Missing Madeleine

[barhell]

The Police have narrowed it down to Eastern Europe, North Africa, Western Europe and perhaps still Portugal.  They have everywhere covered it seems

I think this sums it up for me, she could unfortunately now be 1 mile away or another continent. Lets hope that the Portugese Police behind the silence are making headway.

[Sark79]

I wasn't making a comment about class or wealth.  Sorry if this was unclear.  I just expressed a view that perhaps the media would have had a less forgiving attitude if the parents concerned were two ex cons who had a history of unemployment and drunkenness.  I may be totally wrong though.  The important matter is she returns safely though

[TightEnd]

I wasn't making a comment about class or wealth.  Sorry if this was unclear.  I just expressed a view that perhaps the media would have had a less forgiving attitude if the parents concerned were two ex cons who had a history of unemployment and drunkenness.  I may be totally wrong though.  The important matter is she returns safely though

of course you are right.


Perhaps the media are showing uncharacteristic restraint in delaying asking those questions until a more opportune time?

[littlemissC]

i am trying my hardest not to pass judgement on the parents,my heart goes out to them.but like tightend,when im abroad with my kids i dont even think about doing anything social without them.never in a million years would i leave them alone,not even for a second.my daughter is the same age as maddie and i go to ibiza in 3 weeks,i know i wont let her out of my sight at all for 10 days.

[Sark79]

Perhaps the media are showing uncharacteristic restraint in delaying asking those questions until a more opportune time?

Yep,  you are right

[AndrewT]

I don't think the McCanns need anyone to tell them they f*cked up. They're more than adequately being 'punished' for it now by the horrible experience they're going through. Similarly, I bet any other parents who have left their kids alone in the past like this sure as hell are taking more care now.

As for the media exposure, it's not the amount of it that gets to me, but the tone. There's the same 'you must show how much this story has affected you or you're worse than Hitler' pressure as we got with Princess Diana. Some people have been genuinely affected by the story of a girl and family they do not know. I haven't. Yes, it's sad, and I hope the girl turns up safe and well, but my life goes on. And yet, I'm almost being forced to feel guilty for not emailing everyone I know to pass on some email message telling them nothing they don't know already. Watching some scummy newspaper hand out advertising masquerading as 'Find Madeline' posters at airports is sickening. Seeing the BBC send out Huw Edwards to read the news standing outside the house of someone who had been charged with nothing, purely to keep up with Sky News in the 'look how much we care' stakes was pathetic.

Celebrities and newspapers offering money as a reward for a case which has not been out of the news makes you wonder what their primary motives are. Phillip Green, JK Rowling, Richard Branson - where is all this money when some kid off a council estate, whose disappearance barely makes the local news, goes missing?

There is something extremely distasteful about this orgy of emoting. Where is society's sense of perspective?

[johnbhoy76]

My heart goes out to the family. They made a serious error of judgement (to put it mildly) but does anyone think they don't know that themselves?  They're going to have to live with this forever if their daughter is not found.

God knows what that must feel like.

I've never really understood why people take such young children on Holiday as looking after them is a 24/7 role in itself so the very idea of a "holiday" is a non starter as you can never leave the kids alone. I'm not saying people shouldn't do it or are bad parents for doing it. It just seems like a lot of work coupled with the stress of travelling in the first place. You see parents with young chldren on flights all the time and they just look stressed out of their minds and you wonder why they do it?

[RED-DOG]

Someone dies and it's a tragedy. Several thousand die and it's a statistic.

[TightEnd]

My heart goes out to the family. They made a serious error of judgement (to put it mildly) but does anyone think they don't know that themselves?  They're going to have to live with this forever if their daughter is not found.

God knows what that must feel like.

I've never really understood why people take such young children on Holiday as looking after them is a 24/7 role in itself so the very idea of a "holiday" is a non starter as you can never leave the kids alone. I'm not saying people shouldn't do it or are bad parents for doing it. It just seems like a lot of work coupled with the stress of travelling in the first place. You see parents with young chldren on flights all the time and they just look stressed out of their minds and you wonder why they do it?

the relative cheapness of overseas holdiays coupled with the relative expense of UK holidays

the guarantee of good weather

kidsclubs lol (although I always tried to resist...why pack them into a nursery when they get that home?!?!)



that said I didn't until the youngest was 5...I always refused when it was prams, nappies, strollers and all the rest....

[suzanne]

Holidays abroad with young kids are great fun.

They run havok in the duty free shop when your flight is 10 hours delayed and they are bored.

They scream non stop on the flight from take off till they fall asleep from exhaustion. Enticing them with the delicious in flight meal may stop the screaming long enough for them to take a look but dont be fooled, the meal will inevitably land on the head of a fellow passenger 3 rows ahead.

Discourage the poor sod/stranger who has unluckly drawn the short straw and ending up sitting next to you and your offspring from speaking, smiling or even looking in the direction of the poor distressed child as he is likely to get a poke in the eye...if not from the child then from the mother if he DARES complain.

You finally land in a small overcrowded airport (Salou) to find the baggage handlers have went on strike, the conveyer belt is not working, the air conditioning is not working, the queue to the toilet is 6 miles long and your kids are in desperate need of a nappy change in a waiting room with hundreds of sweaty people and not enough room to swing a cat (plus ive not had a ciggy for 3 hours and its a non smoking zone).

Airport staff are throwing bags through a small hole in the wall and its pure bedlam. The buggy has disappeared and one bag is missing, 2 and half hours later we board the airport coach to loud cheers from the other passengers who have had to wait   

We then get dropped off at the wrong hotel...dont give a damn by now coz its 4am (16 hours later than we should have arrived) and end up in spending the holiday in a totally different hotel than what we booked.

I love Spain and do it every year.

On the plus side...toddlers are quite happy to fall asleep in a buggy. Find a nice Spanish bar with outside tables and there nothing nicer than sipping a few cocktails on a warm summer nights and watching the local wildlife.

Getting back to the subject...I hope Madeleine is found safe and well. I would be pushing for maximum publicity too if I were in their shoes and to hell if papers are making money out of it.

[Royal Flush]

lol they are off to see the pope on Wednesday, this is just getting silly now.

[MPOWER]

lol they are off to see the pope on Wednesday, this is just getting silly now.

Said the man who gave €4k away

Regards

M

[Royal Flush]

lol they are off to see the pope on Wednesday, this is just getting silly now.

Said the man who gave €4k away

Regards

M

Don't forget the money i gave away in the tournaments as well!

[Sark79]

lol they are off to see the pope on Wednesday, this is just getting silly now.

exactly what I thought . 

[MPOWER]

There doing everything they can to keep in the public eye, this story has
run for over 3 weeks now. I'm just happy for them the world of News
has gone a bit quite and this is helping to keep this sad story in our media.

Regards

M