Madeleine McCann: No Tears In The Faction So Far
NOT easy to get a pun in on Madeleine McCann. The papers need to look sensitive and so stick with straight-talking speculation. No puns. No confusion. Just factual opinion.
What we at Anorak call Faction.
And today the Sun’s Oliver Harvey - chief feature writer - produces “I’m thinking the unthinkable”.
“My misgivings began with the lack of emotion shown by the McCanns in those first few days after Madeleine went missing.
“No streaming tears, no trembling lips, no sobs of despair.
“Now that unease has become an awful gnawing doubt.”
Wot No Tears?
Harvey wants tears. Lindy Chamberlain (see Guardian’s dingo headline here) never gave the press much emotion.
Neither did Joanne Lees, whose lover, Peter Falconio, was killed in Australia. Bradley Murdoch was convicted of murder. Lees was wholly innocent. But Lees never cried. She never gave the media what they wanted.
Of course, the Mirror sees tears. It sees all. It sees Kate McCann back home, crying in Madeleine’s room. And the Express saw Kate’s tears on the flight home.
But Harvey sees only dry eyes. And in a woman who has lost a child he finds that odd.
Says Harvey: “It hurts me to say this, but I now fear something is amiss with Kate and Gerry’s story.”
But he says it. Bravely. He may have tears in his eyes as he does so.
Just like the Mail’s Amanda Platell might have wept a little (we did) as she wrote of Mrs McCann: “I haven’t seen such creepy control in a woman since Lindy Chamberlain cried ‘My God, the dingo’s got my baby’.”
Ms Platell might note that Chamberlain had her conviction for the murder of her child, Azaria, quashed. The dingo did it. Anything’s possible.
The Possibilities
Says Harvey: “So is it possible the McCanns could bury their own daughter in secret and concoct a huge fiction to fool the world?”
Possible? Of course. Most things are. Remember the dingo?
Harvey goes on: “And for every theory there is a counter-theory. But I have other nagging doubts.”
And because Harvey is a feature writer at the Sun he gets to share his nagging doubts with the world.
He notes: “And what about the lack of tears from the couple?
“The couple had been told by experts not to show emotion in case the person believed to have abducted their daughter was watching and getting a thrill from their behaviour.”
Hmm…
And what about him? Harvey says: “Gerry’s matter-of-fact blog — sometimes describing the weather and runs on the beach — also seemed odd.”
Odd indeed. It may even be odder than the Sun’s anti-peado Find Maddie campaign which saw its sister paper the News of the World stick a giant inflatable wanted poster of the child on a Portugal beach. Odder than the Sun’s drive for yellow ribbon and stories talking of paedos and kidnap.
But what does it mean?
Harvey considers: “The McCanns may be blameless, heartbroken parents.
But my doubts — thinking the unthinkable — persist.
I really hope I’m wrong. For the sake of my faith in human nature, I really hope I’m wrong.”
Fingers crossed…
Posted: 15th, September 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann, Tabloids Comments (648) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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October 24th, 2007 at 11:22 am
A coloboma affects vision not mental health, i would highly disregard this as a reson for potential harm.
I personally dont it is realistic they can be responsible, otherwise why would they have set up a whole worldwide search for her?!
September 18th, 2007 at 6:27 am
Molly said ? was it Molly, Mr. McCann picture holding up yellow bracelets?
September 17th, 2007 at 11:49 am
[...] Week’s PicturesAnorak - I think this is the very reason they have kept this circus going and why they have made this as high profile as possible. and no doubt if their bullshit about being set up don t work and they do get charged i expect some smart arse lawyer will get … [...]
September 17th, 2007 at 5:06 am
Grapes of Wrath,
About 623. Yes, I think so too. Today whatever it was disappeared quietly while I was asleep. Having been on the verge of tears about the thought for two days made waking without much better. Just the simple things help.
September 16th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Just catching up after a day in the vineyard. Oh, does that make me a drunk too? Fraid not. Some of us can appreciate the finer things in life. Without over indulging. Addictions are not fashionable, you know, if you’re over 35, that is…
OBSERVATIONS:
597 - Stop trying to be someone you are clearly not, really! And those initials are a weak attempt - as well as wrong. You don’t think I’d give out a real email address on this forum, do you???
601 - Well said Karen! Your comments, observations and opinions are “spot on” and you go one step further by offering suggestions/solutions that are constructive in nature. Can we trade Paulette in for you?
602 - Paulette - PS: but U do come off as bashing Americans. If you are one, it still doesn’t give you the right to not only ridicule or put them/us down but such unbridled comments don’t behoove you. IMHO, you should learn to temper these comments and show more restraint. It comes off as if you’re desperately trying, to fit in here, by selling your soul to the devil. Perhaps it’s a harsh analogy, but so is your post. If you must continue to do this, I would suggest adding a “IMHO” before your opening statements prior to shredding Americans to pieces.
Also, I think you should strongly consider forfeiting your American citizenship. You no longer live in the States, and you don’t like to be associated with them/us and you seem to never have a single postive comment on the topic of Americans. But I believe that you will hold onto it, because it gives you that self-righteous, indignation to get on your soapbox and knock down the most wonderful country in the world. According to the majority of people polled WORLDWIDE by Harris Interactive and the Jupiter Media.
Let me ask you, why do you think all these immigrants are dying to get in to America? It’s not to sign up for organ transplants. No, it’s to find work, and a future in THE LAND of opportunity. I recognize that you feel it will put you in a better light with the anti-american posters on this forum. But I hate to break the news to you, it will actually have the reverse effect. Because once a traitor, always a traitor. Remember a bloke named Benedict Arnold? Hmm…. I think the British smartened up to those tactics a long long time ago. So please, don’t feel you need to bash our American culture and people to fit in here. Because you don’t. And it hurts your credibility factor when doing so.
623 - I’d say it’s quite obvious that you’ve got a rat on the roof! (err…a decomposing mouse in the house).
September 16th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Grahame! Absolute codswallop!!
September 16th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Oh, has it been confirmed by third-party that she did not have any of the more serious features that can be associated with coloboma (her eye cleft)? Have the parents made this clear in any of their many many interviews? Because I have come across nothing on this. Which I find odd, as this girl being a challenging forever, no-cure high needs child of a strung-out didn’t-sign-up-for-this parent would be one of the statistically most common scenarios for child harm. The coloboma is enough to raise the question. And yes, coloboma on its own can constitute ‘disabled.’
September 16th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
She wasn`t disabled,who made that one up?
September 16th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
“more than stretching it”?? Most children harmed
are harmed or killed by their parents. FACT.
And the percentage of those discovered to have been harmed-by-parents is MUCH higher
when the child is disabled. FACT.
So it is a reasonable valid question, with madeleine already having coloboma (eye), and already described by own family as “challenging” child, to consider whether she was more disabled even than that.
Such an obvious, obvious question.
Separately, I think the pretend-unlocked patio doors is a red herring. Nobody went in or out except them during dinner, even by their own story. Of course these people wouldn’t leave two infants and toddler unsupervised (sedated or not) in unlocked place… of course not. But better for someone to suffer the public outrage of ’stupid neglectful parents’ than the outrage/jail sentence of ‘accident or euthanasia of disabled child’. I too fell for the ‘how could they….’
Imagine the same story but with a locked door and no evidence of forced entry: everything changes. Abduction no longer possible. So the door HAD to be said to be unlocked. With a lot of high-profile PR on their great parenting skills to balance this and mitigate fallout.
September 16th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
632 Paul King
The allegation that Kate refused to answer 40 questions is just that, an allegation that appeared in the Portuguese press. It is not established fact. The allegation is that after 11 hours of questioning - and I think it was after midnight, Kate said she had had enough and was not going to answer any more questions.
11 hours straight of questioning and into the early hours of the morning - I would have told them shove it too. She also had her lawyer with her and if the Lawyer had advised her not to answer any more questions, it would be reasonable for her to follow that advice
September 16th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
634 graham
The media are not pushing this because to suggest a couple would go on holiday to a foreign country to euthanase their child because of an obscure syndrome is more than stretching it.
Occam’s razor.
September 16th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
I find it strange that there is almost no discussion on news or web or blog sites on the very solid possibility that this child was a disabled, high-needs child with the incurable CHARGE syndrome. I have yet to see any clear statement from family confirming or denying this. (Not that such a statement would be evidence: there is no single clear test for CHARGE, so it could be neither proved nor disproved). Why does this matter? IMAGINE: Socially successful image-conscious (Gerry’s PR, kate’s mode of physical presentation), physically fit (gerry won athletic awards) doctor parents, who already are hands-off enough that a family holiday involves putting VERY YOUNG infant-toddlers in resort daycare EVERY DAY …: imagine such parents, having — unexpectedly, after years and IVF — a disabled high-needs child. A child who will always be challenging, require medical intervention, visual and hearing problems, which in turn cause learning issues, social issues, and some major physical/genital/hormonal issues — with a syndrome that has NO CURE and will require massive family support and selfless nurture –a child who would be a challenge even for experienced, nurturing, selfless, hands-on parenting types. A child who would always disrupt the lifestyle these people had previously led.Now imagine that child — about to start school, to start her life in ‘the world’, where her problems will become more known and perhaps formally diagnosed, where outsiders will be involved/caring along with parents, where parents will have many more expected responsibilities — imagine that child, just weeks prior to this, suddenly and inexplicably ‘disappearing’ while the family is on holiday.
I speculate that smart, attractive, physically healthysuccessful image-conscious doctor parents, who make life and death decisions all the time, (play ‘god’) may find it difficult to imagine this child’s life as good and worthy and worth living (in their terms), and may find it easy to convince themselves that she’d be better off gently ‘put to sleep’ now. Perhaps they convinced themselves they were doing it ‘for the twins.’ Of course, in realitty this is traumatic for theb twins, kills a child, and it is the parents whose lives become infinitely easier. But very easy to rationalize their behaviour and perhaps even invovle close doctor friends. And once doctor-friends have assisted euthanasia of a disabled child, their silence is assured.
But Madeleine didn’t have charge?
Check Charge org links: she had several major and minor features and some typical behavioural patterns: more than just the coloboma. Not all CHARGE kids have facial palsy! There are several i pictures of a charge kids (look under ‘typical charge face’) who seem to have cute, normal-looking faces. **The syndrome’s symptoms may be mild to severe.***
That means: Not all CHARGE kids have the extreme facial palsy seen on CHARGE info websites!! Read carefully the cluster of features and see that even the little we know shows a high degree of fit.
- note coloboma. Vision issues are so bad that coloboma ALONE qualifies you as DISABLED.
Even if they are innocent of killing her, leaving a visually disabled kid ALONE at NIGHT would be terrifying–makes child even more vulnerable and at risk.
- CHARGE nose: wide square bridge–up to where joins forehead, VERY distinctive and madeleine’s fits the pictures of even more sever CHARGE-faced children: she does not have the obvious palsy (may have mild; see mouth); but she does appear in many pictures top have the CHARGE nose, including the “thick nostrils” (thck skin around, not openings themselves–again, see charge links pictures and look at madelience; it’s very distinctive.
- “perseverative behaviour” of CHARGE
Uncle described her as a “challenging” child. Not ‘hyper’ or ‘noisy’ or ‘active’, but “challenging.” See CHARGE syndrome and “perseverative behaviour.”
In kate’s interview with reputable paper, the infant for first “5 or 6 m onths” would cry for 18 hours straight: she says “We” (meaning she; I doubt maddie could tell time) would “watch the clock” (waiting/desperate for gerry’s return.) — sleep-deprived, exhausted. Kate explained it as “colic.” Perhaps it was. Charge kids often have ear/nose/throat breathing difficulties, including painful ear infections. Her admittance that madelience was a difficult infant. (can cause all sorts of bonding issues, and is major family stressor)
- growth anomalies, stunted growth, small stature are typical of CHARGE: even at three years old, many have commented on her small size. This doesn’t prove CHARGE but does fit it.
- wide forehad, eyebrows, large eyes, small chin, and small mouth also typical of CHARGE face. This doesn’t prove CHARGE but does fit it. As many children have these features, does not yet look much odd. Note nose bridge again, though, and see CHARGE links.
- CHARGE links describe social withdrawal due to vision.hearing issues and in some cases lack of sense of smell. Warner resort creche staff described madeleine as having difficulty socializing with the other kids. This doesn’t prove CHARGE but does fit it.
- CHARGE kids have sleep issues (difficulty settling/sleeping) and difficulty with some forms of sedation (doesn’t work)– see CHARGE info links.
- Did madelience have mild CHARGE syndrome? Was she more than they could handle?
Disabled children are statistically MOST AT RISK of being harmed or killed by their parents.
Looking after special-needs child FOREVER: exhausting, unglamorous, nigh-nurture, selfless and plain unpaid hard work. If you don’t do that work, you look like bad parents–so you have to do that work– did they feel trapped?
cardiologist (let alone a controlliong, image-cosncious, cardiologist) has a child with incurable heart defect? Disabled, motor, social, vision probelms, school issues, hormonal issues to come, and a 50% chance of having CHARGE kids if she were to live and reproduce? Would her parents person consider such a life not worth living? Would her parents arrange her sedated overdose, gently ‘put her to sleep’ to preserve their own quality of life?
The fact that she had coloboma, reported behavioural issues, and disappeared is enough reason to make sure this was not euthanasia of a disabled child by slefish parents.
Where is the disability advocacy groups in UK??? Why is media not mentioning this reasonable possibility?
l
September 16th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Spudgun states,
SPUDGUN Says:
September 16th, 2007 at 3:04 am
nononethere 582:
How could the same be said of the Portuguese Media? At least they printed what they believed, and at least some of those claims have clearly come to fruition because they now form part of the evidence as submitted to the Judiciary. Whereas the BRITISH media published nothing that didn’t correlate the Canonised notion of the McCanns. At least the Portuguese deliberated the British Media claims with dignity and at least consideration. ‘Lying British Scumbags’ would have been an appropriate story to run. And you DO, do this Forum an injustice. Why do you preposterously presume, that because I am engaged in the Media, that I wouldn’t want to post here or discuss the case? Do you assume that such a person would not inhabit such a Forum? Are you not aware that ALL the bonafide hacks spend considerable time on here, collating discussions and following up on postings?
That is laughable, all that the Portuguese media have printed to date have been speculations just like the British. None of us are no wiser now than at the start of this investigation. But somehow you profess to know so much, to be so in the know regarding this case. I don’t buy your claim that you being supposedly legitimately involved in media position would then spend hours posting on this forum. This forum is for bored people who have nothing better to do with their time. I am only posting because it is sadly addictive but nothing on this site has been informative -absolutely NOTHING, including your constant tid bits of so called information. You strike me as someone who wants to get off on pretending that they have all these contacts so that other bozos on this site will turn to you for answers as they seem to be doing. I would love to know who you really work for and what your real job is buddy because it is not in journalism or in “investigative media”. Somoene who does research for a living knows how to be discreet and you are hardly discreet.
Also your intellect is questionable as you seem to insult people who do not agree with you. You immediately comment that they must be alcoholics. Is that the best you can come up with…please people stop listening to this moron.
September 16th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
£80,000 will be drawn from the fighting fund set up to help the search for the missing Madeleine,that sounds like a good way to get your hands on the money since they just said they were not to use the money to pay for the legal costs.
It`s an intelligent way of getting some money, half goes to the advertising campaign and maybe half to pay for the legal costs,we wont know how much it actually costs the advertising campaign,am i right?
About 40 questions that Mrs McCann previously refused to answer in interviews in Portugal have been sent to British police …Why refuse to answer????What is she covering?I just cant understend it,if you have nothing to hide why not answer all the questions?
September 16th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
626 Chris
I agree with you. But going on and on about the McCanns leaving their children unattended does NOT make them murderers or make them evil and uncaring parents. They made a MISTAKE.
They should NOT be thought of with the same regard you would a kidnapper/Pedophile/murderer.
I personally would not have done what they did but it was probably a far smaller risk than just putting them in a car and going for a drive. They were very unlucky.
September 16th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
626 Anonymous
You aren’t very bright, are you - advocating parents in their situation, with the police and media scrutinizing their every word, facial expression and move, break the LAW openly.
628 Anonymous
You dislike me for posting factual (as much as I am able to) rebuttals to the sheer nonsense some people post here?
Fine, dislike away, but I think your hatred is because you believe the McCanns are evil and guilty of something and you don’t like it when someone calls upon facts that tend to refute your beliefs.
September 16th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
630
Neither the door at the back of the apartment nor the shutterd blinds were damaged according to all reports. The outside blinds-similar to those my relatives in Germany have are virtually impossible to jemmy (which is why they fit them) without the greatest difficulty. You can only open them from the inside.
Warner, the owners have stated that their doors and windows have sophisticated locking systems. The patio door facing the pool are was unlocked or locked all according to which GMcCann reported atatement you want to take as true.
If it was a local abductor he would likely know the area and the complex.
September 16th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
624 John
You are perfectly correct, but I didn’t say it WAS an enclosed space I said “gives the impression of an enclosed space”
Most people feel safe in their own homes. The reality is that safety is an illusion.
With a sledgehammer/crowbar, a determined person can get into almost any house in under a minute. Windows are joke as far as security is concerned. If you have a steel cored door with reinforced heavy duty hinges and door frame and bars on every window, you would be a lot safer, but it is likely a determined person could get on the roof, rip a few tiles/slates up, punch/cut their way through the under felt and they’re in!
September 16th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Does anyone remember a little boy called BEN who also disappeared years ago. Taken from outside their apartment I believe. I cannot recall if his family came under the same criticism but he was never found. Years later his family still in search thought they sighted him in some remote place. If Maddie was taken for her blonde hair blue eye’d persona, at the delicate impressionable age of 4yr I dare say it wouldn’t take long for her to forget her McCann family and nobody would know or care in some remote place.. Maybe she will become another Ben in our history books.
September 16th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
623. The Real Stig Says:
September 16th, 2007 at 11:45 am
619 Chris
When my brother and I were young, I think we were 5 and 6 respectively, my parents left us alone in a cabin aboard a ship while they went to attend a function elsewhere on board……
My parents did suffer for their ‘neglect’ …….
***************************************************
You’re telling me! It’s immensely obvious from your posts how much your parents suffered. Sometimes I feel I am totally empathizing with their suffering when I read your comments.
Well your honesty and abillity to really look at yourself is refreshing.
September 16th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
623. Unfortunately we live in a different world now. I’m 45, when I was (one of three) we could go off on our bikes allday, play in the street, you knew all the neighbours, all the neighbours children etc you definately had more freedom. Now we have teenagers on cocaine, hoodies etc who just hang, teenagers getting killed weekly.
Whether the Mccans committed this crime or not, with their jobs in the public sector they must have heard loads of stories from their patients how in this day and age could they have left such tiny children not once, but every night. They say “actions speak louder than words” Ijust think the whole thing is unemotional & irresponsible. Whatever the final outcome what a dreadful thing to have to live with.
September 16th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
620. The Real Stig Says:
September 16th, 2007 at 11:30 am
616 Dick Private
The reason the McCanns did not hire a PI is because they are legaly unable to.
________________________________________________________________
It’s incredible isn’t it? Suddenly we are to believe the McCann’s would be law abiding citizens and not break the law in order to find their child?
Please wake up!
September 16th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Moderation,
What do you make of the fact my life was good but after reading all of this bad news found a snake on my front porch. The next thing after being afraid to go out for the rest of the day my daughter said something was stinking from the attic. I mention to my husband and he ignores but finally today confirmed he had been in the attic. Now there is a air purify machine in the living room and he never answers but only sits in another room watching old movies. The smell is still bad and no explanation. I am about ready to go missing.
September 16th, 2007 at 11:48 am
The Warner compound is not an enclosed space- there is easy public access front and back.
September 16th, 2007 at 11:45 am
619 Chris
When my brother and I were young, I think we were 5 and 6 respectively, my parents left us alone in a cabin aboard a ship while they went to attend a function elsewhere on board.
Of course they checked back on us regularly but many of the holier-than-thou parental saints bleating away on this site would consider that unforgivable.
My parents did suffer for their ‘neglect’ - I ordered treats using the telephone - which were brought to the cabin by a nice steward. The cost was added to their bill of course.
Have any of you looked at the layout of the Mark Warner compound where they were staying? It’s not referred to as a ‘compound’ for nothing - it gives the impression of an enclosed space, so I can see how people could be lulled into a false sense of security. Leaving the children was a mistake - an error of judgment, but that is all.
The McCanns showed plenty of emotion in the early days of this sorry saga - people seem to have short memories and have forgotten that.
September 16th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Also why does the NOTW headline with Man who Could Clear McCanns when is evidence could point away from the abduction theory.
September 16th, 2007 at 11:30 am
616 Dick Private
The reason the McCanns did not hire a PI is because they are legaly unable to.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2449011.ece
September 16th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Obviously I would want the best surgeon, the best lawyer and these people in this case are obviously highly intelligent. Having good parental skills are a completely different matter, you are a carer, responsible, emotional.
September 16th, 2007 at 11:22 am
608 Chris
Would you prefer that a Dr or surgeon you were seeing regarding a serious health problem was dumb?
Since when was being ‘clever’ a crime or sign that you were a criminal or guilty of a crime you might be accused of? Some people think being intelligent/clever are good traits.
If someone accused you of a crime and you thought yourself to be innocent - would you prefer to hire a dumb solicitor or a clever one?
September 16th, 2007 at 11:11 am
616. I have 3 children. Regardless of the boot of the car, dna, etc, all I know is that if I was in their shoes, I couldn’t possibly let the other children attend a creche daily, I would have flown a trusted member of my family to help with the other children in the hours that I would be unable to function. I couldnt have gone jogging, I couldn’t have appeared with different jewellery on everyday it would be the furthest thing from my mind. I wouldn’t have washed the cuddle cat, I would want to smell my child. If other people wanted to set up a fund and sell bracelets, fine, but I couldn’t do it. I also could never have left them night after night in an unlocked apartment it just seems absurd for two highly intelligent professionals to behave like this on a family holiday, have they a history of this? Please God let there be a conclusion to this dreadful case.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Yeh stalemate