Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
THE McCANNS, THE PUBLIC'S JUSTIFIABLE ANGER
'The court case has demonstrated, once again, that there is no evidence that Madeleine has come to any harm"
This is a quote from a recent press statement issued by the McCanns following the failure of an appeal by Goncolo Amaral to have the temporary ban on his book "The Truth of The Lie" lifted. The aforementioned court case demonstrated no such thing but the oft repeated lament of the McCanns that their "beloved daughter" has come to no harm is as ludicrous as Clarence Mitchell's new haircut.
Let's rewind to the beginning and look at the McCann parenting before Madeleine disappeared. Could we say, even then, that no harm had been done? No, I don't believe we could.
Madeleine was not yet 4 years old and was repeatedly left alone with her twin, 18 month old, siblings. The children were left after they had been put to bed, secure in the knowledge that Mummy and Daddy were close by and that they were protected. You don't need to be a doctor to recognise the crime in abandoning these children to further your own pleasures, but one could be forgiven for thinking that a solid medical background would make you more aware of the dangers than most. Even a child that usually sleeps soundly from dusk to dawn may awaken when you least expect it and require comfort and reassurance before settling back down again. What happens to a child who wakes up from a nightmare to find Mummy and Daddy are nowhere to be found? What psychological damage is done to a child who cries and cries but no-one comes? How long would it take for that child to start feeling secure again? How many nights of going to bed, fearful that they may abandoned again once their eyes have closed? How would a parent feel, knowing that this damage had been done to their child as a direct result of their wilful neglect?
Well, the McCanns did know. Madeleine asked them directly why they had not come when she and her brother were crying. They should have felt terrible, they should have felt guilty and they should have felt lucky. Lucky to have been given a wake-up call, lucky to have the chance to re-establish a sense of security in their little girl without having to deal with the results of any terrible mishap that could have easily befallen her. It was time for a massive re-think. They had caused their children psychological harm but had luckily escaped them coming to physical harm.
WHAT KATE AND GERRY DIDN'T DO NEXT
Well they didn't decide to have a family day filled with fun, love and cuddles, Madeleine was packed off to nursery as usual, spending only the lunchtime period with her parents.
Maybe a family evening was planned with hot dogs, games, bedtime stories and the sound of their parents quiet conversation providing comforting reassurance to the chldren as they drifted in and out of sleep? No, they didn't do that either.
The McCann parents, amazingly, abandoned their children yet again. This is where neglect became abuse, this is where all excuses fail, this is when the world saw this couple for the people they are and this is where they became criminals. If they want to blame naivety for further risking their children's psychological and physical welfare then they are clearly not mentally competent to be in charge of children.
Whatever happened to Madeleine that night, they wilfully allowed it to happen. They put all their children at risk and they have all, in one way or another been harmed.
Whatever the truth behind the very implausible abduction theory or the far more plausible conclusion of the police inquiry, that she died in the holiday flat, the fact remains that the McCanns are guilty of the crime of abuse and we don't want to see them lauded, protected, garnering millions from benefactors and serial litigation. We want to see them punished, we want them to hang their heads in shame, we want them to say they are to blame. We do not want them to hold Gala dinners, cuddle Oprah, kiss the pope's ring, give speeches or attempt to become any kind of ambassadors for child protection.
How the McCanns came to be protected and promoted by a glittering bubble of power is another story. One well worth waiting for.
This is a quote from a recent press statement issued by the McCanns following the failure of an appeal by Goncolo Amaral to have the temporary ban on his book "The Truth of The Lie" lifted. The aforementioned court case demonstrated no such thing but the oft repeated lament of the McCanns that their "beloved daughter" has come to no harm is as ludicrous as Clarence Mitchell's new haircut.
Let's rewind to the beginning and look at the McCann parenting before Madeleine disappeared. Could we say, even then, that no harm had been done? No, I don't believe we could.
Madeleine was not yet 4 years old and was repeatedly left alone with her twin, 18 month old, siblings. The children were left after they had been put to bed, secure in the knowledge that Mummy and Daddy were close by and that they were protected. You don't need to be a doctor to recognise the crime in abandoning these children to further your own pleasures, but one could be forgiven for thinking that a solid medical background would make you more aware of the dangers than most. Even a child that usually sleeps soundly from dusk to dawn may awaken when you least expect it and require comfort and reassurance before settling back down again. What happens to a child who wakes up from a nightmare to find Mummy and Daddy are nowhere to be found? What psychological damage is done to a child who cries and cries but no-one comes? How long would it take for that child to start feeling secure again? How many nights of going to bed, fearful that they may abandoned again once their eyes have closed? How would a parent feel, knowing that this damage had been done to their child as a direct result of their wilful neglect?
Well, the McCanns did know. Madeleine asked them directly why they had not come when she and her brother were crying. They should have felt terrible, they should have felt guilty and they should have felt lucky. Lucky to have been given a wake-up call, lucky to have the chance to re-establish a sense of security in their little girl without having to deal with the results of any terrible mishap that could have easily befallen her. It was time for a massive re-think. They had caused their children psychological harm but had luckily escaped them coming to physical harm.
WHAT KATE AND GERRY DIDN'T DO NEXT
Well they didn't decide to have a family day filled with fun, love and cuddles, Madeleine was packed off to nursery as usual, spending only the lunchtime period with her parents.
Maybe a family evening was planned with hot dogs, games, bedtime stories and the sound of their parents quiet conversation providing comforting reassurance to the chldren as they drifted in and out of sleep? No, they didn't do that either.
The McCann parents, amazingly, abandoned their children yet again. This is where neglect became abuse, this is where all excuses fail, this is when the world saw this couple for the people they are and this is where they became criminals. If they want to blame naivety for further risking their children's psychological and physical welfare then they are clearly not mentally competent to be in charge of children.
Whatever happened to Madeleine that night, they wilfully allowed it to happen. They put all their children at risk and they have all, in one way or another been harmed.
Whatever the truth behind the very implausible abduction theory or the far more plausible conclusion of the police inquiry, that she died in the holiday flat, the fact remains that the McCanns are guilty of the crime of abuse and we don't want to see them lauded, protected, garnering millions from benefactors and serial litigation. We want to see them punished, we want them to hang their heads in shame, we want them to say they are to blame. We do not want them to hold Gala dinners, cuddle Oprah, kiss the pope's ring, give speeches or attempt to become any kind of ambassadors for child protection.
How the McCanns came to be protected and promoted by a glittering bubble of power is another story. One well worth waiting for.
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