Season's Greetings

~oOo~

Wishing you all a warm and wonderful festive season.

Your visits and comments have been greatly appreciated throughout the year.

Merry Christmas from Me, Myself, Moi...

All the very best for 2012.

~oOo~

Ambiguous or Equivocal?... Or just tongue in cheek.

Taken from the statement of Daniel Sanderson who appeared at the Leveson Inquiry on 15th December 2011 I believe 18,000 Euros were paid to the Portuguese journalist (the P J). It was paid in two parts; 9,000 Euros up front and 9,000 Euros on publication.  I can’t be certain of this figure, but it is certainly a fairly accurate estimate.  I am aware of the approximate figure because that is the price that had been agreed with the PJ in my initial phone conversations with the PJ.  The PJ set the price, which I had communicated to Mr Edmondson.  Mr Edmondson then authorised both payments to the source.  The PJ then contacted me after publication to organise the second payment, which was authorised by Mr Edmondson. For the benefit of the Leveson Inquiry... PJ = Portuguese Journalist For the benefit of the rest of the astute world... PJ = Policia Judiciara (Portuguese police) I assume that Mr Sanderson is well aware (him being a journalist, like) that the Portuguese police are referred to worldwide as the 'PJ'. Surprised he would use such wording on an official statement? Some pertinent questions people would like answers to... Who was the Portuguese journalist involved? Where is the original Portuguese copy now? Who were the London-based translation service? What is the proof that the Portuguese police were the original source? Was there another diary - pre 3rd May? If so, which diary did the police really want? And one final question... What is the relationship between Gerard Couzens, the diary picker upper and Tom Worden, the 8 new leads leaker?  Which may be answered by putting their names into a Google search. **thanks to the smarties online for spotting the 'PJ' gaffe.

Who's Lying to Leveson?...

Kate McCann's diary... modern day plague, capable of extreme violation and mental rape - but only in the English language it would seem.  The diary entries previously made the front pages in Portugal, without so much as a whimper from the McCanns.

So where did the diary come from and who did or didn't give permission for its extracts to be printed in the News of the World.  Despite the newspaper sitting on the story for some time, Mr and Mrs McCann and their spokesman deny all knowledge of it's then impending print.  The main players at the News of the World maintain every authorisation was given to go to print, and that emails and transcribed phone calls exist giving permission.

The important job of tracking down, translating and forming a story on the diary was given to intrepid reporter Daniel Sanderson, in his own words... the most junior reporter on the paper.  He was originally unaware of the ultimate source although when repeatedly pressed by Counsel, contradicted himself and said it could have come from the Portuguese police.  He was reassured that the story would not run without the green light and express permission from the McCanns. 

Former Legal Affairs Manager for News International, Tom Crone played some part in clearing it up afterwards, his understanding was that the representative of the McCanns had given permission to the head of the news desk to run the diaries.  Mr Crone claims there are supporting emails.

Former News of the World editor, Colin Myler is adamant that the paper had permission to print from Clarence Mitchell (the man paid to speak on behalf of the McCanns).  During his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry, he stressed over and over that Mr Mitchell had given his utmost assurance that permission was granted.

...it was absolutely clear from the Friday to the Saturday that that assurance had been given to him (Ian Edmondson) and given again to me.

Because I was given an absolute categoric assurance that Clarence knew what we were doing.  Ian Edmondson was probably at that stage almost in daily contact with Mr Mitchell.  What conversations had taken place, I don't know. But I know that they had a very close relationship and a very close working professional relationship.

...Ian Edmondson had assured me on more than one occasion that Clarence was aware of what we were intending to do and had said, "Good".  I think it was very clear from Mr Edmondson's point of view how he'd spelt out what he was doing,

Mr Edmondson, given the number of times I asked him for the assurance to make sure that there was absolute clarity and understanding, had no view that there was anything ambiguous in what we were going to do.

Daily contact... very close relationship?...  Mr Myler and the McCanns also had a very close relationship.  Until Mr McCann accused Mr Myler of being irate and berating him on the telephone, that is. Something which disappointed Mr Myler to hear and which he categorically denies. 

A 4-page transcription of a phone call between Mr Edmondson and Mr Mitchell was submitted to the inquiry.  Mr Mitchell last night issued a denial and described the phone call as brief...

At no point in the one brief call that I received from Ian Edmondson on the Friday evening before publication did he spell out categorically that he had purchased a version of Kate’s diary that had been leaked by the Portuguese police and that they were planning to publish it in as big a way as they subsequently did.

Brief = 4 pages?  Perhaps the caller forgot to hang up and all that was transcribed was background noise. Or the dialling tone.  Ding dong. Interesting that Mr Mitchell contradicts himself by saying that he had no knowledge of the purchase of the diary, yet he was also unaware they were planning to publish it in as big a way as they subsequently did... Were the News of the World planning to simply translate the original Portuguese press reports?  If so, where did the other extracts come from?

The jungle drums are already beating on McCann supporter sites, thanks to Counsel to Inquiry, Robert Jay QC's persistent references yesterday to the diary's original source as being the Portuguese police.

Did Mr Edmondson tell you clearly that he had told Mr Mitchell that a copy of the diary had been obtained via the Portuguese police...

I think it was a woman journalist, but it's not going to matter.  Made clear to you that the Portuguese police had translated the diary and therefore they remained in Portuguese.

Were you concerned by the fact that the diary had been obtained from the police in some way?

But were you aware of some of the background which comprised this: that the police had obtained the diary, having seized it from Dr Kate McCann, and then there was an order by the Portuguese judge for the diary to be returned, but I think a copy by then had been taken?

But it was clear to you that the ultimate source -- the proximate source was the journalist, but the ultimate source was the Portuguese police.  That much was clear, wasn't it?

While the proximate source is brushed over, the ultimate source has been named over and over as fact.  A very serious allegation to make and something which is against the law in Portugal. Was Mr Jay so sure of his facts today when he questioned Mr Sanderson's thoughts on whether the McCanns put the diary out in some way themselves?  A very pertinent question which should be explored further.

The Portuguese speculation has in turn led to the usual suspect, Goncalo Amaral to be named, shamed and put in the line of fire by supporters of the McCanns.  Smeared yet again, and tied up with a pretty ribbon ready for the libel trial in February?  

[Unlike some, I don't find it easy to lie, neither would I write something which I deliberately knew to be untrue.  Thanks to an excessive amount of muppet froth directed at me, I've been alerted an error on my part and have removed the said error.  My mistake gov, it's a fair cop...  I would like to thank the said muppet for alerting me on this matter, although for speed of correction, it would have been helpful if a comment had been left instead of just whining with Kermit and co.  Thankfully, I never blogged under oath...]

Another claim from Muppetland is if Clarence Mitchell really did know about the diaries being printed, then the News of the World could have cut out the middleman and headed straight to Kate McCann for an original copy of the diary. The only problem with this theory is the price - the diary most certainly wouldn't have been available at the Portuguese snippet price of £20,000.  We have some seriously deluded muppets prancing about, tread carefully.  Side splitting stuff yet again, they really should go back to knitting.

Mr Jay asked...

The newspaper was very supportive of the McCanns, and you wouldn't adopt the stance that other national newspapers had taken by printing malicious stories which had no foundation and emanated largely from the Portuguese press. So that was your position.

Isn't that what the News of the World did, took old news from the Portuguese press and regurgitated it to the gullible British public?  The diary could be described as a British 'exclusive', but the NOTW were really just paying a cut price for old, already printed news.

A week after print and nipping at their ankles, there followed the swiftest of negotiations between the News of the World and Mr Thomson from Carter Ruck.  An apology was given and the McCanns' palms were oiled, with a substantial amount of dosh being paid into their private company, the Madeleline Fund.

All done and dusted within the week.  The way things are looking, the Team could well be commended for pulling a blinder on Murdoch... good play.

And the question remains... who lied under oath?

It's a Fair Cop... and the £1m Lawsuit

Such an appalling, biased report from Sky, let's spin the McSpin...


The £1m lawsuit by bungling parents Kate and Gerry McCann against the lead Portuguese detective in the hunt for missing Madeleine will be heard early next year, it is understood.

The civil case against Goncalo Amaral - who was in charge of the investigation for five months after the McCanns neglected their children - will take place in Lisbon on February 9th and 10th, according to a source close to the couple.

The globetrotting couple, both in their forties have made a fortune hard-selling a book, appearing on many television shows, selling themselves (and their children) to the highest bidder and settling various litigations out of court.

In a 36-page writ, lodge in June 2009, they accuse Mr Amaral of libel and breaching their human rights.

The couple, from Rothley in Leicestershire, are expected to attend court but despite lodging the writ themselves, will not give evidence. Whilst arguidos, the McCanns chose to hide behind the skirts of judicial secrecy. Due to the unscripted nature of a court case, speculation has arisen as to the reasons why their lips will once again be sealed.

"The McCanns have made Amaral's life hell and they have made themselves rich in the process." a source said. "Kate and Gerry just want him to stop quoting from the official police investigation and insisting that justice works in silence."

In their writ, the self-obsessed, manipulative, money-grabbing McCanns describe the now-retired detective as... a self-obsessed, manipulative, money-grabber with no morals.

They claim Mr Amaral's repeat insistence that their daughter is dead discouraged people from looking for her.  Yet the McCanns' own Official Facebook group has over 90,000 followers, all praying and lighting candles daily for the safe return of a live Madeleine.  The private investigator hired by the McCanns, claims there is a constant stream of new information and tips coming through.

The couple also describe the pain and anguish they say Mr Amaral has caused them by repeatedly smearing them - saying the slurs "totally destroyed them"...

"...totally destroyed."

The McCanns are seeking at least £1m in damages from the ex-policeman, and if they win the case, the money will be transferred directly to their own private company, Leaving No Stone Unturned, of which they are both directors.

Mr Amaral's book titled 'The Truth of the Lie' was translated into six languages and has sold more than 330,000 copies worldwide.  It was also made into a 50 minute documentary.  The McCanns failed in their bid to ban and prevent the book from being sold and despite again being available for sale, they have also defied a court order and failed to return confiscated copies of the book to Mr Amaral.

Madeleine vanished into thin air on May 3rd 2007 only days from her 4th birthday. Despite vehemently denying any involvement in her disappearance, the McCanns managed to mark the occasion of that sad day by appearing in person at the local church in Praia de Luz.

9 days missing...
McCanns mark Madeleine's birthday

The 3 year old had apparently been left alone with her younger twin siblings in their rented holiday apartment while her parents joined friends at the local Tapas Bar.

View of apartment - as the crow flies

The country's attorney general Jose Pinto Monteiro shelved the case in July 2008 and declared that it should be reopened when further credible evidence arose, with the status of the arguidos being temporarily lifted and reinstated if any such point was reached.

A New Search for Maddie

'No law enforcement agency is looking for Madeleine'...

Over four years ago, the arguidos in the missing Madeleine case allowed the Portuguese police to controversially shelf and put on hold the investigation due to insufficient evidence.  The fact that certain suspects and witnesses failed to co-operate didn't help.  The PJ and the British Police continue to work in the background but will only reopen the case if any new credible information arises.

Now, criminal profiler Pat Brown has created her own independent Maddie Search Fund. The fund, which promises to be transparent, has been created thanks to sales of the ebook, Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

The book is available to buy online from Barnes & Noble and Smashwords at a snippet of $2.99 - 50% of sales will go direct to her own Maddie search fund.  Please click to buy, your book will be electronically delivered within minutes.

Pat has confirmed that there is no conflicting ongoing search for Madeleine in Portugal and has purchased her ticket for travel to Lisbon on 6th February 2012. The search will begin shortly after, concentrating in and around Praia de Luz for starters.

Please follow Pat on Twitter, or visit the Official Criminal Profiler Pat Brown's Maddie Search Fund page on Facebook for updates on the fund and search.  I would urge you to support and like this page, as she has bizarrely (but not surprisingly), taken a horrendous amount of abuse from supporters of the McCanns for her well intended actions.

Whichever side of the fence you sit on, this can only be beneficial for the most important person - Madeleline.  Pat Brown is doing something that the majority of us would dearly love to do... travel to Praia de Luz to search.  Credit where it's due, I wish her the very best of luck and success and hope she has rewarding findings which will either lead to Madeleine being found or help with the investigation.  I would urge Pat to take the utmost care if she stumbles across any lawless villages on her travels.

And here's hoping that she has more success than the McCanns' own hapless private investigators.  This has gone on years too long, we need a shining light.  Most importantly, Madeleine needs it.

Help find Madeleine.

The Leveson Niggle

Some people sure have a strange, flippant way with words...

"Kate McCann felt 'mentally raped' when diary published."

There are dozens of palatable ways to express the angst felt at having your personal diary made public.  Why this demeaning retort, but no response to the previously published extracts in the Portuguese daily Correio de Manha, translated and read by all months earlier?  The McCanns complained only to the News of the World, who made a large apologetic undisclosed payment to the 'fund'.  No such complaints to Correio de Manha?  Maybe the fact that suing the Portuguese media normally results in nothing more than an apology with little or no monetary gain had something to do with it?  You can't pick and choose when you are "mentally raped".

How did Mrs McCann feel when her personal account of the truth - the book, Madeleine, was made public and serialised by the very same news group?  Opening the door on your sex life and dare I say it... page 129 is not a pleasant thing, especially for the reader.  Maybe the large serialisation fee News International forked out made things a little easier on her poor, ravaged mind.

Meanwhile, news is out that Mr McCann is due to give evidence at the Leveson inquiry next week. We'll have to wait to hear how he addresses his complaint about the Press Complaints Commission and how it was "hopelessly inadequate" in helping his family fend off media intrusion. Isn't this biting the hand that feeds... by early May it was too late to lock that stable door - the McCanns themselves had romanced the press with their own whirlwind of requests, demands and titillations.  So, just why are the McCanns core participants in the Leveson inquiry?  By Clarence Mitchell's admission, they weren't hacked.  Or were they?  They complain about the press, yet courted and invited the media into their lives from day one.  Are they just jumping on yet another bandwagon, big risk if they are.


Without a shadow of a doubt, this case is a matter of public interest. People have the right to news... after all, the McCanns' private company has, and still is accepting public donations.

Below are a small selection of staged photographs for the press, there are many, many more available for all to see in the public domain.  Mrs McCann writes about such occasions in her book and judging by these pics, a good time was had by all.  I don't see any arms being twisted or physical force being applied in an attempt to get the right pose.  And I certainly don't see anyone trying to fend off any media intrusion.  I do hear an echoing kerching though.

Just too bizarre for words...

Can't have David Hughes spoiling that pic...

Oh how lovely...

and perhaps the most poignant of them all...

We conclude that the applicants voluntarily decided to limit their right to the intimacy of private life, certainly envisaging higher values like the discovery of their daughter Madeleine's whereabouts, but on voluntarily limiting that right, they opened the doors for other people to give their opinion about the case, in synchrony with what they were saying, but also possibly in contradiction with their directions, yet always within the bounds of a legitimate and constitutionally consecrated right to opinion and freedom of expression of thought. 

In the same way concerning the applicants' right to image and a good name : upon placing the case in the public square and giving it worldwide notoriety, the applicants opened all doors to all opinions, even those that are adversarial to them.

Lisbon Appeal Court Decision

14 October 2010

The Appellate Court Judges,

Francisco Bruto da Costa

Catarina Arelo Manso

Antonio Valente

Please click to view the full translated appeal decision on Joana Morais' blog.


The Leveson inquiry can be followed on the Guardian website, with detailed information and links.  General enquiries or information can be mailed to generalenquiries@levesoninquiry.org.uk.

Check your LIKES on Facebook......... Part 2

Confirmed...

Beggars belief - Madeleine groups on Facebook combined into one group with a new, deceptively fake following...

This is why we got up yesterday morning to find unfamiliar posts, comments and updates on our Facebook walls.  This is why we had become followers of a group we didn't join.

It's all good and well providing a welcome, however if these new members referred to above had actually liked the Official Find Madeleine Campaign group page, they would have clicked the LIKE button of their own free will.

Are there any similar unofficial Find Madeleine Campaign group pages around which could genuinely be combined?  I don't think there are... although the poor child may have stood a greater chance of being found if there was.  There are thousands of groups for thousands of subjects... I don't want to go to bed posting on Justice for Caylee and wake up to Casey Anthony's ugly mug.  Would anybody?

Apart from the One Million Likes group, I've never seen Madeleine being subjected to 'online abuse'.  Another appalling and disturbing thought to come from the horse's mouth.  If I did, I wouldn't hesitate to report it. Seems like just another excuse for her parents protect their reputation and avoid criticism by once again attempting to silence people.  The irony of Madeleine needs protected... yes she did, didn't she?

Instead of fannying about online, why don't you just get out there and do what normal people would do - something you've never done yourselves.  Look.  All those followers with their prayers, candles and fluffy words won't 'bring her home', but I'm sure it makes you feel good.

Please check which groups you have joined or liked on Facebook.  This is an appalling invasion of privacy and trust.  I do not wish mingle with blinkered muppets or have their posts invade my wall.  And I also object to the Team having access to my own profile via their Admin privileges. Very disturbing.

How low can you go... check your LIKES on Facebook

As if things couldn't get any lower... it's been highlighted that some Facebook users have mysteriously 'liked' the Official Find Madeleine Campaign page - without their knowledge and most definitely against their will.  Including yours truly - me, myself, moi!!!  Have we all been hacked?  At the moment I can't comment on their wall for some reason... what a shame.

How has this group made users LIKE their page without informing them?

We're always being warned not to like pages that promise us free gifts, donations to the needy blah blah, because once they have enough members and personal information, they sell the group on.  Your personal information is very valuable in the right hands. 

A month or so ago, the Official page welcomed members from the Unofficial group which was somehow amalgamated and therefore bumped up the numbers.  The next day, a fair few people protested that they hadn't actually joined the group.  Has it happened again...have they harvested any of the other Madeleine groups on the site and swallowed up their members in the dead of the night without their knowledge?  It would explain the rapid swell of muppets at dawn most days.  I wonder just how many of those 88,000 likes really are genuine and there with their owner's permission.  I know mine isn't.

I think that after the naming and shaming of Jack Tims and his grovelling apology to the McCanns in the Sun, clarification is needed on just what happens to groups such as the One Million Likes and their members. What happens to the groups that are dormant or ones which close suddenly.  I never clicked One Million Likes, but I have clicked other groups looking for justice for Madeleine.  And forgotten about it... something I'm sure you've all done.  I think now might be the time to check.

Instead of allowing the obnoxious Mrs G to hold the fort, I would suggest that perhaps a friendly email to all members from the not-so-efficient Admin is in order, just to ensure that people are actually there of their own free will.  Do they really give a damn though, as long as the numbers look good?  It always has been about appearance from day one.

Predictable abuse from the usual suspects... and it's still going on!

Like me and many others, if you've suddenly discovered that you're a member of a group which you did not 'like', scroll down the left hand side of the page and click UNLIKE... simples.  Then report.

A Rogatory Review

Smoke and mirrors, muddied waters... there's always been speculation that things have been deliberately confused from day one.  From the shutters and locks to the timeline.  One thing that irritates me is the fact that all of the group's children were left alone to fend for themselves. If it really happened that way - that's what we're expected to believe.  So why have the rest of the Tapas group been let off the hook?  The only reason that the McCanns have taken most of the rap is because they got caught in the act, unfortunately for their child.  

By foot, the McCann children were actually closest to the Tapas bar, where the group of these so called professional parents were dining.  All of the other children were dotted here and there in other apartments, a much further distance than apartment 5a.  Alone, some of them sick. Yet their parents simply closed their doors and left them?

Below is an extract from Rachel Oldfield's rogatory interview, where she describes the absolutely crap routine of putting her one year old sick baby to bed before skulking off silently to the restaurant - through a passageway so dark, she was afraid to check on her own sick child. Their system of checks involved listening at the doors and windows... the smell checks have been blatantly omitted.  Mrs Oldfield then tells us how she believes Madeleine was taken, alive from apartment 5a by the big, bad abductor.  Or maybe not.

Read it and weep, folks.

Read it and weep...

~o0o~

"She, yeah because erm, we didn't, we don't really like sleeping in the same room as her but there wasn't really nowhere else to put her cos you know, obviously she was going to bed at seven thirty and then we'd have had to kind of hide in the bathroom or something for the rest of the night, so we put, yeah she slept in our room as well erm".

"Yeah. So basically we'd go and have dinner and then we'd sort of run back you know every fifteen twenty minutes and have a listen at the door and make sure nobody's screaming their head off".

"Erm well we'd go into the room, which ordinarily we wouldn't do to be honest, erm but she seemed to have diarrhoea and kind of, I mean she'd settled quite well actually cos she'd been tired every evening, erm but every morning when she woke up, she had diarrhoea and it had gone right through her grow bag and so there's all this sort of horrendous smell, so in the evenings when we were checking, we'd go into the room just to see if you know, there was any sort of smell yet, erm and just to make sure she was alright, to make sure she hadn't been sick, partly I think cos Matt had been sick, just wanted to make sure she hadn't been, in case it was some sort of bug".

1578 "Okay, and the route taken"?

Reply "Was up the road and then in through the car park at the back and in through the front door.

1578 "In through the front door"?

Reply "Mmm yeah, I mean the patio doors were locked, erm yeah I didn't really like going up there by myself, it was, like going through that car park was quite dark and there was never anyone around, it was a bit, you know made me feel a bit uneasy".

1578 "Okay. Did you want to mention something about the Doctors in the group"?

Reply "Yeah I was just going to say that, you know Kate and Gerry are both Doctors and you know there were three other medics in the group erm four others actually sorry, four others, erm you know so if by any chance they'd accidentally done anything to Madeleine or she was ill or erm you know something wasn't quite right, I mean they wouldn't have just left her and sort of tried to cover it up as an accident or you know, they would or sort of you know, come and got Matt and Russell and Dave and Fi, erm I mean you know, not just because they are Doctors, because you know they're parents and you'd kind of go to anyone to see who could help but if you got, you know Doctors as friends who were there as well, erm you know there were kind of six people there who if Madeleine had accidentally been bumped on the head or you know whatever the theories are supposed to be, erm you know, there were plenty of people there who could of you know tried to revive a child, erm".

~o0o~

Plenty of people who could have tried to revive a child... The cynic in me is screaming that Madeleine's fate has just been described in detail and confirmed by those last few words.  I hope I'm wrong.  Smoke and muddied waters - time for someone to clear everything up, including their conscience.

Deja Vu... Again

Child missing, without a trace

Confused statements

Contradictory timelines

Friend spots 'abductor'

Media whirlwind

Spokesperson

Lawyers

Cadaver dog alert

T-shirts/Wristbands/Donations

You could be mistaken for thinking that the above refers to the case of missing Madeleine McCann.  And although (bizarrely) it does, it's actually all about little Lisa Irwin, allegedly taken from her bed as her mother enjoyed jollies with a friend.  Umm, deja vu?  Like the McCanns, another fine example of crap parenting causing an innocent child to become a household name. Children who should be living in anonymity enjoying their deserved needs of a safe, sheltered life.

I always hoped that Madeleine's parents were unique in their own weird way, but unfortunately it seems the mould was left intact when they flunked the McCann School of Parenting.  I never thought I'd see another example of parents who claim to want their child back but hinder and run rings around an investigation by refusing to co-operate.  Well let's all welcome Deborah and Jeremy to the show - they seem to be doing a great job of following the bewk to a tee.  Or should that be manual?

Bless these children wherever they are - victims of their own parents incompetent failings.

Kate McCann... An Inspiration?

"Kate McCann has been hailed one of the 20 most inspirational women in Britain for refusing to give up on the search for missing daughter Madeleine."

Is this some kind of a joke?  Has the world gone even crazier?  In the words of my young daughter... who on earth would find this woman an inspiration?

Well Sweety, I can think of only ONE person...

This blog is short and sweet... it doesn't warrant the words Kate McCann and inspiration on the same page.

Who's Trolling Who?...

An internet 'troll' who set up a sickening 'joke' Facebook page about missing Madeleine McCann has written a letter to her parents begging for their forgiveness.

Jack Tims - a 17 year old student from Herne Bay in Kent - claims he started the vile page on Facebook as a prank which then got out of hand.

Tims' "If I Get 1 million Likes I'll Let Maddie Go" Facebook profie was revealed by The Sun as part of their Target a Troll campaign against bullies on the internet.

The teenager says he had no intention to hurt Kate and Gerry McCann - who's daughter disappeared from their holiday flat in Portugal in 2007 - and did not expect the page to cause so much revulsion.

He told The Sun that he had created it after 'chatting to a friend about jokes comedians come out with' but admitted that being named and shamed in the paper made him realise 'how much I distressed people.'  He then claimed to have 'received threats' and that his actions could 'cost me friends'.

In an open letter to the McCanns, Tim says he is 'truly sorry' and that he now realises 'how stupid and naive I was, and wish I could turn back the clock.'

Kids... who'd have 'em eh?  Well, a lot of us do.  In no way do I condone the behaviour of this young person or his Facebook page, but I do wonder about the journalistic ethics of naming and shaming a minor in a national newspaper.  Especially for something that appears to have been a distasteful teenage prank amongst friends which got out of control. Are his parents behind the open letter to the McCanns or has this teenager learned his lesson the very hardest of ways?

Trolling has been openly apparent on the forums since May 2007, with a faction of McCann supporters being the worst offenders by far, across the board.  I remember this Facebook page being discussed many moons ago.  I'm sure it has been in existence just as long (if not longer) than the Official Madeleine Facebook group.  Many, many people complained about the Million Likes group, the McCanns shared a platform with it - why was it not removed before now?  Call me a cynic, but in the wider agenda of things - the prosecution of online troll Sean Duffy, the campaign by the Sun, the removal of the group and an open letter to the McCanns.  What a story, what a flow... you couldn't make it up.

There are plenty of Madeleine groups on Facebook, many of them favourable with the hope that one day she will be found, many offensive including the laughable 'Tribute to Kate McCann'.  With the McCanns' influence I'm sure these undesirable, murky groups could be removed immediately. They're not, but left to like by the itchy fingered numpties.

Have the McCanns accepted the apology?  I've not seen any response so far, other than the usual hot air blowing from the direction of Mr Mitchell.

Jack Tims received threats... from whom?  He was named and shamed in a national newspaper, what about the thousands of other morons who LIKED the page?  And what about the trolls who threatened him?

If I was Flynn and O'Shea (amongst others) I would be asking just who was behind the 'utterly immoral' bullying... now that's a story that would sell.

Watching and Waiting...

Some canny and somewhat fitting Thomas Hardy quotes...

While much is too strange to be believed, nothing is too strange to have happened.

But no one came.  Because no one ever does.

Why is it that a woman can see from a distance what a man cannot see close?

There's a friendly tie of some sort between music and eating.

...she moved about in a mental cloud of many-coloured idealities, which eclipsed all sinister contingencies by its brightness.

If an offense come out of the truth, better is it that the offense come than that the truth be concealed.

The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing alive enough to have the strength to die.

Silence has sometimes a remarkable power of showing itself as the disembodied soul of feeling wandering without its carcase, and it is then more impressive than speech.

Then if children make so much trouble, why do peope have 'em?

And so, years later and far from the madding crowd that is nothing more than an attempt to silence views and opinions, the truth is burrowing its way to the surface.  Attempts to silence only compound thoughts of guilt.  United we stand, we are not going anywhere.  Like Madeleine, we are silently watching and waiting.

Watching and waiting.

Watching and waiting
For a friend to play with
Why have I been alone for so long
Mole he is burrowing his way to the sunlight
He knows there's someone there so strong
Cos here there's lots of room for doing
The things you've always been denied
Look and gather all you want to
There's no one here to stop you trying
Soon you will see me
Cos I'll be all around you
But where I come from I can't tell
But don't be alarmed by my fields and my forests
They're here for only you to share
Cos here there's lots of room for doing
The things you've always been denied
So look and gather all you want to
There's no one here to stop you trying


Watching and waiting
For someone to understand me
I hope it won't be very long...