Madeleine McCann: Saving Heather Mills, Journalists’ Kidzzz And Sick Jokes
MADDIE WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann, Kate McCann and Gerry McCann
THE TIMES: “Sorry, no more babies. Eco-doctor’s orders…”
Says Judith O’Reilly: “On holiday you become a Hydra-headed ‘problem to be dealt with’”
Judith is talking about her kidzzz
Our recent holiday highlights included a stiff-jawed Cumbrian hotel restaurant manager informing us the children’s menu finished at seven sharp and warning us not to allow our children to “run round the dining room” if we came down at 7.01pm.
They also included a smug Eastern European receptionist [a ruddy foreigner] shrugging off the confirmed booking of interconnecting rooms and forbidding us to put the seven-year-old, five-year-old and two-year-old in a bedroom on their own across the corridor, which obviously, in these post-Madeleine McCann days, is just what we were planning.
That sarcasm? Hard to tell when the entire piece reads like a parody…
DAILY TELEGRAPH: “Edinburgh Festival 2008: sick jokes galore, but no killer punchline”
Sick jokes. Let’s ‘ave ‘em…
Making particularly impressive waves are the Welsh miserabilist Rhod Gilbert and the English bitterness merchant Andrew Lawrence. (Lawrence on David Beckham: “Most of us have a skeleton in their cupboard. He takes his out in public.” Gilbert on shopping for duvets: “I asked the shop-assistant what filling I should have. She said, ‘Get down’ - so I hit the deck.”)
Sick?
And yet, if one joke most deftly reflects both this year’s bleak undercurrents and the - in all senses - tragic preoccupations of the moment, it’s this, by her: “The only way Heather Mills can redeem herself now is to find Madeleine McCann.”
More of an observation than a joke…
BELFAST TELEGRAPH: “Maddie’s dad issues fresh appeal for information”
Gerry McCann has launched a fresh plea for information about missing Madeleine — and still “strongly believes” his daughter will be found alive.
Alive.
Almost a month after the official investigation closed, determined dad Gerry does not accept the verdict of the Portuguese police files that claim she is “most probably” dead.
Dead. What a lovely spot of speculation to begin the week with…
SUNDERLAND ECHO: “A campaign to set up a European-wide missing child alert system has won the backing of a North East MEP.”
Fiona Hall has signed to the scheme, which now has the support of more than half of all MEPs.
The alert system would activate as soon as a child is reported missing, with photos and details of lost kids passed to the media, and alerting police and border officials.
Calls for the system to be introduced came after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Although what good it would have done is speculation…
Posted: 18th, August 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Madeleine McCann, Tabloids Comments (527) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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August 19th, 2008 at 8:49 am
New fred now, Coco.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Good Morning Commentariats and attendant Half-Wits?
Been hard catching up on the past few days - but have popped on and off and it looks like ill winds be a blowin’ about.
I bet there are a few people who are feeling a bit apprehensive at the moment - a bit unsure of the way things are pouring out of the police files onto the breakfast tables lol!
I must say that the UK Press in general are getting a wee bit braver - taking tentative steps towards the tsunami - or deluge of information we are about to receive! Oooooooooh! I like a good read!
August 19th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Intriguing.
Hmmmmm….now when exactly were those handwritten timelines written.
Could they possibly have been written pre-”alarm” ?
Russell O’Brien handed them over to the police ??
And how could printed 10×15 poster type photo(?s) of MM be produced and
handed to the Police within an hour or so of the “alarm” and no accessable
printer within the holiday complex could have printed this/them ?
Courisor and courisor.
August 19th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Good morning World.
August 19th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Here’s a sick joke !
Garry Glitter (Gadd) is being released from prison, and will probably return to the UK. (Sky news)
Put him on the case. He’s an expert at finding young girls !!
Boom, Boom !
August 19th, 2008 at 7:02 am
I notice with no surprise that the barmy brigade avoided any reference to a simple question, that is obviously because the answer negates their rabid assertions, perhaps they would like another look perhaps they might find the guts to explain why the law should be different for the McCanns…….aka….string em up ask questions later…..
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The McCanns like everyone else are innocent until proven guilty, you do not prove innocence you prove guilt…….if you can, perhaps that is why the thread is sliding, present viable and authenticated explanations for the mythical smell of death i.e. cadaverine, people ignore it as they ignore all facts in this case, that do not fit their agenda…………..innocent until proven guilty, now what part of that tenet of British justice do you find hard to comprehend.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wanker Watson I remember you, the terrorizer of Patch, still fawning over Stevo ?
August 19th, 2008 at 3:46 am
Hi Karen! Just clocking in and touching cloth!
I was giggling about that msg to Jules. So many times a day do I want to do that myself! However there is nothing nicer than seeing a pompous arse coming on here having had a bad education telling us how thick we are!
I see that there is more fury and devastation in the Clan Camp.
‘Tis an ill wind wot is blowin’ about them - for sure! And as for that there time-line torn from a child’s book - fucking pathetic attempt - as are the diries according to KM.
‘Tis a very ill wind! I can see their starved lips in the gloam!
Nice wad a cash for fuck all going to the new paedy-busters from North America that cannot have their names disclosed - coz they are like our SAS!
No need to tell you Karen that I have still not had my own free offer taken up yet! The Clan don’t want me onboard in this …… searching! lol
August 19th, 2008 at 2:20 am
Night Ola.
Night everyone.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:10 am
sick and sad and spiteful and… it’s FADO
August 19th, 2008 at 1:59 am
Coco
I was only correcting Jules’s spelling for a joke. I haven’t gone all pompous…
Although sometimes I get really earnest about stuff and then feel a bit foolish.
(and sick and sad and spiteful and….
)
August 19th, 2008 at 1:52 am
Ola
They were clearly desperate to get their story straight before the PJs arrived.
I’m sure the McCanns deserve a week of public sympathy, a few weeks of tutting about the child care arrangements and then for us all to look out for MM just is case - they don’t deserve a fanbase or the press protection or the political interference. IMO.
(yeah I know it’s sick and sad and all the rest of it - so there’s no need for anyone to get repetitive strain injury telling me
).
August 19th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Excerpt from ‘The Truth of the Lie’ by Gonçalo Amaral (pages 136/137)
18 August 2008
Thanks to ‘lisbonirish’ for translation
The first investigator who went to the apartment after the alarm was raised was informed of the existence of a plan for checking on the children while the parents dined one hundred metres away. At the time, Russell O’Brien handed over two lists handwritten on the inside cover of a children’s book, a sticker activity book for children more than 3 years of age. We believe the book was Madeleine’s and we do not understand why they tore off the cover of the child’s book. A child had just gone missing and all its belongings should be precious to those who loved her. Was there really no other paper around? Not even a simple napkin? The question hangs in the air and the response is yet another contradiction. The lists contained the possible record of the checks in the apartment.
http://www.mccannfiles.com/id79.html
August 19th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Night Maria.
Totje
I’ve had a great time in Edinburgh. It’s been really inspiring. I have to direct a play this year and also write one - so I’ve got a lot of ideas. And the people are amazing - I’ve met lots of actors and directors. I want to be a producer. I had to help out with a production and making all the phone calls etc was fun - and the theatre is more in need of producers than it is in need of creatives.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Good night everyone!
August 19th, 2008 at 1:02 am
chenier
I think you are keeping a sterile and pointless argument on the boil. I can only try to guess why.
But I am not aware of any rational person ever saying that any particular pieces of research provide the final answer to most questions. Rational people know that research is needed precisely because not all the answers are known with certainty. You will find that researchers often disagree strongly with one another, notoriously so. Figures can be used to show what researchers want it to show.
With regard to the most effective response to missing children, I do not believe that any rational person would completely ignore the opinions of the leading relevant charities. I doubt if Paul Tuohy, Chief Executive of Missing People, would relish his association with the long-standing campaign to introduce cross-border consistency in Europe’s response to missing children, being sneered at as just “touchy-feely” or simply finance-driven.
But I could be wrong.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Oops
the words l i n k p l e a s e caused a http 500 error better be carefull now not to get trapped by the spam filter 
August 19th, 2008 at 12:54 am
Karen
I can’t remember the name either.
Was it fun at Edinburgh? Did you meet loads of new interesting people?
[Remember never ever reveal too much over here, so if you don't want to answer it's okay].
I’ve found the file btw
August 19th, 2008 at 12:49 am
Totje
I don’t know actually.
I’m usually so caught up in an argument that I don’t notice that kind of stuff - except poor Saul was complaining really early one morning when no one else was around.
My last week of Edinburgh madness. I’ll miss it.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:42 am
Oh Karen that’s a nice Gravator too.
Is he/she yours? [I really need to find my file about the smiley's]
August 19th, 2008 at 12:41 am
In English please
August 19th, 2008 at 12:41 am
Thanks Mods - that was really fast.
Artemis
M&A
You are most welcome!
August 19th, 2008 at 12:40 am
It has to be said - after being fame hounds for over a year - what are they hiding for now???
IMO it must be the hour MM was left unseen.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:40 am
“Poor Saul though. This is his worst nightmare.”
KAREN!
Who else has been complaining about the smiley’s?
August 19th, 2008 at 12:38 am
Chatelaine,
Absolutely!
All only my personal belief:
It was not like other cover-ups, when the action itself gets considered necessary for the state well-being and might be committed by state forces and then covered up. The actual crime was committed by certain ordinary individuals, probably by accident even, and at most only the cover-up might have been political. So as soon as politicians get tired of the pink trio, they may drop them hard.
This is no princess. We may know all the truth soon.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Hiya Totje
I can get an avatar if I change my email address - which I have - so I might be in moderation half the night and then there will be Pussycats everywhere.
Poor Saul though. This is his worst nightmare.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Totje,
Sorry. I can almost hear the gnashing of gums
August 19th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Toothless old men can’t do any gnashing
-
Hi Karen
August 19th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Just testing stuff out. Sorry.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:30 am
Hello everyone.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:30 am
Marie Nicholas Says:
August 18th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
[...] It isn’t over, though I don’t really believe we will know what happened before someone talks, maybe in years from now.
+++++
One day someone will be off-guard, cross, pissed, pissed-off and tell or have a slip of the tongue, IMO
And on that note I bid you “all” good night
August 19th, 2008 at 12:28 am
Jaysus, I can almost hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth