Madeleine McCann: Clarence Mitchell Speaks, Make Madeleine History And Breastfeeding
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann.
DAILY MAIL pages 10 and 11: “Madeleine cried for 18 hours a day. Kate tells of the special bond forged in the painful days of early childhood.”
Kate McCann is speaking with Portuguese magazine Flash!. This interview took place before Kate McCann was named as a suspect in Madeline’s disappearance. Kate says the first six months with Madeleine were “very difficult”. Madeleine had colic. “I had to carry her around permanently,” says Kate.
What does it mean, this interview that has “emerged”? That what you tell magazines can be taken out of context and used in evidence against you, or something else?
THE TIMES page 9: “McCanns go straight to the top in search for powerful backers.”
Gordon Brown is being kept abreast of the investigation on Kate and Gerry McCann, possibly by reading the British press and watching the news bulletins.
(Is any MP still wearing a yellow ribbon?)
The McCanns have a new spokesman. He’s called Clarence Mitchell. He resigned as head of the Government’s Media Monitoring unit to take this new post.
Mr Mitchell once offered: “There’s a whole level of debate taking place online which simply didn’t exist before and departments feel they need to be fully engaged in that.”
Look out for Kate’s blog.
DAILY MIRROR front page: “THE TIDE TURNS.”
“McCanns WON’T be ordered back to Portugal says Judge”
“Gordon Brown briefed on the case”
“New spokesman will declare Gerry and Kate innocent today”
Clarence Mitchell says: “They have nothing whatever to do with Madeleine’s disappearance.” And as the McCann’s new spokesman he should know.
Pages 4 and 5: “RAY OF HOPE.”
Madeleine has not been found but Kate and Gerry McCann will not have to fly back to Portugal for more questioning.
On the downside sales of the “Look for Madeleine” wristband are not going well in Portugal. In “LOCALS REJECTS ‘FIND HER’ BRACELETS,” this year’s Make Poverty History band is being turned down at a car boot sales in Praia da Luz.
Says one ex-pat: “It’s as if they want to forget something so horrible happened.” Or buy something less with their money?
Says another: “We can’t understand how they can carry on jogging after losing Madeleine. Gerry went to a hairdressers a few weeks after she disappeared and continued tennis lessons. The Portuguese feel they should b hysterical.” But not the British, who understand reserve…
THE SUN front page: “MADDIE COPS SLAPPED DOWN. KATE BACKED BY JUDGE. Mum won’t be hauled back to Portugal.”
Judge Pedro Anjos Frias rejected Portuguese police calls for the McCanns to return. “He is thought to have ruled the case to flimsy to justify the move.” Or, to put it another way, he has not received sufficient evidence to be convinced of the need for a trial.
Pages 4 and 5: “COPS CASE COLLAPSING.”
And: “McCanns tell Brown: We have solid defence.” Gordon Brown’s reaction to this news is not known.
THE INDEPENDENT page 32: Thomas Sutcliffe says the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been “yoked by journalists to another kind of story – the primal faction of fairytale”. Here “the beautiful child is swallowed by something that has emerged from the dark”.
It is, is it not, every child’s worst nightmare.
Page 4: “Kate McCann ‘will not be reinterviewed in Portugal’.”
DAILY EXPRESS front page: “MADELEINE POLICE CASE FALLS APART.”
“Judge refuses to recall the McCanns”
“Impossible to detect sedatives in hair”
“But slurs against the parents continue”
Slurs?
Pages 8 and 9: “My struggles to control Madeleine – BY KATE MCCANN.”
As told to Flash! magazine. The twins arrive. “The worst thing is that she started to demand lots of attention, especially when I was breastfeeding them.”
DAILY STAR front page: “MADDIE ALL SEVEN McCANN PALS IN FRAME.” The seven dwarves, to continue Mr Sutcliffe’s analogy?
“Cops set to name them as suspects.”
Pages 6 and 7: “BRIT PALS ALL SUSPECTS.”
The Tapas 9 are in the frame. This will put the lid – the tapas – on the case. Right?
“Maddie cops jet to UK as group face grilling” – Portuguese police are “planning” to come to the UK to continue the investigation. British police will conduct interviews.
DAILY TELEGRAPH page 8: “McCanns to be interviewed by British police.”
Kate and Gerry are also keen to reach Gordon Brown. A source tell the paper: “The McCanns do not expect help or influence to be exerted on their behalf but want to get messages to the very top that they are innocent.”
Does Brown read the Telegraph?
THE GUARDIAN page 35: “Never mind the high street: Branson sells his Virgin Megastores.”
No mention of Madeleine McCann, granted, but this news one day after Branson pledged to help the parents clear their names looks like interesting timing?
Posted: 18th, September 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (1,047) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
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September 18th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
528 Really? What is the name of the IKEA man? My colleague was asking the other day whether or not Bill Gates was the richest guy on the planet and I did say no (on a hunch, I don’t know this to be fact as I don’t follow such things) but he seemed interested.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
525
In that case maybe we should set up an Anorak fighting fund (should it be Anorak) they go after. People across the world would send money, Anorak could hire bigger and better legal team, and defeat the McCann machine in front of the world. Anorak could then use the damages to pay for PI’s to search for missing children.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
523
This is a good point. I am at work - how will they prove it’s me? I have never posted from my home or when I have been away at the weekends.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
SSS
The IKEA guy is the richest man on the planet, makes Abramovich look small fry. It would hardly be a good move for them if they started sueing people for speculation. Public opinion would firmly shift forever.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
507 - impressed
Thanks.
The reason why there’s so many hangers on to this is because basic parenting skills are virtually non-existent to a lot of people these days. The hangers on spoil their kids and run their family lives in a way that would shock anyone born pre-1960. Values have gone out the window in the UK and that’s why the nation is losing control and has a rampant “hoodie” mentality amongst the youth.
It all starts with parents like the McCanns and their hanger-on friends.
See - kids NEED guidance and role models in their lives. Look around the Mediterranean and you see the Italians, French, Spanish and Portuguese raising their children in a fantastic family way which the Brits have no idea about. I’m a Brit by the way…
I left the UK because it is on the bones of its arse with the delinquency borne out of bad parenting. I’m in my mid-40s but can remember badly behaved kids in school in the 1970s. I remember their parents saying “oh, my little Johnny wouldn’t do that…” Yeah right! That’s why little Johnny went to jail.
Parents think kids need choices and without a choice they’re somehow disadvantaged or unloved. Bullshit. Kids need a dominant set of parents who show them right from wrong and protect them. Parenting skills have nothing to do with class or race or where you live.
A lot of people will have forgotten this but I was outraged at the time…
Remember Tony Blair’s 16 yr old son found in a drunken comatose state in Leicester Square? Considering Blair was our leader, he came out and said to the nation “he won’t be the first 16 year old and he won’t be the last 16 year old to be drunk…” I’m not quoting that verbatim but the gist of it was that he played down the fact that his own son did wrong. The press did not continue with that story because again, it showed bad parenting.
The McCann case is about one thing; BAD PARENTING. That’s why we’re all inflamed over it.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I think that to even up the PR advantage enjoyed by the McCanns that Robert Murat should have two part-time PR workers seconded one from the UK and one from Portugal as he has dual nationality.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
520 ~ Veres… they won’t sue everyone… they’ll pick a target….. just like they did with the portuguese rag that dared to speak up…. but are they actually suing the paper…. given the developments a few days later I doubt it…
The issue here is that the sir clarence pr team is going into warp factor 10 to change the public perception… they’ve done the papers, they’ve done the tv [see itv last night 8pm] so whats left….. oh yeah the net….. are we gullible ….erm no…. so the only way is big stick…..
September 18th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
520 Forget IKEA - think Roman Abramovitch!
September 18th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Also if you’re posting from a fixed IP address from a large network where the IP address is shared by all PCs, they’ll have a job proving exactly who posted the comments surely? It could literally turn into the McCann’s and their team versus everyone. My money’s on everyone.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
516 Oh poo
In that case, I have no opinion except that I KNOW that the Teflon 2 aka sh!t don’t stink left Madeleine alone on May 3rd and this act, may or may not have led to her disappearance.
Should the T2 wish to sue me for saying their sh!t dont stink, please let them feel free and also, could they bring samples to court to prove it DOES in fact stink.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
If visible emotions don’t count my sister spent 4 years in drama school for nothing.
And if you go to the psychology and drama sections of any bookstore, whoever you are, you’ll find a ton of books about how people do react in most situations.
I think to have one oddly reacting McCann is unfortunate to have two oddly reacting McCanns looks like carelessness.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Actually thinking about it, if the McCanns sued everyone who’s cast a wild aspersion about guilt/ what happened or called them names of a derogatory manner, they’ll be richer than the IKEA dude in months!
September 18th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
For myself, everything I have said has been only my opinion and speculation (speculation = the comments made with ? after them).
Like I said previously sue me and see if any jury anywhere in the world finds me guilty of libel for voicing an opinion.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Surely if there’s an issue regarding the site being sued, the mods will delete anything that could be considered libellous immediately?
September 18th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
I agree it is possible that the last checker before Kate, a bit intoxicated, or distracted by a passerby, left the external door open by accicent. And that M escaped to “look for Daddy”.
A number of things could have resulted. Impulse abduction by wistful non-mother, or by someone intending harm, or fatal fall down steps, followed by parental coverup and bodyhiding.
The motive for the body hiding in this case is obscure. Mere fear of punishment for the neglect seems barely enough if they were acting rationally. Presence of unacceptible sedatives in all the kids is a stronger motive. We will just have to wait for hard evidence.
In the meantime we can estimate probabilities. For me it is now 10% stranger-abduction and 90% parental body-hiding, possible motives various.
But it is, and always has been, for me, 99.9% probability of serious child neglect, worthy of serious investigation, and prosecution in its own right if there is sufficient evidence.
Let the main investigation take it’s course more slowly and calmly. Prosecute the child neglect investigation at full speed, now.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
510 ~ SSS… there’s nothing wrong with expressing opinions… but be under no illusions…. an opinion is only an opinion if it is based on a fact… further more to publish a libel …it is not defence to say I believed it were true…. you have to show it is true… the burden of proof is upon you not the complaintant…
Blunger is right that the publisher of those libelous statements can also be punished…ie not just the author but the magazine [qed: website] can be sued as well.
But the important thing is stick to the facts…support your statements…research your theories….. free thinking is not a crime….
however, neglecting your children is…..
September 18th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
501. All right then, maybe you don’t stink.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Apart from telling the public to stop being beastly to the McCanns I am not sure
what Clarence Mitchell’s position as their PR man can do to find Madeleine McCann.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
504
I know that Blunger is going to be appalled by this, but I agree with him - plenty of what has been posted are the clearest possible libels.
If I ran Anorak I would be a tad worried at my legal expose should the solicitors acting for the Doctors McCann decide to open fire - they may well do so with a view to pointing to some of the wilder postiings as examples of some of the nonsense that is been said about the McCanns.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
#506 Stevo
I hope you are right. I hope Maddie is in a stable environment. It will be interesting to see if the twins run away. I know I would if I had to be around such loathsome people.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
485 - Stig, obviously the Dingo did it in both cases, but I happen to know that not only did the McCanns leave the kids alone and the door unlocked, they left doggie snacks under Madeleine’s pillow - “It was more temptation than I could bear”, howled the Dingo as he sneaked back into Oz.
Lindy wasn’t convicted because of her emotions, she was convicted because her story sounded like a piece of crap. No one liked Joanna Lees, she didn’t even get charged because bizarre as her story sounds something must have corroborated it.
I think the McCanns are innocent, but I still have a right to comment on their egocentric behaviour, their stupid statements, their P.R circus - and their stony smirking faces.
And you stink.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
504
I am not sure that expressing an opinion is leaving yourself open to a law suit. After all, I am not sure if anyone here is stating facts or claiming to be stating facts. I know for myself, I am merely expressing an opinion. I would like to see some one trying to sue me because they thought my opinion was wrong! Ridiculous!
If you are worried, perhaps you shouldn’t post?
September 18th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
If the careless parents had bothered to hire a sitter to sit with their 2 year old twins and 3 year old daughter, and the sitter had decided to spend the night at the bar instead, and one of the children had gone missing, whose fault would it be? Who would be under suspicion? Not the sitter, according to the McCann camp. No, according to the McCann camp, the sitter should hire a PR team and tell everyone how wonderful he or she is.
The loathsome parents can spend the rest of their lives trying to convince the public that they aren’t loathsome. Lots of desperate people need to make a living and they will do anything to pay the bills, including helping the loathsome not look loathsome.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Whoops again - I’m exaggerating. Its probably about 10%. But its enough.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
503 ~ Stevo …. well said … in a nut shell thats what this case is all about…
but it astounds me that they are getting away with it….why … because the gullible british media are hell bent are showing that they are being stitched up by the PJ…. don’t recall the PJ’s involved in this case when the mccanns were excercising their rights to be neglectfull parents…
But worse still why are sir clarence mcbranson et al supporting this charade…
fk if most people [irrespective of lass or wealth] had been so neglectful they would have been hung out to dry. What makes the mccann’s neglect so bad is they should know better. Thought thekids were safe… thats a fkg joke…. i protect my clohes more when I go on holiday… who in their right minds leaves their hotel room unlocked whilst out on the piss, let alone leave 3 kids in there..
come you pro mccanns get real !
September 18th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Here’s a new hyphothesis:
How about some Portuguese person knew the McCann kids were left every night alone and heard them crying and felt sorry for them, knowing their parents were gallivanting at the local bar?
How about Madeleine got out of the apartment and this “person” helped Madeleine and thought to themselves - “I can give you a better life than leaving you alone every night”?
Forget paedophiles…if she was snatched it might have been someone who felt they cared for her more than the parents did every evening.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
The Real Stig, one can be a suspect without there being enough evidence with to charge them. Although, I am not exactly sure how it works with the arguido status in Portugal.
Evolutionary psychology shows that human beings have evolved in such a manner that they are exceptional at telling when somebody is not telling the truth. It is not a simple as just saying the didn’t/did cry. Of course, the subconscious understanding of body language etc. is not perfect and can be distorted by prejudices.
Usually it is quite simple, when speaking to someone, to understand if they are telling the truth or not - it is another thing to prove it.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Do you not all see that around 50% of the postings here are wilfully, deliberately, well outside the law libelwise ?
And that there is now no doubt we are being monitored by people looking for reasons to close us down ?
When these posters return for more japes, and find Anorak gone, they will shrug and move on. Anywhere will do for them to frolic. But a valuable arena for open discussion of this case and, more importantly, the wider issues it raises, will be gone.
Maybe it’s when there is little news arriving - the children get restless.
Can anyone suggest somewhere else ? An open anonymous discussion forum where there is serious analysis of this case and it’s implications ? With everyone sanely keeping within the law of libel ? Because with fair and sensible phrasing there is absolutely no need to infringe it.
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Mods and Admin
Find Anorak gone, because of our posters? Not so, because of of a gagging order maybe, in a free country a democratic society? Equally we are free to tell the McCann circus to go away and stop it, are we not?
Its only speculation she was abducted after all, there are NO witnesses to that fact. All we do know , she is missing and she was alone with two children younger than her, and her parents were checking …..every half hour
September 18th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
490 - Impressed
I’ve been echoing that all along. Because as parent’s we don’t see the same responses that we’d expect from Kate and Gerry, that’s why we don’t feel for them. I feel like chewing the neglectful bastard out for leaving kids alone everynight. I’m actually disturbed that someone can qualify as a doctor with that mentality. Stig doesn’t see it and I can only assume he/she is not a parent or if he/she is, then Stig is of the same neglectful mentality as Kate and Gerry.
The McCann parents are 100% guilty of child neglect and so are members of the Tapas 9.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
501
If it isn’t you, it surely does SOUND like you Stiggy. Someone’s got you down to a T!
500 ROFL