Crimewatch - Madeleine McCann

[DodgyAgent]

Agreed, as I have said many times in this thread. They are not to blame for the abduction*



I have never told them that I thought they were irresponsible, nor would I if I met them. Just as if someone thought my child was scruffy they might tell me just in case I was somehow not aware, I really do not care if complete strangers discuss it amongst themselves though.



I am not sure mentioning my opinion to others on an internet forum when someone else raised the subject is really making 'such a fuss', do you? What exactly should I be butting out of? This thread? The tendency to say what I think when it comes up in conversation? Explaining why I think it? What?



Agreed (again).



Yep, they have my deepest sympathy and support. I cannot (and do not want to) imagine going through what they are. I assume that the name calling was not directed at me as I have not tried giving them lessons in anything.

*if there was one

The name calling was not directed at you

[MyUserName]

Aha! You answered! What was the question again?

You don't seriously expect me to fall for that one do you?!

[MyUserName]

The name calling was not directed at you

Cool, thanks for clarifying

[DodgyAgent]

That may be so. However, if someone asked me "in their position would you have done the same" the answer would be no.

That is not my point. My point is about whether the McCanns should be blamed for what happened not about what you think is right and wrong for your children.

[Old Greg]

You don't seriously expect me to fall for that one do you?!

I'm asking the questions.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Abduction is indeed unlikely, the child playing with matches, blenders, knives, choking on vomit etc however are very likely and that is why you wouldn't leave young children alone. It is reasonably foreseeable your child could come to harm due to your absence. The type of harm was unusual.

Another analogy that doesn't involve non obvious dangers.

I don't drive the wrong way down the M1 for fear of hitting other cars or getting stopped.

However if a plane decided to land on the M1 while I was going down it and I couldn't avoid it like the other drivers because our combined speed was 270mph not 130mph I would be very unlucky yes but still be bloody stupid.

In a way you are making my point - in my house (and as it goes when on hols) my child wouldn't have any access to knives matches and blenders along with a range of other items like painkillers and bleach. This is precisely because I know young kids are inquisitive and that I simply can't watch her 100% of the time. I suspect her chances of choking to death on her own sick are about the same when she's asleep and I'm in the next room as they are if I was 50 metres away. These things are all a judgement call.

I've already said I personally wouldn't have done (and indeed haven't) what they did, but I certainly don't feel equipped to judge them as careless/wreckless/irresponsible etc

As for planes on the M1, I think a much higher proportion of folk would agree that driving the wrong way on a motorway is stupid in the first place. The fact that you have people saying this isn't so cut and dried in the case of the McCanns suggests their case isn't so straightforward as if they had been driving the wrong way on a motorway. (BTW a small piece of feedback on clarity - I had to assume you meant the plane struck you whilst you were driving the wrong way - since you didn't make that clear).

EDIT - thinking about it the driving analogy maybe holds some water. It seems whenever we have a speeding debate on here we have a similar divide - people who think on should drive according the conditions, which may involve driving at far above or far below the prevailing legal limit, vs those who advocate never exceeding any limit as to do so would be illegal and irresponsible. In truth, the incidence of bad things happening to either group is small. Driving at more than the speed limit doesn't guarantee a smash any more than driving at the limit guarantees safety. There's more chance of death/injury as you go faster - but even then people survive high speed crashes.

[mudskipper]

Trafficked? Or abducted? Greece trying to identify girl found in Gypsy camp - Europe - World - The Independent

And in other news, little blonde girl found in gyspy camp.

[OwlHoot]

Trafficked? Or abducted? Greece trying to identify girl found in Gypsy camp - Europe - World - The Independent

And in other news, little blonde girl found in gyspy camp.

Gypsies have traditionally (maybe more so in the past than today) been willing to take on and raise illegitimate babies, often from upper class families.

In fact, centuries ago that was the main reason they were tolerated. (In the UK until a couple of hundred years ago it was, believe it or not, a capital offence to consort with gypsies for longer than a month! )

I suspect this case is an example of the same thing - The last thing the parents, or at least the grandparents, probably want is to be found.

[MarillionFan]

Trafficked? Or abducted? Greece trying to identify girl found in Gypsy camp - Europe - World - The Independent

And in other news, little blonde girl found in gyspy camp.

Very interesting isn't it. Memories of Ben Needham. That was bad parenting as well, how dare has dad turn around for a minute.

[d000hg]

Saw OG quote this:

If I choose to go to the pub and knowingly leave my electric fire on in the house and it causes a fire because I was not there to look after it, would you consider me to be in any way responsible for the damage caused to my neighbours house?

What if it was the fridge?