h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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I'm arguing about this with often these days.

Yes: they were wrong. They left 3 under 4s (she was only nearly 4 when she disappeared) in an apartment - it is not clear how far away, and how easy/quickly they could get back to the children - while they were in a restaurant. They didn't make use of the resort's baby sitting service.

Totally wrong.

However, they are now paying for this. Madeline is also now paying for it. Although I do think this aspect of the case has not been highlighted enough. Probably because they are upper-middle-clas doctors and not Brent and Stacey from Essex.

I would hope, and i don't think we have evidence to the contrary, that the Portugese police have done anything other than what they can to find this girl. The fact that "they do things differently in Portugal" is neither here nor there.

The parents have done what any other parents would have done, I think. They have tried their hardest to make sure that everyone on the planet knows what Madeline looks like and that she is missing. Heck, a waitress in Belgium knew enough about the case to report a possible sighting.

But at this stage I think we have to look past what they did, which was more than irresponsible, and look at 2 things:

1) our (ie the British) attitude to children. Either you have them, and you look after them, or you don't. How much of a drag would it have been to take them to the restaurant? (yes, I know three kids is a handful, but... they badly wanted those children, either put your social life on hold for a while, or take them with you...)

I prefer the "continental" way (southern European mostly) of allowing the children to be part of what is going on. But that could be just me... I realise that other people don't want other people's children "inflicted" on them everywhere, but at a restaurant, in a family resort, attended by other families it's not too much of a stretch to add 3 more kids

2) poop - I've forgotten what I wanted to say.

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I've got a four year old second cousin, a two year old second cousin and an eighteen month old second cousin. If I found out their parents had left the eldest in charge of the two others while they went out to the pub, I'd get social services in.

(Then again, as the parents are from a council estate in Walkden, I daresay they wouldn't become the media darlings that Mr. and Mrs. McCann have become.)

They're a damned disgrace.

Grrr - my post was hidden. I simulposted with you Sho but apparently we were saying pretty much the same thing.

Except you said it better somehow? I only said a few things slightly differently.

Note that my post isn't waiting for moderation - it was immediately hidden.



az

Ooh, a bit of controversy.

Personally, I think the parents effectively signed the girl's death warrant when they went public in a global way. *If* she had been abducted, the perpetrator couldn't let her be seen in public without fear of being caught. If the parents had kept quiet and let the police do their job, an abductor may have got cocky and taken her outside where she could be spotted.

There's far too much reporting of this case, giving a confusing picture. What kind of abductor or possible murderer cleans up the crime scene?

I knew it would get hidden.

Not because I put anything in controversial. There are some subjects that we aren't allowed to discuss it seems and this must be one of them.

A shame as I spent some time on that post.

Ho hum.

Touchy mods. Lets just hope someone sees sense and that we are all grown up enough to discuss this in an open and adult way.

I can't remember now if I was post 3 or 4 ...

I also don't understand why this cannot be discussed, as it is all about personal opinions. No fear of contaminating the investigation or anything like that ...

az

It's flippin' ridiculous.

Every kid that goes missing gets my sympathy. I am sympathetic to the parents, because generally speaking what they did was silly, but they don't deserve the misery that something like this causes.

And yet - nobody is allowed to comment?

I'm interested though - was that post automatically hidden, or yikesed? Can we tell from the message there?

ok, so the mod team hid it.

If I wrote a post here asking the mods not to have such a hair trigger for something so patently innocuous, would I get in big bovver?

No, you would not. If it goes back unexpurgated they will get a big thumbs up from me as has happened before.

If it gets yikesed no big thumbs up.

<> (Sho)

Well, I disagree. I think they deserve every bit of misery they are feeling. Meanwhile, being flown off to visit the Pope and otherwise being treated like media 'celebrities' ... you know, it just sticks in my craw.

On various websites they are always thanking people who say they've done the same thing and 'no pasa nada' ... as if this means anything.

They left three very tiny children unattended and the worst nightmare happened. I don't feel sorry for them, sorry I just don't. Though I feel terribly sorry for the child.

az

Fascinating. I wonder what the first post said that you couldn't find on the BBC website anyway? Or the other removed posts, for that reason?
I was surprised when I read on a German website what the Portuguese Police is said to be thinking. Had to look long and hard to find this on the BBC website.
Made me wonder - who suppresses information?

I see your point, az. And since I never ever left my tiny children unattended I can't work out what they were thinking.

I definitely feel more sorry for Madeline.

This thing with the Portugese police, I'm wondering if they aren't just fed up with being painted as bad guys?

oh and while I'm at it...

how do people afford not to go back to work at some point?

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And what about the baby twins? Who is looking after them while the parents are rushing off to meet the Pope and otherwise being busy being famous?

Surely the parents wouldn't want to make the same mistake twice?

Sorry for my very cynical tone, except I just don't get it. I've never got it. That you'd go out for dinner on the beach and leave three babies alone in a rented holiday apartment ... guess that's just me?

az

oooooooooooooo cynical

I was wondering if this is the sort of thing that the fund would be used for?
(and I'm not giving an opinion either way, just wondering)

also... given the strength of feeling that some people have about the parents leaving the children alone while they were at a restaurant (and checking on them every half hour)

What about this: if you saw her, and she had merely been kidnapped by a family wanting their own child (and IVF, adoption etc had not been an option) and she was obviously not distressed, well looked after and the people seemed ok... would you tell the police?

I'd really like to see a plan of where the restaurant was in relation to where the children were.

There is a regular hootooer who used to be a holiday rep in that area and she once mentioned, I think, that the restaurant was indeed around 200m (as was reported earlier) from the restaurant, on the other side of a pool, but that you'd have to climb over a wall to make it that distance.

No reason that I want to know this apart from morbid interest.