Madeleine McCann, Rosemary West And The Fear Of Esther Rantzen
MADDIE WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann, Kate McCann and Gerry McCann
THE TELEGRAPH: “Esther Rantzen: Fear of paedophiles is harming children”
Esther Rantzen has admitted she blames herself for raising fears of paedophiles to such a degree that adults are now scared to help crying children.
Rantzen! Last week the Telegraph brought us: “Baroness Neuberger: Children will grow up not trusting anyone in Britain’s risk-averse society”
Very soon everyone will be agreeing with this new premise, it being the way opinion is formed: one celebrity says something; another agrees; the media reports it as fact; all hacks agree; a woman in the Daily Mail says she disagrees; a reader says it’s “common sense gone mad”; a celebrity agrees; and so on and on…
The veteran broadcaster, who founded the counselling service ChildLine, warned that young people are now being harmed by the widespread suspicion that anyone who has contact with children could be a child abuser.
Well, they could be…
Her fears were confirmed by an experiment she helped conduct in a busy shopping centre, which found that 99 per cent of adults chose to walk on by rather than going to the assistance of two children who looked lost and distressed. Even the handful who did stop admitted they were worried that people would assume they were trying to abduct the children.
You stop and help a child who turns out to be pretending to be lost and alone, a honey trap that allows for Esther Rantzen to spring out on your with a TV camera. Will anyone stop ever again? Rantzen! Can she be cured?
Unattended Children Will Be Sold As Slaves
This comes amid growing concern that in the wake of high-profile cases such as the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and the Soham murders, all adults are now viewed as paedophiles unless they can prove themselves innocent.
McCann… Paedos? How so? What does the Telegraph know?
DROWNED IN SOUND: an interview with popular beat combos Crystal Castles, The Teenagers (pictured) and These New Puritans
Who is your favourite daytime TV presenter?
Michael Teenagers: I don’t watch daytime TV.
Dorian Teenagers: Alexa Chung.
Thomas These New Puritans: Damilola Taylor and Madeline McCann.
HIGHLAND NEWS: Gordon’s got news for you
WHAT do Madeleine McCann, Gordon Brown, George Best, Jimmy White and killers Rosemary and Fred West, and the Yorkshire Ripper, have in common?
More jokes. Well, not one of them ever won the World Snooker Championship – for shame! C’mon Jimmy!
It’s writer Gordon Burn.
Entertaining the masses and selling books…
Posted: 3rd, October 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Madeleine McCann Comments (162) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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October 6th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Why are all our pages buggered up?
October 4th, 2008 at 9:08 am
brandon flours Says:
October 4th, 2008 at 8:39 am
“”I cant believe they’re not on the list”"
I think they are on the list…….but unnamed.
They have after all benefited from their scrounging off other people.
October 4th, 2008 at 8:39 am
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/53361/That-s-very-irritating-Fiona-is-Brits-most-hated-celeb/
FIONA Phillips is more annoying than the washout summer, chavs and Heather Mills.
The GMTV host, who is leaving the show at the end of the year, was voted most irritating celeb.
She beat Portuguese winker Cristiano Ronaldo, 23, junkie Amy Winehouse, 25, and whining James Blunt, 34.
The breakfast presenter, 47, topped the celeb list of shame for her cringe-worthy interviews.
Her on-screen gaffes include telling the parents of missing Madeleine McCann: “There are light moments. You’ve acquired this odd celebrity status.”
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, 57, was also high on the hate list, coming sixth.
Benefit scroungers topped the poll of the most irritating things of 2008.
—————
I cant believe they’re not on the list
October 4th, 2008 at 8:33 am
The Ocean Club resort gained notoriety when it was thrust into the limelight on May 3rd last year, following the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. The British toddler’s face was broadcast into homes around the world, as was Praia da Luz, and the Ocean Club became a household name caught amidst an unprecedented media frenzy in Portugal.
Since last May Ocean Club executives have remained tight-lipped on the incident, and Robin, despite finally opening up, is still reluctant to comment.
Over the past 16 months reports have sporadically emerged stating that, as a consequence of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, Ocean Club guest figures have plummeted, that people considered Praia da Luz to be an unsafe spot for families and resulted in the temporary tarnishing of the Algarve’s idyllic image.
Robin is quick to rubbish all of these reports, as have other leading authorities and tourism officials, denying that having the resort’s name associated with one of the biggest child-related mysteries of modern times had a damaging effect.
“But no one wants that type of publicity, at all”, Robin admits, stating “there were some immediate cancellations, until around October last year, but then things levelled out again”.
He explains that, after the initial period, these cancellations were not severe and limited mainly to families with pre-school children.
Forty per cent of the Ocean Club’s visitors are regulars, many of whom return every year.
“Our regulars know the resort and the area and they know it is not unsafe. They tell their friends and family who tell their friends and family. They have not been put off”.
Prior to the interview Robin had prepared a written statement to The Portugal News, voicing his view on the world-involving incident.
“It was of course a terrible tragedy and all our hearts went out to the family, the whole village as well as our staff were deeply upset and the out-pouring of grief was enormous”, he says.
He carries on explaining how, with much difficulty, he had to continue his role as Managing Director, to ensure The Ocean Club carried out all its responsibilities to their other guests.
“We still had another 600 guests to look after who had paid to stay with us and who had nothing to do with this event and wanted to enjoy their holiday”.
A team of psychologists, crisis management experts and senior staff management were sent out by Mark Warner, who Robin guarantees, contrary to reports, are “not pulling out of The Ocean Club”.
He says that, whilst figures were not as good as in 2006, when the Algarve experienced a mini-boom in tourism, this year “The Ocean Club continued to attract families with children of all ages with the exception of April and early May when there were fewer families with pre-school children. But by June, these had also returned to normal and by July and August things were more or less back to normal occupancy figures”.
Criticised at the time for its lack of CCTV cameras, as were many resorts last year following the debate for new safety measures, Robin retorts: “Most of the resort is spread throughout the village, the units are accessed via public roads and paths and in Portugal it is illegal to have security video cameras in public places. On private property we don’t need them as we have manned receptions”.
In the meantime, The Ocean Club is planning to make “considerable investments” during this winter, which include upgrading restaurant areas.
Robin continues, “We pride ourselves on providing good quality accommodation with good friendly service at very competitive rates, all set in the most idyllic scenery. This has always been our policy and it pays off whether there is a recession or a boom period”.
At present, Robin agrees with the general sentiment that there is a bit of a lull in people’s spending power, and is of the opinion, therefore, that self-catering apartments, such as those of The Ocean Club, are the perfect solution.
“Twenty five years ago the people who came to Praia da Luz had more money to spend but there were fewer of them. Nowadays there are more people but with less to spend. The advantage of self-catering is it saves money”.
So after 26 years, having confronted a number of recessions, booms, and a controversy of global significance, what does Robin think of Praia da Luz?
“Luz is a beautiful, family-friendly, ideal spot for all generations, all seasons of the year.”
Does he think Praia da Luz is safe?
“Absolutely”, he replies without hesitation.
“It is a small, safe community where everybody knows everyone else and their business. This in a way helps to prevent crime. You cannot get away with things like you do in larger resorts”, he argues.
No further expansion is on the cards for the Ocean Club, but there is always room for improvement.
“We want to keep doing what we have always done but better. Here in the centre Praia da Luz is now fully developed, so we can’t expand as such, but we can improve our facilities and occupancy”, explains Robin Crosland.
And what about after retirement, will Robin stay in Luz?
“We will keep our home here, but we have a lot of travelling to catch up on”.
Carrie-Marie Bratley
Edition: 979
————————–
lips are loosening
October 4th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Jo
Thanks for the post
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3872865.ece
Mr McCann, 39, has said he feared that the police files will never be made public because of exemptions applying to the release of information in serious cases such as child trafficking. “If trafficking is mentioned, then the files will remain secret for ever, the same with organised crime,” he said. “For us that’s certainly a possibility with Madeleine.”
But clearly not for the PJ who have now released the files, and thereby informed the world, including the McCanns and their accolytes, that the child trafficking or even “serious case’ exemption does not apply.
And that therefore …
October 4th, 2008 at 7:53 am
tappas restaurant booking forms 1, 2, 3, May 08 with wine
the mc cann nannys statement from rothley.
are now available
October 4th, 2008 at 1:25 am
“2) She was abducted. If by a rapist, her body will soon be found somewhere in the area, as in most cases. Or she has been abducted by a gang and taken away. But the chance of such an abduction is very small, usually an abducted child is abducted by a loner, sexual predator. And a gang wouldn’t chose a place like a touristic complex full of cameras to perpetrate a crime.”
Rare, yes; of course you are right that, more often than not, the clues in missing children cases lead directly back to the parents, family, or close acquaintances. And yet, non-family abductions do happen; there have been several high-profile examples in the region both before and since Madeleine’s disappearance.
It continues to puzzle me that it is only in this case that the possibility seems to be discounted out of hand. As for where someone might strike, it certainly sounds as though each of the children we’ve heard about in the past year have disappeared, not from some lonely, isolated spot, but from a brief, chance opportunity in his or her normal life: from the sidewalk, the swimming pool, the beach, the garden.
I’m not some crazy alarmist, thinking there’s a pedophile hiding behind every tree, but it’s just as unwise to pretend there are none or that they lurk only in dungeons and dark alleys.
October 4th, 2008 at 1:06 am
yampster, i don’t know, that is the problem, i know i watched the programm inbetween doing this, and i liked the music/what was on, but could not tell you now who was on or what their name was, that is a shame.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:59 am
Sam
I suppose you missed his song as well? Tsk!
October 4th, 2008 at 12:56 am
i must admit to like ‘aving it large too. star trek is on now.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:52 am
meercat, just seen your comment, motherdays treat my backside. well, yes, thinking about it, perhaps so.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:45 am
yampster, to my shame i must admit to having missed that.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:38 am
“Mr McCann, 39, has said he feared that the police files will never be made public because ‘
oh dear jo, you dont’ want to tell me he didn’t reckon with me and you and all and sundry having a look at what he (and she) said do you? because of course that that could be seen as a real impediment to a fair trial could it not.
it does make you wonder why you, or one is, always seemingly a step behind. i kind of hope then that not every detail is included in the publicised files.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:25 am
Sam,
Well on my version of Jools he’s just interviewed him.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:16 am
marien, i know, i can only have faith that the truth will out, that is my faith.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:14 am
yamster, i think either you or i have no clue cos i don’t know a seasick steve ?
October 4th, 2008 at 12:13 am
“Mr McCann, 39, has said he feared that the police files will never be made public because of exemptions applying to the release of information in serious cases such as child trafficking. “If trafficking is mentioned, then the files will remain secret for ever, the same with organised crime,” he said. “For us that’s certainly a possibility with Madeleine.”
They really want to think that dont they?they really want the public to believe madeleine has been abducted and is (still) in the hands of a paedo….
What a fucking sicko liar
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3872865.ece
October 4th, 2008 at 12:07 am
looks like just me then. oh well. shall continue watching jools then i suppose. sigh.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:06 am
sam,
I think exactly like you. They only started thinking the abduction wasn’t a good hypothesis when they found no sign of it, and realised it was almost impossible. I think the dogs discovering blood and cadaver smell in the place pointed to something quite different, but until then the PJ had included it as a possibility of course.
Actually, when you think of it, there weren’t many hypothesis :
1) the least alarming, the child has gone outside to look for her parents, and will be found sooner or later.
2) She was abducted. If by a rapist, her body will soon be found somewhere in the area, as in most cases. Or she has been abducted by a gang and taken away. But the chance of such an abduction is very small, usually an abducted child is abducted by a loner, sexual predator. And a gang wouldn’t chose a place like a touristic complex full of cameras to perpetrate a crime.
3) something else, difficult to believe, but unfortunately quite often the case when parents report a disappearance….
As time went by, the first hypothesis proved untrue and the second one difficult to believe, but the third one was never proved. So, there we are, still wondering, and still hoping for the truth to be known one day.
I find the files very interesting as they show us how the PJ worked. But they will not give us the solution of the case.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:05 am
Godd idea. Seasick Steve’s on
October 4th, 2008 at 12:04 am
i quite like rowland the bastard. is anyone else here or is it just me?
October 4th, 2008 at 12:01 am
i might go to pure filth tommorrow as well.
http://www.talktofilth.com/
_______________________
m&a
nice mothers day treat
-meercat
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:57 pm
hmmmm, i ‘m sat here now half tipsey after a day wifout anork cos i’ve had a lot to do and everyones buggared orf. i shall watch jooles holland then, who can’t fail really in my book.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:51 pm
goodnight chatelaine
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:50 pm
goodnight marie n, sleep well
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:48 pm
marie n, it is interesting isn’t it. it shows that the pj did explore the possiblilty of abduction, it gives more creedence to them then rejecting that possibility, precisely because it was explored.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Good night Châtelaine, good night all!
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:43 pm
There’s a David A john working for a pharmaceutical company in New York. But that’s as close as I can get that name to this case … There’s also an Yvonne Martin in New Zealand who’s been writing quite a lot about paedophilia…
CLOUSEAU, without any more clues, I don’t know what to look for.
So: good night everybody
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:39 pm
sam,
I think from the very beginning the mc Canns spoke of an abduction, and the witnesses who came to report about the Poles also thought of an abduction, obviously. But you are right, this time the questions show the hypothesis of the PJ included a possible abduction.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:26 pm
evening and bye ade, have fun
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:25 pm
clouseau
Not good advertisement for the firm at all.