lie in the UK for over 9 years.  How fecking antiquated are we, that two people, can have that amount of power, simply because they have the best lawyers money can buy?  Why should a former detective be prevented from earning a living as a writer? 

In some bizarro world where the McCanns win, detectives, as an entire profession, will be forbidden, by Law from writing their memoirs - the cads!  Former suspects meanwhile, can fill their boots.  Punishing GA will send a message to detectives everywhere (especially those close to them), that the Good Lord will rain down upon them with great anger and furious vengeance, should they get a tempting offer from Rupert Murdoch. 

Punishing Goncalo Amaral does nothing to find the missing Madeleine, or even to commemorate her.  The initial argument that 'no-one would look for her if they believed she was dead' is now moot.  After the Scotland Yard digs in PDL (far more in your face than GA's book), is anyone still looking for a live Madeleine?  Saying Madeleine is dead without evidence, should not be a punishable offence in the Civil Court, the Criminal Court or the real world. 

Most people are offended every day by what others say about them, they are outraged, hurt, distressed, etc, for a short while, but then they move on.  They don't spend the rest of their lives seeking vengeance and retribution. At what point will someone say 'yep, this is truly insane'.  It's been 9 years ffs, and their child is still missing.  Why are they putting themselves through this, why are they putting their families through it?  They already face ruinous legal costs, still unknown, why incur more?  Now they have started the clock, the minutes and hours are notching up as chargeable units for lawyers and spin doctors.  Their motives are grimy, but they are what they are.  As for their family and friends, wtf?  Especially those who travelled to Lisbon with the intention of seeing an innocent punished.  May their Gods forgive them. 

Shouldn't someone close be saying that within the next few months, that they might need high priced lawyers, who specialise in something other than libel?  I'm trying to be tactful here, but the investigations by the Portuguese and British police, might leave them with an urgent need for, err, say, extradition lawyers?  If the circumstances change from a Civil Court to a Criminal Court, the libel won't matter one iota.  Ergo, aren't they putting their eggs in the wrong basket.  Just saying. 

OPERATION GRANGE - NOW A WATCHING BRIEF

UPDATE - 09-09-17
McCanns - The Gloves are Off

I have for the past few months gone easy on the McCanns, because, well, I felt sorry for them.  Pretty much everything they ever planned has gone belly up, nothing more so than their failure to be awarded £1.25m compensation from the former detective who searched for their daughter.  Today's announcement that they have filed an appeal with the ECHR changes the dynamic, my sympathy, I now see was misguided, the gloves are off.

Sun reporter Nick Pisa, describes Goncalo Amaral in his sensational headline as 'shameless ex police chief'.  Shameless Nick?  Shameless for doing his job, searching for the missing child? Shameless for defending his name and reputation? Shameless for refusing to give Gerry and Kate all the earnings from his book, the proceeds of the forced sale of his family home and all his future earnings?  Ten years down the line, the officers of Operation Grange may find themselves in a similar position, should they say the child is dead 'without evidence'.  Would they too be shameless if they failed to pay extortionate sums demanded by the parents for their 'pain and suffering'?  British libel laws are far more stringent, as the McCann supporters keep pointing out. In Lisbon they only asked for £250k each (and they are 5, as Isabel Duarte pointed out), Goncalo only had to find £1.25m to get them off his back.

I think it is shameless that reporter Nick Pisa should write such a nasty vindictive piece about a former detective without doing any research, or worse, deliberately and cruelly smearing an innocent man as part of a murky agenda or filthy lucre. 

But what curdled the milk in my cornflakes, was the McCanns' stomach churning order of priorities.  They are parents of a child who is missing, and who they believe is still alive, and the Scotland Yard search they pleaded for, is coming to an end.  Turn the clock back a couple of years and imagine the police saying to Kerry Needham* 'we're giving up on the search for Ben', and her replying, 'oh, that's OK, I'm busy suing a Greek detective anyway'. 

This renewed attack on Goncalo Amaral isn't good for anybody.  The McCanns know they haven't got a hope in hell of a victory in Europe, and neither do they have the funds for such an expensive waste of time.  Or do they? Have they had an injection of cash fro an interested party?  I'm just throwing that in there, I don't think they have.  Nor is it to put off that massive, still as yet undisclosed, legal bill in Portugal?  From what I have read, an appeal to the ECHR, doesn't put off payments owed by a Supreme Court ruling.  Ergo, they still have to pay that bill now anyway.  (If any legal eagles know different, please let me know).

This is spite, there is no other way to dress it up, and it should send a chill through everyone who still believes the McCanns' priority is their missing daughter.  All the grounds for their original claim are now moot, they have been overtaken by events and revelations.  It is clear no officers in Operation Grange believe Madeleine is alive - they are on a watching brief, not out looking.  Are they going to sue each of them? 

Right now my sympathy is with Goncalo Amaral, will they ever leave him in peace?  Having the McCanns on your back must be like stalker Bennett times ten.  Placing a personal vendetta above the fate of your child is f*cked up, whatever way you look at it.  The McCanns accept, without protest, the closing of the Scotland Yard investigation, their only real hope of finding their daughter, yet they are prepared to embark on another bitter legal battle. 

My sympathy also lies with the family of Goncalo Amaral, because these announcements are usually accompanied by a nasty smear campaign, as we today with the shameless Nick Pisa in the Sun. My sympathies are also with the McCann clan, the young ones and the non complicit, at least.  Living with 'legal proceedings' is hell on earth, it turned me into a morose, babbling, semi alcoholic, my family won't speak of it.  Quite rightly, [shudders at memory].

Proving a point really isn't all that.  And there is nothing worse than living with someone with a self righteous point to make.  It eats them alive, it eats you alive, and it dominates everyone's lives in ways you can't even see until you come out at the other end - if you do.  I am trying to describe what a destructive, emotional minefield, the McCanns have opted to take their family through.  Again. 


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I'm always astounded, and more than a little impressed, at the way in which Gerry and Kate, or the collective brains of Team McCann, can make bad news sound like good news.  How can anyone, in their right mind, be grateful for having their agony extended? 

One of the articles I read regarding Scotland Yard's latest request for funding states they need just enough to keep three or four detectives on a watching brief.  How can that possibly be a satisfactory answer for parents of a missing child?  Gerry and Kate believe their daughter is alive and findable, and have already said they will continue their 'Search' when Operation Grange ends. That's a pretty defeatist attitude and it's an assumption that OG will end without their daughter or her abductor being found. 

I'm not entirely sure of the source for 'watching brief', but to me it doesn't suggest anything pro-active.  It suggests 3 or 4 detectives waiting for something - a direction from a higher power maybe, and that higher power is the Portuguese Judiciary who will ultimately be responsible for prosecuting or not prosecuting.  Why keep 3 or 4 detectives on watching brief, if the crime or crimes do not involve British citizens? 

Scotland Yard have been working with their Portuguese counterparts for a year it seems, doing what, who knows.  If the case were international there are agencies for that, and there are no signs that the investigation has ever gone out of PDL. 

I think you would now have to be as blind as a bat, to believe Operation Grange are looking for a Portuguese abductor from 2000 miles away.  The idea that they are constantly finding new leads 10 years on, is equally absurd, it makes the investigation sound haphazard and unfocussed, how did they miss them at the beginning?

The McCann camp bizarrely, take the further extension as proof that the Police do not agree with Goncalo Amaral's theory.  I'm not sure how they reached that conclusion, but if that's the thinking we are going with, they haven't proved an abduction either.

I suspect the end is in sight.  Politically, it is madness to keep a small group of detectives on a watching brief - there are plenty of real time crimes they could be dealing with.  Awaiting technical results could mean anything, from the technicalities of arresting over a 100 people, to the latest techniques for extracting DNA.  If this is the far reaching crime that many of us believe it to be, then the logistics of how it will end, must be proving a nightmare.

Using an anecdote to explain, I once worked (as a temp) for a dodgy firm of solicitors in offices just off the Strand, WC2, and I wasn't really surprised when the office was raided by the police, while simultaneous raids were taking place in their offices all over the world.  All the offices were raided at the same time so they couldn't tip each other off. 

I would say this is a technique used by police the world over in cases where there are multiple defendants and of course this case becomes more complicated because there are two nations involved, two teams of detectivs who have been working together for a year. This watching brief suggests a tiger waiting to pounce, I suspect the real perpetrators must be very worried indeed.





*Apologies to Kerry, I have used her as an example, because I have never doubted her.

MADELEINE - IT'S A CLASS ISSUE

Let's imagine for one moment, Karen Matthews had been holidaying on the Algarve and one of her children disappeared while she was having a drink at the bar.  Would she have received the full backing of New Labour? A personal spokesman, Family Liaison officers from her home town, a visit from the Portuguese Ambassador?  Would we still be here 10+ years on, with those who see a miscarriage of justice being sued and threatened with imprisonment for not believing? 

We all know the answers to those questions, which is why Madeleine's disappearance and the establishment's handling of it, became so emotive.  In a nutshell, the non believers were unattractive chavs, jealous of Kate and Gerry's good looks and success. 

For many years, the issue of 'class' has taken a back seat in this case, but it shouldn't.  We all know that if the McCanns hadn't been PLU (People Like Us), representative of that first generation of working class professionals, who went to University and have moved on from the Council estates.  'We all do it' they shouted in unison, while defending the obvious neglect and child endangerment, 'what happened to them could have happened to us'.  They empathised with Kate and Gerry in a way, they never could or would, with Karen Matthews.  With K&G, they played down the crime, with KM there would have been outrage. 


And this is the crux.  To believe two doctors, well a group of doctors, conspired to cover up the death of a child, changes the paradigm.  Crooks wear masks and carry swagbags, or they are dirty, smelly lowlives, covered in tattoos and off their heads on drugs and alcohol. They are the threatening faces of crime that we are all familiar with. Gerry and Kate are the opposite, middle class, law abiding church goers, smart, articulate and trustworthy. It's like looking at a picture of an orange that has been labelled 'apple'.  It doesn't make sense. 

Most of us like things the way we are, our villains and do-gooders clearly labelled.  Life is complicated enough without having to think the unthinkable. In doctors we trust, we turn to them for our major life decisions, we address them with their title, the Doc is the good guy, he's on our side.  We often forget that they are just as human as the rest of us, and just as prey to life's temptations.

With Karen Matthews, we all shook our heads, and said 'well, what do you expect', she was a perfect example of the hated underclass, while Karen was bunking off school and producing babies, Kate and Gerry were studying and saving lives.  Karen comes from a society that barely scrapes by, a society that has had hope and ambition torn from under them by consecutive Tory governments.  Gerry and Kate come from good working class stock, families of achievers with good solid values who reinforced their respectability. 

I don't think anyone can deny that the social standing of the McCanns has had an impact on the way in which this case has been handled.  If Karen Matthews had lost a child in Portugal, is it likely the police, the politicians, and the media would be still be pussyfooting around 10+ years on?   Afraid to offend her or her high priced lawyers?

Which brings us back to the money.  Within days Gerry and Kate were armed with an enormous fortune with which to protect themselves.  I think Karen got a free delivery from Iceland.  They engaged lawyers within days, if not within hours.  Their first thoughts were not to look for their daughter, but to prepare a Defence. 

The UK Government, knowingly, or unknowing, helped to build a wall around the McCanns that exists to this day.  Their refusal to accept that the affluent middle classes could be involved in such a heinous crime was almost in danger of becoming law.  The McCanns were the poster family, representative of everything that is good about the UK, high achievers, pillars of the community and church goers.  The acceptable face of draconian libel laws and roughing people up at the borders. 

Karen Matthews was no better than she ought to be - the police had no hesitation in investigating her and those around her, there were no government calls to back off and the crime was solved quickly.  The interference of the UK government led to loss of valuable forensic evidence, the clothes Madeleine wore that day, the beads she had in her hair, the blue bag, the pink blanket, and who knows what else.

Believing Gerry and Kate were involved in their daughter's disappearance, is a hell of a knock to our faith in human nature and for many of us, we will never be able to look at the world in the same way again.  That's how devastating it is.  But to believe a lie in order to make us feel better, is far more corrosive.  Pretending reality doesn't exist, doesn't make it go away - we are quite literally setting ourselves up for a fall.

We accept without question that Karen Matthews is guilty because she comes from a background of poverty and anti social behaviour.  We cannot accept Kate and Gerry are guilty because they come from an affluent background and know which knife and fork to use.  White collar crime is not pursued in the same way as blue collar crime, because there is an assumption of innocence. The wealthy have no need to covet their neighbour's goods or lust after his wife, they have yachts and hookers. 

Most crime is committed out of poverty.  Those dashing young things on Made in Chelsea have no need to put a brick through a car window to steal the radio.  They have limitless credit cards.  On tough council estates, where 10 quid makes all the difference, it's a different kettle of fish. Prisons are filled with an illiterate, uneducated, underclass, there are very few, if any, billionaires and professionals.  As Norman Stanley Fletcher pointed out in the iconic Porridge, he didn't expect the Judge who gave him 5 years to move into his cell with him.

The case of missing Madeleine is, or will become, the most extreme example of the way in which the Law differentiates between the social classes in the UK.  People should not be above the law because they have money and influence, Gerry and Kate should have been subject to the same scrutiny as any parents who claim child abduction without any evidence.  Those in high places who ruled them out because they are not the 'type' have much to answer for.