Rubbish Portugese police

[BrilloPad]

I thinks her parents have some high connections

They are good at media manipulation. Which is what counts these days.

[Stan]

I thought it was funny how the parents complained about the media printing details of the letter, while at the same time trying to generate as much publicity as they can.

[SizeZero]

The reason they were mad is not because of the (lack of) verification. I think it was because, for the first time, they had had been made to face that fact that there was a very real possiblity that their daughter was dead. I only read his (father's) blog yesterday; they are moving at this incredible pace because only by having every moment filled do they have no time for doubts to creep in. If the worst happens, these two are going to fall and it's a long long way down.

[shoes]

I don't know, but 40 odd days of media coverage is a little OTT wouldn't you say?

Agreed. Obviously it's a terrible situation but there is more going on in the world. For example, how many deaths have their been in Iraq over this time period whilst the media are covering a potential death of 1?

[DodgyAgent]

Agreed. Obviously it's a terrible situation but there is more going on in the world. For example, how many deaths have their been in Iraq over this time period whilst the media are covering a potential death of 1?

That is like saying how many people have died of starvation in Africa whilst you have been filling your fat face over a weekend.

[Rantor]

That is like saying how many people have died of starvation in Africa whilst you have been filling your fat face over a weekend.

And that is why I can''t understand why people give a crap about being branded a "hypocrite"

Maybe a bit obtuse, might come back to this...

[shoes]

That is like saying how many people have died of starvation in Africa whilst you have been filling your fat face over a weekend.

No it's not. It's like saying why are the media covering me filling my fat face, complete with 3D graphics of hotdogs and porkpies and talking to chewing experts in the studio when there is the more newsworthy multiple deaths due to starvation story going on in africa at the same time.

[DodgyAgent]

what is interesting is how people are turning their hatred onto these people who are doing nothing more than doing their very best to find their child.

It is I am sure driven by the same human emotions that drive victims of kidnappings to befriend their captors, as well as victims of crime and violence to be villified rather than perpetrators. Most of the criticism has been angled at the parents of Madeleine rather than at whoever has kidnapped the child.

The villification is mostly due to our own ways of dealing with this sort of thing. It is habout how we block it out and deal with our own guilt and our own vulnerability as they are very much people like many of us. It is like a bandwagon of cowards.

Deaths in Iraq are much easier for us to deal with. They are detached from us, they happen to people who live different lives in different circumstances to us. We are immune to their suffering untill we need to use them to purge ourselves of our own guilt. We then use them to put Madeleine's event into a context where we can feel safe, and live without guilt.

In other words you are pathetic

[shoes]

I have said nothing that in any way suggests I have a 'hatred' for this couple. Good for them for getting the attention they need, but I would like to know what else is going on in the world when I put the news on. It's a news story that has a cute kid in it and most of the viewing public can relate to the story because it is a simple one. This is partly why it is all over the news in my opinion.

What I find most interesting about these discussions about this situation on here is how irrational it is making a lot of people. Your posts DA are usually on the money and I find myself agreeing with a lot of what you have to say. On this subject you seem incapable of rational thought.

[TinTin]

Blaming anyone and everyone

Not sure what the Portuguese police were supposed to do: get a couple of shovels and start digging in a area the size of a small village? When it comes to the blame game, the British always manage to excel themselves. Blaming the Portuguese police (maybe not the best but far more compassionate that our own up-their-own-arses counterparts, the Dutch newspapers (Telegraaf is far more decent than our own Sun/NoW/etc scumbags), etc etc etc
Threatening to sue anyone under the circumstances takes the biscuit though.
I hope the Weedgie father sleeps well at night