How dare the BBC........
 

be arrogant enough to suggest that the investigation into the missing child Madeleine is not being dealt with by the Portugese Authorities as well as it would by the Authorities in this Country?
The situation is dreadful and I hope with all my heart that they find the little girl alive and well. However, having just watched in disbelief a BBC journalist confront a Portugese Police officer and suggest that he was basically incompetent makes my blood boil. :smt013
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

Re: How dare the BBC........
 

reminds me of the monkey dust press conference sketch!

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I don't know if they've had a change in editor in the last 6 months, but I've noticed that the BBC News, particulary the telly, seems to be going a bit more 'lowest denominator'.

Eg, at the time of the Newmarket murders they had a report where they were snooping around the back of a suspect's house that was clearly supposed to be off limits.

Hardly the professional journalism I'd expect of the BBC.

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I totally agree with the points above, but the BBC are not far wrong with the assessment. It has also been pointed out on Sky news.
It's simply because the local portugese police are not used to dealing with this sort of thing.
I dearly hope that they do find Madeleine safe and well soon.

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snot just the Beeb, though, is it?

Journalists- don't you just love'em! Always looking for an angle.

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I was thinking just that! On radio 4 this morning they were grilling a police officer. The question that stuck in my mind was "why didn't you fully alert the border police and close your borders?". The poor Portugese guy was like "it was 10 in the evening, they were only an hours drive from the border, and due to the schengen agreement there are virtually no border guards or checkpoints anymore". How were they supposed to do that?! Lets be realistic here; its a tragic event, but there is NO sense in pointing fingers at the Portugese police.

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Interesting thing: I interviewed Maddy's uncle for Tonight with Trev the other day and he pointed out that IF the portuguese authorities have done anything wrong, shouldn't we wait until AFTER the investigation to criticise? Let them get on with the job in hand rather than make them spend time answering stupid questions about the job.

To me, it seems that most of the media are ****ed of with the police because they aren't getting the same access to information that they get from our police.

And yes, there is a good chance that the BBC is becoming more lowest common denominator: all the major networks have had a change of top boss recently, and channels all lose their way for a bit shortly after that.

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People are always looking for someone to blame. If something goes wrong or doesn't turn out quite right, then someone else must be responsible and hauled over the coals for it. The more sensational, the better.

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I will probably be shot down in flames for this, however I feel a lot of the blame for this has to lie with the parents. I am NOT saying that they deserved it etc. However what the f**k were they doing leaving 3 young kids in a locked room when they f**ked off for a meal??

By the looks of it although the restaurant is 50yds as the crow flies, you still have to leave the compound and cross a road!!

I have a 7yr old and there is no way ever I would consider leaving her on her own a sleep and swaned of for a meal no mater if it was across the road at my neighbours (10meters).

I do think that the media try to pick on someone though, maybe they should concentrate on the parents for doing something so stupid? Even if she had not been taken, what if there had been a fire?? 3 kids dead cos their stupid parents locked them in a room.

Now it is a crying shame I hope they catch the pervert who done it and torture him/her to death, no ifs no buts. Pedos deserve to die in the most horrendous way ever, and if anyone on here tries to defend them or say, no lets think of them and why they done it then they deserve to have the sh8t kicked out of them as well!!! If something ever happened to my little girl like that and the offender was caught, I really would drag their painfull death out for as long as possible making sure the last thing they saw and heard before I plucked out their eyes and perforated their eardrums was my little girls image and voice.

Rant over

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It is bad form to slag off another man's country. Especially a no nothing journalist.

It has an open border with Spain and doesn't have CCTV big brother camera all over the place.

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My thoughts exactly, couldn't agree more.

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Neio, i agree my friend whole hartedly. I also think after see ing the interviews with the parents that they may be a bit more behond this than 1st thought.

All said, i hope shes found alive and well and it makes the parents think!!

Theres just something not quite right with this.

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I agree with Neio79 but perhaps now is not the time to have a crack at the parents or the police.

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I think the media are just trying to bully the portugese police into giving out more information, :smt064so by calling them incompetant they're hoping the police will turn around & say " no we're not, weve been doing this ... & got this ... evidence etc" just like kids in a playground!

critism of this sort is never be helpfull in finding this poor little girl, so i think there should be more positive vibes floating around :grouphug:

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I agree, but you used to be able to count on the BBC to be fairly sensitive in their reporting. They now seem to be the most 'sensational' of the media at the moment. They are also so patronising. Pretty funny really when most of their journalists are cretins (imo)
Anyway, thoughts with Madeleine and family. :grouphug:

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I wonder what the general feeling would be if the child was in the care of a childminder as opposed to the parents, and that said childminder popped out and left the children for whatever reason?

Said childminder would be vilified, persecuted and banged up. People are treading softly softly on this issue in the media because it was Mummy and Daddy that left three toddlers on their own. Parenting is constant responsibility, a duty that can't be suspended because they fancied a meal. Take the kids with you, arrange babysitting, or don't have them in the first place.

I reckon the parents were reckless in their act - regardless of its innocence. A stupid thing to do, I only hope that the child is found so they don't live the rest of their lives in wretched guilt.

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Although I do agree with you here, it is a sad world if the moment you leave your child unattended for more than an hour she gets kidnapped :(

Re: How dare the BBC........
 

Precisely.

My feelings exactly.

Again, bingo.

Couldn't agree more.

Again, my thoughts exactly.

And this is the unfortunate truth.

Now for my take on the subject: the portuguese police is far from perfect, everyday I have something or other to rant against them so I won't stand in a soapbox and shout abuse trying to defend them. But the truth is they are working on it, only disclosing enough info to keep the people informed. Those incompetence allegations are WAY out of order, and if I had my way someone would be sued for them. See, some people in Portugal would rather be working instead of pampering idiotic journalists who are craving for the next headline and potentially ruin the whole investigation by printing more info than they should. Sorry about that then.

As for the parents... if what they're saying is in fact the truth, then my sympathy goes to them. They made a major braindead mistake and are now paying for it with their hearts and lives. They won't have anyone else to blame but for themselves, and that is probably the worse punishment someone could ever be given.

As for the kidnapper... I have a daughter around that poor childs age, and since this is still a U-Rated forum I won't pass further comment than those already aired.

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Whilst it most certainly is an unusual situation, how many people every day, leave their child/children in the car when they go to pay for the petrol just as a matter of course. I'm not trying to say the parents are blameless in this case, but monitoring kids is, as many of us know, a complex issue.

IMHO somebody knew that little girl was in that room...

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yep you are right if it had been a childminder done that then there would be lots of finger pointing.

Has anyone in the media actually had the balls to say this on air, as it is what alot of us on here think and i bet represents the feelings across the country.

Also i think that the police are doing everything they can given on what they know, its like the media expect them to pluck the person or people responsible out of the air!

IMO the media need to think about the bigger picture i.e if the portugese police do have a strong lead then by telling the media it gives those responsible time to know the police are onto them and get away again.

Its like playing spy games. Miss information to the media should be part of the order of the day if they are close.

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yes but there is a differance between leaving your kid in your locked car while you pay 5 meters away and can see them 100% of the time, and f**king of down the road for a meal with at least 1/2 hour gaps with out having eyes on.also the fore court is on CCTV from every angle not a walled secluded complex with no prying eyes.

Which ever way you cut it second to the person who did it the parents are to blame.

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I have 4 kids, you cannot take your eyes of them. It only takes a second for a tragedy to happen, this story proves it. I would never leave my younger kids alone in the house even if i was only at my next door neighbours.
It was foolish and now they are suffering.
I do hope little maddy is found alive and untouched but sadly i do not feel this will be the case.

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I didn't say they were blameless - I was just highlighting the whole child watching picture. As viper said - it sure takes longer than a second to cross the forecourt...the forecourt of a highly explosive petrol station, a place where historically cars are known to have been taken whilst the owner is in the office paying for the fuel...within sight...on CCTV.

At the end of the day, whilst it certainly gets dark, no-one deserves to have their child/children taken in this way and I guess in a perfect world we would all expect not to have that kind of risk. As a parent myself, I just think that we should tread cautiously until we know more facts surrounding this issue before villyfying from the rafters those whom we deem to be stupider than ourselves.



I'd like to know how the kidnapper accessed the apartment/flat...pass key? broke in? Or did the previous checkee leave the door unlocked? It's all so sad really...

Re: How dare the BBC........
 

I wouldn't leave my 13 year old son alone in a room for half hour at a time let alone a child of her age. If a fire had broken out the parents would have had no chance of saving their kids and harsh as it sounds if they had been responsible in the first place then that beautiful little girl would not be missing now :(

Re: How dare the BBC........
 

true, but as we know things like this do happen. & IMO its the perants total responsability, they were in a differant country & i think that they should have been even more alert.

did they have 3 kids, & the other 2 are ok?

anywho............ the effort should be trying to find her.

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I'm totally with you on this one !

I have 4 kids and would never leave/left them like that. You cant take your eyes off them for a minute. What were those parents thinking of locking them in an apartment, owt could have happened....... fire, one could have vomited and choked, fell or climbed out of cot/bed....anything could have happened.....and sadly did, now they're paying the ultimate price for their carelessness. I dread to think whats happened to that little girl.

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im sure the parents are tearing themselves up without everyone else joining in. they did a silly thing. but someone must have been watching them. I hate to think what has happened to the wee one. Unlikely that someone nice who wants to look after her has taken her.

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Yes kitkat, someone must have been monitoring their behaviour over a couple of days..... it all seems a bit odd.

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It has seemed to have changed things a bit, the disclosure of the information that the parents lef the little girl alone. It's certainly changed my veiw of the situation - the parents are partly responsible for whats happened, but then you dont think these things can happen. Maybe they did take precautions - locked the door, but left the window open a tad and the kidnapper got in this way. Maybe it was someone at the hotel, a cleaner with the door key / card, although I think that this would have been easily sussed.

Its a terrible situation, and as much as we condem the parents for this neglegence of their responsibilities, they must feel even worse - to know that you child has gone missing AND that you are partly responsible must be the worst feeling in the world.

I hope she is found alive and well, that poor little girl must be terrified.

Matt