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
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September 18th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Just a though… has there been a reward set by the Mccann’s for the safe return of Maddie? Surely, they can afford this…
September 18th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
761 - Natalya - NO they should NOT give up! Hardly now … they’re hiring the best of the best at the moment …. to protect their own interests entirely!
When are they going to slow down to a panic and start thinking of why they are in the full glare of the media at the moment? Their selfish actions led to their little girl disappearing off the face of the earth.
Many thousands of kind-hearted people gave money to a fund that was to SEARCH FOR MADELEINE. I’d be slightly more than a little peeved at the moment if I’d given to that fund!
USE the money for what it was intended …. HIRE THE BEST OF THE BEST PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS ….. but then again, perhaps this isn’t actually what the fund was intended for??????
September 18th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
(766) Canada:
I believe the 80,000 campaign came from the original Madeleine fund (the one worth 1 million). I can’t be sure, but that was my understanding of it. I agree with you that it would be a bit silly to set up a new fund for the advertising, especially as they have the other fund that is worth a hefty sum.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
761 Natalya
They shouldn’t give up but this really isn’t going to find her. She’s dead and 6 feet under.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
760 Wanderer:
In the Liverpool Echo newspaper:
But the McCanns unveiled a new £80,000 advertising campaign to ask people to carry on the hunt for their daughter.
Tycoon Richard Branson has offered the couple £100,000 to help meet any legal costs as they bid to prove their innocence.
A fund established in the aftermath of Madeleine’s disappearance in the Algarve in May now stands at more than £1m, but directors have already said none will be used for lawyers.
The £80,000 will be drawn from the fighting fund and focus on Spain, Portugal and other parts of Europe.
It will involve newspaper, TV and billboard adverts “to leave no stone unturned in the search for Madeleine”.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
738 Real Stig: I see that Stevo has got under your skin with the firmly held belief that (s)he and (s)he alone has an insight into how individuals should both react to events, and display emotions. Checking on last nights postings, Stevo gave as an example the public displays of grief evident following the ‘people’s princess (Diana).’ This extraordinary example seems to me to be the perfect Yin to Madeleine’s Yang. Complete and utter strangers grieving for a media created icon. In Madeleine’s case, the criticism is directed towards those intimately involved with her who do not grieve in a publicly approved manner. We will all recall how our Monarch was bullied and publicly pilloried until she responded in a manner which was acceptable to us (or rather the media). Incidentally, although I have not had time to look at all of the postings, how come I don’t see any mention of convicted paedophile von Aesch, who has shot another man and killed himself. On -Line Daily Express reports that he is in the frame for Madeleine’s disappearance. Precons, recent known visit to Spain at time of M’s disappearance, reported to have a white van (apparently seen outside McCann’s appartment), implicated in the abduction and murder of a child resembling M in appearance. Seems like a reasonable theory to me - predatory paedophiles who kill are probably quite rare (relatively), and this monster seems to tick a lot of boxes. Try Occam’s razor as a framework for theorising - simple explanations tend to be the norm - rather than wild theorising that Russian aircraft invading British airspace are relevant (see previous posting somewhere above, i can’t be bothered to look for the drivel again to give you the #).
September 18th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
I have enjoyed everyone’s well thought out scenarios etc - I just spent 30 mins on youtube, looking at Maddie, and those images are heartbreaking, she was four, she was real, she should have been allowed to grow up. I don’t have very warm feelings to the McCanns, but sometimes I think we lose sight of the most important person, I think the McCanns lost sight of her long ago, we shouldn’t
September 18th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Murat, Murat, Murat. The motive, the local contacts, the local knowledge.
McCanns - motive? No. Local contacts? No. Local knowledge, to hide a body amidst the media circus that began just after a few hours after Madeleine having been reported missing. Most definitely No. Get real.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
759 - Canada
What do you suggest - that they should just give up?
September 18th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
(760) Canada:
The new campaign is supposed to be for the McCanns’ legal expenses, not finding Madeleine.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Can anyone figure out the purpose of starting a new campaign spending over 80,000 dollars to advertise Maddy in Portugal and surrounding countries. Can’t people see that this is some kind of con. The campaign serves no purpose except to promote Mr and Mrs.McCon. If the last campaign did not find Maddy and her picture already sent all over the world, do they really need to start another?
September 18th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
(752-753)
There isn’t any evidence that will hold up now, the case is cold, which is why the police do need to start looking at ALL possibilities. That includes the McCanns, their friends, the hotel staff, local pedophiles or subscribers to such, possible abductors, relation of this case to other unsolved crimes, the possibility that she walked off, etc.
They keep saying that the police have no proof, we’ve heard it and as of now, I do believe it, or I believe we’d be hearing more/charges would be pressed. I think all parties need to step back and let the police do their job, not create a media circus that says they need to have their named cleared. I realize public perception can be easily skewed at times, but the McCanns still have a lot of people on their side and it looks like they won’t be charged with anything.
As I’ve said many times before, we need to stop go back to the heart of the case and that is finding a body, dead or alive, of Madeleine McCann and find out what happened to her, if possible. That will assure her justice, I worry about her justice before I worry about the parent’s justice (as it doesn’t look like they are being charged), same as lots of McCann supporters worried about Madeleine’s justice before they worried about Robert Murat’s justice. We need to find out what happened, if that involves uncomfortable questioning, so be it. Madeleine is still the true victim here.
As for the government being involved, I think it is somewhat normal for a government official to become involved (people usually reach out to their local politician for help), not as high up as Gordon Brown though.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
745 - The questioning of the Tapas 9 will be subject to Portugese jurisprudence and therefore the secrecy rules still apply.
749 - No member of the Portuguese police and no Portuguese legal expert has discredited it, yet.
It was discredited last week by Portugal police not the media.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Stig (739)
Well said. Thankyou for that.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
It’s going to be fairly interesting to see who is ADDED to the arguido list, and who is removed first! I reckon it’s about time the Mr RM be given his freedom. There’s even less “supposed” DNA evidence against him than there is against certain other parties!
Cannot wait until Thursday … the judge’s 10 days are up then!
September 18th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Wow Stig I am almost glad I looked in here to see how the circus is progressing. You have written the most sensible piece I have seen for a long time. Just to add my bit - I have a nasty habit of initially laughing when I get given really bad news so f*** knows what people would make of me.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
503 Stevo
” 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.”
Two primary school age kids. Possibly guilty as charged but I have been champing at the bit to write something about the perception of risk. This is probably as good an excuse as any but it will have to wait until later as being STINKY, I need to go and have shower, then I’ll grab myself a VERY small whisky and a piece of DARK chocolate and return to the fray.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Why is the government involved in prejudicing the investigation into the McCanns’ guilt or otherwise by controlling the media and brainwashing the public? My guess is that the government feel it is politically expedient to do so otherwise chickens may come home to roost somewhere too close for comfort - perhaps in the area of perception. There are certain categories of people in this country now that are being villified and the McCanns don’t fall into these. The categories are: single men, single men living with parents (mothers are the kiss of death), the elderly, the middle class( which the McCanns are not) dissidents (animal liberation, for instance). From this government’s viewpoint it is important to keep clear blue water between these categories of people and the rest. It is always necessary, for a corrupt government to survive, to have outcasts in society - people who don’t conform, or who don’t ‘consume’ enough or who, like the old, are just a nuisance (bed blockers they’re called). Then, like the Jews in Germany, if things go wrong there’s always someone to blame. The McCanns don’t tick the right boxes (or the wrong boxes in this case). They are doctors, (the NHS needs you!!), they are social climbers now celebrities, they have got kids (an essential accessory, even though there’s one less now), they, by luck or judgment, have managed to know some useful people and get them to commit themselves early on thus making it hard now for - say - Gordon Brown to switch off. So to keep the status quo and to not lose face the government is running this show until the lights fade and the actors leave the stage for more lucrative employment.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
740 - It does not take a genius to work out the value of whatever evidence they have.
Nada, nowt, zilch, nothing. However you say it, it amounts to one thing, no charges.
If there was one iota of proof of a crime, the McCanns would have been recalled to Portugal.
That may of course change in time, but for now they have nothing.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
747 - And change the St to read P
September 18th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
731 (Judge)
Erm, I’m commenting not on the case, but on:
1. The Media’s xenophobic attitude, reflected by their different response to the same event when the “lead characters” are British and when they are Portuguese.
2. The fact that statements are made by different members of the McCann family without even noticing that they totally contradict each other, reflecting their (PHILOMENA’s) need to be in front of the camera, saying something, ANYTHING.
You will notice that, even IF the evidence had been recently discredited, it hadn’t been when those comments were made - so they were, in fact, contradictory.
(By the way, I’m terribly sorry to say, but it hasn’t been discredited - what counts in a Portuguese court isn’t what a British forensic expert tells a British paper, but what a Portuguese expert will tell the court. No member of the Portuguese police and no Portuguese legal expert has discredited it, yet.)
Just for clarification: I don’t “know” what happened (unlike some people who “know” the McCanns are innocent, and some who “know” they did it) - I am simply interested in the global Political and Media circus that surrounds it all.
Therefore, there’s no need to get defensive: I’m not attacking the darling McCanns’ innocence. But you can’t possibly deny that Philomena’s antics have been misguided at best, idiotic at their worst. She has been singlehandedly responsible for alienating the Portuguese public and the Portuguese police.
The organized Media circus started collapsing in Portugal the moment she said the Portuguese police were incompetent and corrupt. No top-level PR guy will ever undo what she had done.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
(739) Stig:
Sorry to hear about your brother, thanks for sharing a personal, difficult experience while supporting your opinion on the matter.
(It isn’t a must to support such an experience in a public place, but I imagine it would be difficult to recap such an experience and post it for the public when it is easy and somewhat acceptable to take the “I just know” route and leave it at that).
September 18th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
738 The Real Stig
Bugger, add pompous to the list, I forgot that one
September 18th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
735 The McCann team seem to be very well connected and influencial.
Don’t know what to make of it. Can guess til the cows come home. But there’s something icky going on here. Even if it’s just showing up how shallow the media and it’s players are.
There’s a certain tackines to the narrative. And to the people on the McCann team. It’s as if they’ve lost reason and are going with publicity and emotion. Not realising that we are all a bit more clued up about how we feel about it.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
I myself cannot wait until K and G and the rest of the Tapas 9 get re-interviewed. Since there is no secrecy law in UK (is there?), we might get a better feel for who seems to be lying and who can be caught in a lie. I at least hope that the UK police aren’t influenced by Mr. Brown or Mr. Mitchell.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
738 - The Real Stig
I wish that I had said all that. I applaud you - and admire you.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
501 SSS
Your powers of observation impress me
That WAS me who said that, the person who said it wasn’t was just someone taking the piss.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
738 - The Real Stig - I have one thing to say to you : MADELEINE WAS A REAL PERSON TOO!
September 18th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
(740) Claire:
“Just goes to prove that the PJ were putting 2 and 2 together and making 5.”
I guess they could never get their comments submitted on this forum then; and we thought it was just the secrecy law!
(Tongue-in-cheek, for the record)
September 18th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
739: Have you read the 4 000 pages file? The point is: we don’t really know what evidence they might have, do we?