Cards On The Table

Spurred by a recent comment relating to the execution of a British National in China, I thought I might take this opportunity to further go on record about where I stand on various issues, popular or not.

And before I start let me just say this to the PC brigade. You may construe some of my comments as racist, which indeed they are not, but what they really are, are my own personal opinions based entirely on my own observations.

The comment in question then.

I am a pacifist. I am also against drug peddling and have seen he damage that drugs do to the young.. I believe in living by the law of the land. If you take the risk where the death penalty exists for smuggling drugs then it is your fault.

I concur with the first highlight.

Living by the law(s) of the (their) land. Hmmm, all very well if just and civilised laws are implemented in and by, a just and civilised society/country.

Straight in then. My respect for the Chinese is only marginally above the contempt of that in which I hold the Japanese.

I have not greatly featured China or the Chinese in the past, so just two links for them.

Internet Saves Chinese Waitress. You will find a link there that lists some of the sixty eight capital offences on the Chinese statute.

My second China story is quite something, not only does my introduction to this story set the scene, it rather clarifies my feelings on one or to other things.

I glanced this article this afternoon in a newspaper that was lying about at my mothers, this is one gruesome tale if ever there was.

Well the same story is online, equally disturbing and equally graphic.
There are certain races of people on this planet that are known for their cruelty and total disregard for the plight of animals, be it the Japanese restaurateurs taking a slice off a live fish and returning it to the tank or the same despicables who hunt whales.
We could include the Vietnamese with their live animal markets and the ghastly goings on in those places and then we have the Chinese who don't seem to give a fuck about anything or anybody.

And it is the Chinese that this story is all about. The Chinese that have taken cruelty and perfected it into an art form, and this art is presented every day to a paying public, a public that includes children. China: Incredible Animal Cruelty

Where next then? Let me take a circuitous route that starts with a bull fighting story but will lead us to the despicable little yellow fucks who slaughter whales under the guise of "research."

The first part of this story is dedicated to Spain, Portugal, Mexico and all the other depraved fucks where the slaughter of animals is considered entertainment. In the year of Our Lord 2010 I may add.

Everybody gets them, well most everybody.You know what I'm talking about, the animal moments, the ones that make you go ahhh, and you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Pictures of small furry animals, "dog might loose foot" stories; "Fearless dog snatches new born twins and confused granny from the jaws of death as runaway train/car/boat/plane..... those kind of moments.

I get them too, never more so than when someone has captured it on film for posterity.Those lovely ahhhh moments, when the bull gets it just right and the matador gets it all wrong.Those lovely moments, captured for all time, allowing us to replay that precise moment when the deadly horn of that much tormented, bloodied and weakened bull enters the soft vulnerable flesh of it's tormentor.Those lovely but fleeting moments that as the horn takes it's upward and sweeping path on it's way to gore and disembowel, wishing and hoping that as this deadly spike follows such a curve, it has been fortuitous and removed certain appendages, appendages that would more commonly be described as manhood, but alas a misnomer in cases such.

Those ahhh moments that give way to...more. All Warm and Fuzzy

Just so there is no misunderstanding regarding my views on the subject, and having just perused previous stories, let me just paste a few short intro's of the same.

Unashamedly I can say I loath these despicable little fucks and their goddamn whale hunting.

~ ~ ~

Fuck the Japanese and their protest, you carry on lads.

~ ~ ~

I'm far from being xenophobic but I could make an exception for these pricks.

~ ~ ~

The evil little shits are at it again, I suppose it would be too much to ask for divine intervention or the wrath of Neptune to visit on the fleet the fires of hell, although with better timing than last year.

~ ~ ~

These introductions and there relative stories can be viewed here under the Whale tag. There are as it happens some happy whale stories included in this list of shame.


No catalogue of countries that misuse various laws to strike terror in the heart of it's people, to hang women and boys for such heinous offences as "crimes against morality" should exclude Iran.

The Cruellest Race - (Execution of a Teenage Girl)

The Cruellest Race Of People On The Face Of The Earth

That is how a woman of my acquaintance described the Iranians.
In most everything I have researched I have yet to find much, if anything, to refute her claim.
It must be noted that the lady that made this claim is a strong, serious professional, (head Sister of an intensive care unit) and was in fact married to an Iranian and lived in Iran between Nineteen Seventy Four and Nineteen Eighty five.
It might be of interest also to note, given that this period included the taking of the embassy hostages, that she was unaware that the hostage situation was ongoing or even existed.

My intention in writing on this subject is to try to bring to attention the unenviable situation that is the lot of women who live under Sharia law/ Code and Islam.
Though the two are different entities, they are but one. Sharia law is the law of Islam.

The Iranian revolution celebrated its twenty-sixth anniversary this week and I am of years sufficient to remember it well.
Well I remember it, but more importantly I remember the “Cultural Revolution” and the ensuing bloodbath and the slaughter of thousands who’s crimes included the capital crime of Apostasy (the rejection of Islam) to “Enemy of the revolution,” the former being written in Sharia law and the latter we can take as a euphemism for educated, and as history has shown exacted a no lesser punishment. This harrowing story with BBC video can be found here, or along with other horror stories under the Iran tag.

There was a follow up to this article, it went like this:

From Sender:
Hi, Himself,
I went to your blog, and like a lot of it, but must say, your spiel "The Cruelest Race" is biased.
Firstly, Iranians are not a 'race' they are a nationality.
Secondly, people throughout the whole of the Middle East, including Iran, had long been known for their hospitality to strangers and their care of the poor.
When you compare specifics between one country and another also bear in mind that in as small a timeframe as a few hundred years (i.e virtually simultaneously) people around the globe are guilty of pretty much the same sorts of things. Remember that just recently children were hanged in England for stealing.
Also take care where you get your news from. There is more to a BBC documentary than meets the eye. There are political agendas to consider.
Regards,

From myself in reply:

Of course it's fucking biased.

Can you read.

The Cruelest Race Of People On The Face Of The Earth
That is how a woman of my acquaintance described the Iranians.

The rest of your comment; don't even THINK to start lecturing me.

They hung the girl. she is dead.

This exchange carries on under the header, Sometimes My Fellow Leftists Really Piss Me Off.


Bypassing the most obvious of all the backward countries that qualify for inclusion on my list, the land of true darkness, Saudi Arabia, can be found under its own tag and many other tags that relate to lifestyles, philosophies and punishments that belong in that time when they were scripted, the Dark Ages. Simply, there are just too many examples to choose from but can be found under such labels as , Us and Them, Human rights, Islam, Women in Islam, and one or two more I have no doubt.

And finally we come to the story and the country that sent me down this particular road today, which I might add, was the only one that I intended to use as an example to our theme of the "Just Laws" to be found around the world.

The face they like to present to the world is one of modernity and sophistication, an illusion propped up by oil wealth, wealth squandered at an alarming rate even by Middle East standards.

And when that oil wealth runs as dry as the wells soon will, the illusion of modernity and sophistication will simply vanish, as only illusions can. Will we then see a reversion back to, for want of a better expression, goat fucking.

Perhaps, perhaps not, but one thing they won't revert to is goat fucking mentality, quite simply because it is still present among the royals and rule makers of that country.

I employ this technical term because it is only people with a goat fucking mentality that would take away fours years of a persons life for (technical term) fuck all.

And fuck all in technical terms equates to the likes of this.

HELD IN THE UAE

Keith Brown, 43, Middlesex: Four-year jail term for possession of 0.003g of cannabis

Robert Dalton, 25, Kent: On trial for alleged possession of 0.03g of cannabis

20-year-old, West Yorkshire: On trial for alleged possession of 0.02g of cannabis

Tracy Wilkinson, 45, West Sussex: Held in custody for eight weeks for possession of codeine before release

Swiss national: Four-year jail term after poppy seeds found on his clothes

Source: Fair Trials International

0.003g is less than the size of a grain of sugar, and wait for it, stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

The poppy seeds evidently the result of eating a bun at Heathrow. more details at the links.

And this could just as easily be you, your wife, your mother, and let's not forget granny.

Travelling to Dubai? Don't ...... Four Years in Jail, It Could Be You more links at these posts.

So kiddywinks I rest my case, but before I close one more link, and don't let the fact that it's to a Formula One site put you off reading the quite brilliant Mike Lawrence giving us the bare bones about Dubai, and dare I say it, the situation it finds itself in.

The Folly Of Building For Chavs.

Overestimating The Great Unwashed

I posted this five minute video some while ago under the title "Now I Know How Idiots Get Elected President."

I post it again perhaps as a word of caution to those among us that would have us believe that there is a mighty groundswell of public awareness regarding this case.

There is a change in public opinion and there is a growing awareness as to just who the true perps are, the perps that are really responsible for Madeleine's disappearance.

But that change is as slow as it it is gradual, I just say to those that think, or wishfully think, that there is a great upsurge of new belief among the plebs, be careful, don't let your hopes run away with you.

This video is about as far removed from the McCann case as it possibly could be, but it's well worth watching for any number of reasons. Statistically there are far more people in the world that mirror the three in the film than there are thinking heads, irrespective of gender or nationality.

Listen to the woman's reply when asked where she gets her information from, it's not a big stretch to change a name and the location and all of a sudden you might be saying, sounds a tad familiar.

Even if you do not watch it for the reasons I state, you may want to watch it for nothing more than it's cor fuckin blimey value.

Faith and Terrestrial Credibility

Somebody who shall be nameless set me off on this tangent by making mention of Ed Smart (Mormon) and Gerry McCann, this for example.

Larry King Show...

KING: Ed Smart, you, too, had to listen to reports of your daughter's death.

SMART: I did. And Elizabeth was and is alive. And Gerry truly believes that Madeleine is still alive, and this is diverting the attention from where it needs to be. And this morning when I spoke with him, he was so concerned that the Portugal police were under such pressure, he says, "Ed, I would not be surprised if they, you know, don't plant evidence in the car, you know, to have them think that there's DNA in this car that I rented after the fact is just outrageous, and what could they possibly have? There's no chance in the world." And you know, he is just ...

Not unnaturally I have a bit trouble when I read stuff like this, primarily because of it's content, but coming from a very hinky bloke, which I won't go into here, I have to ask myself just what passes for reality in the mind of Ed Smart and others like him.

Just one observation though before I move on.
If you are not familiar with the system, then I don't think you can possibly conceive just how difficult and how rare it is to be declared unfit to stand trial within the US justice system. So rare in fact, it would be like finding a church that didn't want your money.


. . . . . I'm sure it's not gone unnoticed with you, that on the rare occasions that the comments section is open, and particularly when it involves the Daily McMail, it's always people of faith who swallow this thing whole and there are always prayers involved.

It's not by coincidence either, that these same people that leave such comments are the same ones that earn themselves downward pointing red arrows that signify disagreement with said comments.

They receive these red arrows, not in tens or scores, but by the hundreds. It's to these people and all others of a similar ilk, that I have to say this, and I do it knowingly that it will offend some of you that visit here, but it must be said.

If you honestly believe that there is a supernatural omnipresent omnipotent super-being that listens to your silent entreaties, then intercedes in a physical way on your behalf, on this dust mote in the sky that we call Earth, then I think you have a problem.

It is this unquestioning faith, that not only defies common sense, but deifies the laws of physics, that leads people into believing the likes of what is writ below.

In my next post I shall be looking at a person of faith who is a staunch supporter of the McCanns.
If you think this below is off the wall, you ain't seen nothing yet.

Bizarre Mormon Beliefs

1. Mormons believe god was a man and then Aliens made him a God.
2. God lives on a planet called Kolob.
3. That God got basically physical with Mary. So she was not a virgin.
4. Jesus and Satan are brothers.
5. Black people are black because they stayed neutral and didn’t decide between Jesus or Satan so they were cursed with black skin by Elohim.
6. The also believe Native Americans are Israelites.
7. That Joseph Smith is a descendant of Jesus.
8. That when they die, they will become the God of there own planet.
9. That you need to know the secret Mormon password which is a handshake of some sort for when you meet Elohim (God), Jesus and Joseph Smith.
10. That you are more likely to get into the celestial kingdom if you have at least 10 wives not just one.
11. It is a Mormon tradition to baptize the dead.
12. They believe that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri in the USA.
13. That dinosaur fossils were created by Satan to deceive the world about the truth of creation.
14. Satan controls all the water in the world.
15. Jesus was married and he had more than one wife and a bunch of kids.
16. That only Mormon men can perform miracles and only the men but the women could receives these miracles.
17. They wear weird white underwear/ spiritual armor.

The Mormon magic underwear

Mormons believe the magic underwear can protect them against the following: • Knife attacks
• Bullets
• Satan
• Fire
• Etc…

Other weird things about Mormons:

• Many Mormons use fake swear words like Fetch and Flip and what the heck.
• Mormons tend to have large families.
• Many Mormons do not drink anything with caffeine, so Caffeine-free
• Most men (ages 19) and many women (ages 21) dedicate 2 years or 1.5
• years respectively to being missionaries and not only do they not receive
Pay, they pay to do it! There is no dating or movies or schooling during that time.
• They also do not choose where in the world they go. Pretty remarkable, really.
• Mormons are commanded to not drink alcohol, tea or coffee, smoke,
or use recreational drugs.
• Mormons are commanded to not have sex outside of the bonds of marriage.
• Mormons pay 10% of their income to the church as a tithe.
• Mormons who have been to the temple wear sacred undergarments as a
Symbol of covenants made there.
• Mormons meet for 3 hours every Sunday (that’s a lot of meetings!).
• Mormons believe in other scriptures in addition to the Bible, particularly The Book of Mormon.
• Mormons address each other as Brother and Sister.
• Mormons believe in a lay clergy and so they often have? Callings or responsibilities within the church. For example, they may teach Sunday school, direct the youth program, or perform other similar duties for which they are not paid.

Previous short posts of mine featuring in the main a Mormon man of God.

Hat tip and thanks for the list, Darren's Blog

Goncalo Amaral Clears Up A Few Misconceptions

My daughter has been abducted but my priorities lie with cooking up a timeline for plod. (Jane Tanner Liar)

~ ~ ~

“Do not underestimate me” warns Goncalo Amaral.

Well it's not really entitled as such, I just thought it had a nice ring to it.

The former coordinator of the Judiciary Police considers that “a police officer is not obliged to obtain results”, but do the best that he can. In addition, he is convinced that he will win the case which opposes him to the English couple regarding the temporary injunction over his book, “Do not underestimate me”, he warns.

O Crime – How do you answer to the observation made by the couple, in an interview to our newspaper, that none of the PJ investigators has done more than their job, unlike you, who accused persons that the prosecutor and the judge have declared to be innocents?

The couple is misinformed. The process never reached within the scope of any judge, it stayed by the prosecutor. Then, the prosecutor did not made a definite archival but a provisional one, leaving the case on «double boiler», pending for the production of better evidence.

However, the final dispatch concludes that, to the parents, could not be laid any responsibility in the disappearance of their daughter…

Also not true. What the prosecutor said on the archiving dispatch was that the non-involvement of the parents in any illegal action “seems to result” - it does not say “results”[imperative], he said “appears to result” – from a set of elements on which he issued an opinion. An opinion that is valid for the process, but that does not establish an absolute truth that limits the public discussion. We are no longer in the Middle Ages. more Joana Morais.

~ ~ ~

Read it here in English.

New Post: CEOP

There is a new post entitled, Jim Gamble CEOP A Question If I May, at The McCann Gallery, the reason for it being there is explained in a footnote on the post.

Imagine

Something a little lighter to finish.

Greetings From Himself

-
Thank you all for your kind wishes and may I send you mine in return via these three cards, hopefully something for everybody, so if the cap fits, wear it.




My apologies if I have not returned your greetings personally, I'm running late and I suppose I had better do a bit of Christmas shopping, humbugs anybody?
-

Madeleine McCann: Never in the field of human conflict have so many been bullshitted by so few

This incredible one page display is the result of a Google News search for today.

Madeleine McCann's parents in Christmas heartbreak - BBC News

Madeleine 'wants to be home this Christmas' - news.com au

New heart-rending appeal for Madeleine (sic) mcCann, who 'dreams of Christmas back home' - mirror.co.uk

Fresh appeal as McCanns face their third Christmas without Madeleine - Daily Mail

Madeleine McCann: Icons of the decade - U.TV

Madeleine search cash set to run out in three months - Leicester Mercury

Family of Madeleine McCann issue Christmas appeal - click Liverpool

MCCANNS: WE'LL KEEP SEARCHING - UK Express

XMAS PLEA FOR 'SWEET MADDY' - Sunday People

Family releases new photo of Madeleine McCann as Christmas draws near - Examiner.com

Madeleine McCann's parents renew appeal - UPI.com

McCann parents launch Christmas appeal - InTheNews .co.uk

McCanns make Luz return - Portugal News

Pain at 3rd Yule with no Maddie - Mirror.co.uk

McCanns: No Madeleine at Christmas - PA

New McCann appeal to find Madeleine - PA

ABOVE: Kate and Gerry McCann are convinced Madeleine is still alive - Daily Star

MCCANN FAMILY'S HEARTBREAK AT THIRD CHRISTMAS WITHOUT MADDIE - Daily Star

McCanns face third Christmas without Madeleine - Leicester Mercury

MADELEINE: NEW APPEAL - UK Express

Isn't that nice, isn't that thoughtful?





After you have read this grotesque tissue of lies, I have a message for you all, no matter where your feelings may lie in this case, my Christmas message if you will.
Something to take away and ponder, something to really have a think about, something quite extraordinary, unique in fact.

We long for our ‘baby', our daughter, our sister, our granddaughter, our friend, our dear sweet Madeleine to be home. This drive and perseverance to find her is not wishful thinking; it is reinforced by facts and evidence. The facts and evidence say: Madeleine is still missing and there is a very real likelihood that she is alive. Hence the search to find her must continue.

‘There will be a spare place at the Christmas table again this year.

‘If you know anything, do the right thing and helps us fill it.'

Madeleine McCann, not yet four years old, has been "abducted by paedos," what, among other things, does Gerry McCann the father of the "missing" girl do?

He trade marks his daughter, he fucking trade marks her, he turns Madeleine McCann into a registered fucking trade mark!

Give that one some thought, sit down in a quiet moment and really really think about it.

Merry Christmas.

Anna Andress Doing What She Does

Best, that is, what she does best when she is not translating of course.

The correct and polite term is parsing, but for those of us tend to stray on occasions from such correctness, opting as we do, but only I must impress, on the rarest of said occasions, do we then opt to employ the vernacular.

The use of vernacular or dialect, particularly that which is employed in the civilised area of this country, this being loosely, the areas North of Manchester to the South of Carlisle.

Vernacular you see lends itself more easily to many of the technical terms that enjoy frequent patronage and are much uttered in this green and pleasant land.

"Taking the piss" for instance, a much used and must be said a much favoured technical term.

No longer do we have to "put wood in t'hole" with the frequency we once did, far easier to keep the coal in the bath, thus eliminating the need for the many Siberian expeditions to the coal house.

"Eeeeeeee by eck!!!" somewhat slipping into disuse these days, perhaps a result of our increasing sophistication, it's true I tell you, why only the other day...

Why only the other day on a wee sojourn around the town I was privy to a conversation 'twixt father and son, and a reet little ragamuffin he were, .......

"Fatha, fatha, sithi tits on yon lass."

The use of the vernacular in this particular instance earning the little toe-rag, in the fashion of good Northern parental guidance, a great clout round lug'ole, accompanied by the words, "What have I told you about saying sithi?"




Anna Andress: Cutting through the bullshit.

From Esther Addley of the Guardian, an article that takes an unusually objective look at the media campaign that transformed a little three-year-old girl into an icon. I say 'unusually objective,' compared to the usual sycophantic rubbish churned out by the UK media, wherein Kate and Gerry McCann attain the status of sainthood and become the self-pitying martyrs of the decade.

It's the unsettling mix of the incredibly intimate and the coolly tactical that has made the mystery of Madeleine McCann the biggest and most extraordinary child abduction story in history.

In an interview for Vanity Fair magazine, Gerry McCann referred to Madeleine's distinctive eye feature:

Late in 2007, Gerry McCann gave an interview to an American magazine and talked about the decision to publicise the eye defect. "Certainly we thought it was possible that [the publicity] could possibly hurt her or her abductor might do something to her eye . . . But in terms of marketing, it was a good ploy." more, From my big desk.

A Stocking Filler by Dr Martin Roberts

By Dr Martin Roberts
20 December 2009

A STOCKING FILLER

And why not? Continuing the on-going theme of 'bloomers' by the McCanns and their various spokespeople, a stocking is merely more appropriate apparel for one's metaphorical foot than the oral variety preferred by the McCanns.

Just a few days ago we heard the not so edifying account of how a couple's foiled attempt at intimidation inside a court of law was transmuted into an act of piety, in the shape of a pilgrimage to Praia da Luz (well it justified the air fare at least). With the McCanns' penchant for comment unabated, the waiting world was treated to gaffes at both ends of their crusading compass.

The Sun newspaper of 12 December recalls the following:

'Gerry said: "There is an innocent child missing here and this is what this is about. It's not about freedom of speech but the search for our daughter."

'Standing by his side at the entrance to Lisbon's Palace of Justice an emotional Kate said: "Freedom of speech should not outweigh the rights of human beings."' (Especially since it is a right of human beings, Kate. Or are you wishing to imply that, like lesser species, the rest of us can do without it?).

Ironically, Kate informs us via the Daily Mirror (also 12 December) that "Freedom of speech should not include distortion of the truth, lies, fabrication and slander," all criteria from which her own speech acts demonstrably suffer. We have the evidence: 'Gerry hardly ever sent a text message until after Madeleine was taken' (But hardly ever sending any in no way accounts for deleting a baker's dozen previously received. Hence distortion of the truth). 'If what happened hadn't happened' it wouldn't have occurred to Kate to mention the crying incident to the PJ (Except she did mention it, three times, at dinner, before it had happened at all. Lies therefore). 'They were watching us, I'm sure.' (Fabrication). And as for Goncalo Amaral, he was simply 'a disgrace' both as a person and a professional wasn't he? (Slander). Yes, Kate McCann is well and truly conversant with behaviours inappropriate to Freedom of Speech. More mccannfiles

CEOP Set To Become Independent

But soon to be a QUANGO!

I don't think it would come as a surprise if I told you there was a distinct lack of that warm and fuzzy feeling when I heard this.

Could it be because there appears to be much controversy surrounding ex RUC man Jim Gamble?

Could it be because Jim Gamble is actively trying to legitimise the McCann's claim that Madeleine was abducted from apartment 5A?

Could it be because Jim Gamble is actively trying to legitimise the McCanns claim that Madeleine was abducted from apartment 5A in spite of there being no new evidence to support that an abduction had actually taken place, or that indeed there is any evidence at all to support an abduction?

Could it be because Jim Gamble is actively trying to legitimise the McCanns claim that Madeleine was abducted from apartment 5A by inviting an uncleared suspect in a major crime to be a guest speaker at the CEOP.

Could it be because the first thought that crossed my mind was, who will monitor the CEOP and to whom will the CEOP be accountable.

There could be many reasons that I don't have that warm and fuzzy feeling that this situation is about to come to pass, and not least those I have mentioned, but no matter how many other reasons there may be for my disquiet, it is above all things, the impermeable stink that emanates from this Gamble - McCann association that really gets up my nose.

CEOP to become independent

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) is to be made an non-departmental public body, a junior Home Office Minister announced this week. Non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are more commonly known as “quangos”.

The significance of the announcement is that it will give greater independence to CEOP to set its own strategic goals and priorities. CEOP is currently accountable to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA); while CEOP enjoys operational independence, SOCA oversees its annual plan, budget etc. NDPBs generally have full independence: their purpose and powers is set out in the statute that creates them and within that framework they have almost complete strategic freedom.

Jim Gamble, the senior police officer who is the Chief Executive of CEOP, has a record of being outspoken in his criticisms of the Internet industry, particularly social networking sites, and arguing that CEOP should not have to pay costs to ISPs, unlike the regular police. Heading an independent quango, rather than answering to a policing agency, he will have even greater freedom to campaign to set limits on industry self-regulation. source Lynx Public Affairs

h/t Ironside

Something a Little Different: The Trial of Tony Blair

I am posting this first part, one of seven, primarily for those of you outside the UK who have never seen or perhaps never even heard of the program.

Given what has transpired this week I thought it would make rather splendid viewing or re-viewing for that matter. Others have already written on the subject, so saving me the job.

War crime case against Tony Blair now rock-solid

Neil Clark: A trial would be warmly welcomed by millions – so what happens next?

Tony Blair's extraordinary admission on Sunday to the BBC's Fern Britton - that he would have gone to war to topple Saddam Hussein regardless of the issue of Iraq's alleged WMDs - is sure to give fresh impetus to moves to prosecute our former prime minister for war crimes.

The case against Blair, strong enough before this latest comment, now appears rock solid. Going to war to change another country's regime is prohibited by international law, while the Nuremburg judgment of 1946 laid down that "to initiate a war of aggression", as Blair and Bush clearly did against Iraq, "is the supreme international crime, differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole".

Blair's admission, that he "would still have thought it right to remove him [Saddam]" regardless of the WMD issue, is also an acknowledgement that he lied to the House of Commons on February 25, 2003, when he told MPs: "I detest his [Saddam's] regime. But even now he [Saddam] can save it by complying with the UN's demand. Even now, we are prepared to go the extra step to achieve disarmament peacefully. I do not want war... But disarmament peacefully can only happen with Saddam's active co-operation."

The view that Blair is a war criminal is now mainstream: more The First Post.

Below, the Channel 4 blurb for the program, which can be watched uninterrupted at Channel 4 UK only.

It is some time in the future. Gordon Brown is moving into Number 10, President Clinton is thinking about her second term in the White House, and Tony Blair is swapping the corridors of power for the comforts of his home in Connaught Square.

Blair departs Downing Street with an unshakeable belief in his continuing relevance as an international figure of influence. But with Washington's warmongers discredited, he finds himself increasingly isolated.

Haunted by the continuing nightmare of Iraq, and obsessed by his legacy, Tony Blair retreats into denial, refusing to see the dangers he faces from the Special Tribunal on Iraq that has been set up to investigate war crimes.

As the film moves towards the final image of the former Prime Minister being hauled off to The Hague to face charges of waging an illegal war, The Trial of Tony Blair asks us to imagine a future where the unthinkable becomes thinkable.

Robert Lindsay returns to the role of Tony Blair, with Phoebe Nicholls as Cherie Blair, Peter Mullan as Gordon Brown and Alexander Armstrong as David Cameron.

Says writer Alistair Beaton: "I gather Mr Blair is very concerned about his place in history. This film is my idea of where that place might be. Whether it's fiction or prediction remains to be seen."

.

Update: Everybody loves Tony.

Tony Blair says it is not true that nobody likes him.

He insists he is very popular - especially abroad.

The former prime minister defended the huge amounts he has made since leaving office, claiming he could have made five times as many lucrative speeches if he had wished.

Mr Blair is believed to have earned £15million since leaving Number 10 in 2007 - and is using a loophole in company law to shield his earnings from public view.

An indication of his huge earning power is that he has raised more than a million dollars in a year for his U.S. charity with the equivalent of one hour's work per week.

In an interview, Mr Blair said his negative image in Britain was entirely down to journalists rather than any failings on his part.....

...Papers lodged with the U.S. tax authority show the Tony Blair Faith Foundation received more than $1.1million (£680,000) in 2008 although he put in just 50 hours' work.....

....The purpose of the foundation, according to the tax return, is to 'promote mutual respect, tolerance, friendship and understanding between the major religious faiths and to make the case for faith itself as a relevant, positive and benign force for good in the modern world'.....more the wail

h/t Ironside

New Blog

Leicestershire Police: A McCann Gallery Tribute

So here it is merry Christmas, Everybody's having fun

Merry Christmas Everybody
So here it is merry Christmas, Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now, It's only just begun





New McCann appeal to find Madeleine

Kate and Gerry McCann have issued a fresh appeal for help in finding their missing daughter Madeleine as they face spending a third Christmas without her.

The couple also released new pictures of the little girl on their Find Madeleine website.

In an emotional plea greeting visitors to the site, they said: "There will be a spare place at the Christmas table again this year. If you know anything - do the right thing and help us fill it."

Mr and Mrs McCann added: "There's only one thing Madeleine wants this Christmas - and that's to be back home. If you know where she might be, please help."

The new pictures show Madeleine smiling and feeding a chocolate lollipop to her younger sister Amelie before she disappeared.

The McCanns, both 41, from Rothley, Leicestershire, said: "Christmas is a time for children. Please help us bring ours back."

Madeleine was nearly four when she went missing from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3 2007 while her parents dined with friends nearby. Despite a massive police investigation and publicity worldwide, she has not been found.

Last weekend Mr and Mrs McCann returned to Praia da Luz together for the first time since Portuguese police named them as suspects in their daughter's disappearance.

The couple, whose suspect status was later lifted, visited the seaside resort's church and wandered along the beach.

Mrs McCann said: "Although our pain feels much rawer here, it is comforting at the same time since we feel closer to Madeleine." source

Odious fucks.

Talking of lollipops, one from the archive.

Leicestershire Constabulary Perverting The Course of Justice. Shurely Shome Mishtake?

I wouldn't bet the farm on it, about it being a mistake that is. The other? I would bet the farm on it.

Blog News: Before you drive on; I never quite realised just how much Leicester Plod had featured in the content of The McCann Gallery, so much so in fact I think the material and the fore mentioned bent fucks are deserving of their own dedicated blog.
This will be in the form of a one time post and will not be updated, unless of course a change in the situation warrants it. Perhaps you might wish to stop by here tomorrow for the link.

I Could be So Good For You - The LPLO Arrive .........( Leicestershire Police Liaison Officers

........ This sighting of the LPLO in May, was 3 clear months before the Portuguese police were to call off their weekly meetings with the McCanns, the last of which was held in the first week of August 2007. The weekly briefings were terminated as the Portuguese police determined the meetings had become obsolete in terms of progressing the investigation.

The Portuguese police said at the time the LPLO had rendered their investigation as null and void, as it was the LPLO who were divulging operational tactics and information to Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns then unofficial PR spokesman and civil servant. Mitchells behaviour was clearly frowned upon as in September Mitchell had to leave his employers under something of a cloud as a result of the complicity he had demonstrated in Portugal with the suspects of a criminal investigation.

The LPLO passed crucial information to Mitchell who in turn passed it on to the McCanns. This briefing of the McCanns by the LPLO was unorthodox to say the least. The integrity of the investigation had been breached and shot through by the very....more TTW4

A significant other, Dr Martin Roberts, also writes on the subject of the Leicestershire Police and it's dubious role in this shameful affair.

I featured this equally significant and well argued observation by Dr Roberts previously and I can take this opportunity to give it another well deserved airing.

Ignoring my own blogging code of practise, I am publishing the complete article here, I feel it has been in the public domain for sufficient time that I am able to do this, but primarily, I can find no way of linking to individual posts that appear on the mccanfiles.

Worthy of being read in it's entirety, I have however highlighted the two relevant passages, and rather than present you with great tracts of bold text, I have highlighted but three words at the begging and end of the relevant parts.

CHAPTER AND VERSE by Dr Martin Roberts

"I disagree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."

This statement, attributed to Voltaire and first articulated over two hundred years ago, is no cliché. As a cornerstone of democratic practice its significance is timeless. The principle it enshrines, however, is one to which some clearly find difficulty in subscribing, as illustrated by the following (translated) comments posted recently on a Spanish 'blog', beneath an article discussing the injunction against Gonçalo Amaral; an injunction banning both his book and any future comment thereon by himself and, in effect, outlawing his thesis (which, it is prudent to recognise, is not his uniquely, either in origin or derivation).

9.9.2009
Manuel Carballal: Prohiben en Portugal el Libro sobre Madeleine McCann (Book on Madeleine McCann banned in Portugal).

13.9.2009
"The police might perhaps be unable to find the girl, but what is clear is that they should have found those responsible for her disappearance.

"The Portuguese police were prevented from doing so on account of clear interference by the British government.

"What I find shameful is that people bend over backwards to defend a couple of parents who left their children alone every night in order to go out with their friends.

"To defend such negligent parents who have since refused to return to Portugal in order to reconstruct their actions, a mother who refused to answer 48 questions put to her by the police, despite being told that her refusal was compromising an investigation, the purpose of which was to find her daughter.

"This book is based on an official summary made public by a judge, but it seems there are still people more intent on defending negligent liars than freedom of expression."

Justice for Madeleine Beth McCann

Mercedes

16.9.2009
Anonymous said...

"Manuel Carballal, I am both sorry and disgusted that you allow your interesting web site to host comments by people who still attempt to call the McCanns' suffering into question, and further to suggest they killed their own daughter. I do not propose to revisit your site while you permit these comments."

This is clearly one reader who would not shrink from censoring what they have just read or, given the opportunity, prohibiting its publication. Draconian enough perhaps, but what makes this dogmatic posture all the more alarming is that the type of comment to which 'anonymous' objects is nowhere represented among the observations they are criticising. Reactionary, yes. Illogical, certainly. And, if taken to extremes, dangerous.

Such is the case with The Truth of the Lie, a book banned in Portugal and thereby legally denied a readership elsewhere (Britain especially, since a version in English was on the cards).

Legal jousting aside, prohibition of this publication has no logical basis whatsoever. The ideas it contains, having first been made public by the Portuguese authorities themselves, have since been broadcast by numerous internet sites, including those maintained by the national dailies. Can it really be the case that a book written in the Portuguese language is capable of causing personal distress to two people who seem scarcely in command of their own, which is English? It has been claimed that widespread dissemination of the belief expressed by the author, i.e. that Madeleine McCann is dead, would jeopardise the on-going search for the child. But how can this be so, when the 'search' is being co-ordinated by private detectives; mercenaries contractually immunised against adverse opinion. And, as the Portuguese police have long since desisted in this case, what possible difference can a Portuguese publication make to their contribution? A thousand or more new leads, offered by the general public in the wake of a recent press conference by the parents, gives the lie to any notion that this book, or any like it, would have the effect of discouraging people from coming forward with information.

Hypocrisy is an insult to anyone's intelligence, but when dressed in lawyers' silks it becomes offensive. The following extract is taken from an interview, given by Gerry McCann to Vanity Fair magazine's Judy Bachrach, and published as a 'web exclusive' on September 10, 2008:

"Portuguese attorney general Fernando Pinto Monteiro suggested that one way or another the McCanns were responsible for their child's death. Specifically he said that if indeed Madeleine had been kidnapped, it was the carefully contrived publicity engineered by her parents that likely sealed her fate. 'With the whole world having Madeleine's photo,' he observed, any abductor would have been pushed to such a degree that 'there's a greater probability of the little girl being dead than alive.'

"And with this last devastating conclusion—namely that Madeleine will likely never reappear—Madeleine's own father haltingly agrees."

As far as the recent injunction is concerned, armchair strategists are bound to argue about motives and purposes, such as paving the way for libel action, pre-empting publication of an English Language version specifically, destroying the author personally etc., etc. In public at any rate, the objectionable core of the work is held to be the hypothesis of Madeleine's death - Chapter 16. But like so much of this case, this too may prove to be misdirection, on a grand scale. The casual observer, unfamiliar with prior examples of conceptual leger de main, such as forced/unforced entry, soft toys in the autopsy room and invisible passers by, may well be inclined to take this particular stance at face value. Others might rather consider whether the truly sensitive material in this publication resides elsewhere.

Gonçalo Amaral, author of The Truth of the Lie, has been widely vilified in the British press. 'Disgraced', 'bungling', 'incompetent' are three epithets which spring to mind. But what, exactly, precipitated his fall from grace? There can be little doubt that the Portuguese authorities were pressured by Gordon Brown to remove Sr. Amaral from office, as his dismissal was notified to our Prime Minister before even it was made apparent to the then PJ co-ordinator himself. Suddenly, the team leader had become persona non grata. Why? Because he obstinately refused to renounce the hypothesis that Madeleine had not been abducted, but was instead deceased? Not at all. That hypothesis had become a collective opinion in relatively short order, following scrutiny of the circumstances by British expert Mark Harrison, who had as good as said, 'Start looking for a body.'


Whilst the off-hand remarks may have drawn unwelcome attention to the British investigative contingent at the time, they were by no means as revelatory as the observations published since. If impounding, with a view to destruction, copies of The Truth of the Lie is reminiscent of the role of the Fireman in the story Fahrenheit 451, i.e. to start (book) fires not extinguish them, then it is not an altogether surprising development, given other precedents in this case.

The fundamental role of the police in any developed society is that of crime prevention and detection, in which context it is by no means unknown for individuals to take their personal contribution to extremes, even going so far as to falsify evidence in an attempt to ensure a conviction. Ironically, whilst this is something Gerry McCann voiced as a suspicion of the Portuguese, during a September 2007 conversation with Ed Smart (father of abductee Elizabeth Smart), it is, perversely, a charge that might be laid at the door of the British, whom Amaral portrays as having introduced false evidence, not with a view to securing a conviction, but forestalling one. How else might one describe investigative attention being suddenly and deliberately drawn to a video purporting to show Madeleine present at an orgy engaged in by wealthy arabs, when the video in question had been in police hands since February/March of that year, weeks before the announcement of Madeleine's disappearance on May 3! Whilst Chapter 16 may be significant, Chapter 18 is truly revealing.

As a younger man I once enjoyed the company of a mathematically adept colleague, whose principal out-of-hours interest was the 'Sport of Kings'. He would study The Sporting Life assiduously, and wasn't so much in the habit of placing a bet as making a calculated investment. When assessing the odds, this individual typically thought 'outside the box', well before that phrase was ever coined. He had a sharp eye for the unusual, and one memorable observation of his has stayed with me ever since: 'You won't find a trainer in the North of England sending his horse all the way to a small track in the South if he doesn't have a very good reason for believing it will win.'

Now, this is not quite the irrelevant anecdote it may appear. Soon after attending at apartment 5A of the Ocean Complex on the night of May 3, 2007, the GNR decided they were out of their depth and called in the PJ, an organisation the McCanns would go on to criticise in no uncertain terms, Gerry making it perfectly clear that, in his view, the British had more experience in handling child abduction cases. So there he was, a visitor to the Iberian peninsular, whose child was inexplicably missing from a resort of little consequence and, as the local police, recognising the potential seriousness of the crime, defer instinctively to their senior investigative colleagues, what does Gerry McCann do? By way of bringing the full resources of the more experienced British police to bear, he encourages the PJ to collaborate, not with Scotland Yard, but a provincial constabulary.

Are we to suppose that the expertise to which Gerry McCann was necessarily appealing was particularly well represented by Leicestershire Police? Simply observing the law of averages, as well as the highly skewed distribution of the UK population, specialist expertise in all manner of things is most likely to reside in or around London and the South East. So was experience in the handling of missing child cases a Leicestershire forte or the criterion which singled them out as the most appropriate authority to co-ordinate the UK contribution? If not, what made their affiliation to the enquiry so important for the McCanns? Like the horse being sent a long way to compete in a small race meeting, the specific engagement of a provincial police force on a case with international parameters cannot have been without purpose. And that purpose cannot have been simply facilitating subsequent liaison back home in the UK, since no-one, outside of the protagonists, can pre-determine the length of time for which a missing person might remain so. It could all have been over inside a week. Still, there is no denying the quality of the liaison, with guidance, in the form of police manuals, later finding its way onto Gerry McCann's bedside cabinet.

Experience being the culmination of prior knowledge, perhaps one should enquire as to the class of prior knowledge which recommended the Leicestershire Police in this instance and, if it was not missing persons related, what was it? Logic dictates that no wisdom could have been applied to the problem before the problem had arisen. Knowing how best to go about searching for a missing child is clearly only an advantage after a disappearance has occurred. Surely, in this case, there wasn't something of importance that might have been known beforehand. There was no 'beforehand', was there?

Perhaps we should turn our attention from Chapter 18, to Chapter 12; not of the Truth of the Lie this time, but the Old Testament's second book of Samuel. There, is recounted the story of how King David, having put the Hittite Uriah to death, takes his widow for a wife, incurs the wrath of God in so doing, and is punished by the death of the one child to have resulted from the unacceptable union (verses 15 - 19). PJ investigators discovered a Bible in the apartment to which the McCanns had adjourned, following the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine from 5A of the Ocean Club complex, and this is the episode retold at that point where its pages were noted to be marked or crumpled.

Kate McCann summarily dismissed the PJ's view that this passage was of significance, referring as it does to the death of a sick child. In truth, there does appear to be little more than coincidence attaching to the seemingly allegorical connection. Madeleine McCann had inexplicably disappeared. She had not fallen ill and died as a consequence. But there is something more to the biblical scribe's story. Not only is the reader told that a child of David dies, but we are also told why; not in terms of causality, but God's justification for inflicting the punishment: Avarice, Lust, Adultery - take your pick. David had wives enough.

Careful scrutiny of the telecomms traffic around the time of Madeleine's disappearance has previously yielded an indication that, on the night of Tuesday 1st May, Kate McCann was actually back in the family apartment some 14 minutes before Mrs Fenn claims she heard a child start crying. This is the night when aerobics instructor and sometime quiz hostess, Miss Najoua Chekaya, was on duty for the Mark Warner resort, and the only night when an invitation to join the McCann table can have been extended to her (she did not work on Thursdays). There has to have been a reason, therefore, why the impression was freely given that Miss Chekaya joined the Tapas diners at their table on that fateful Thursday night, when she clearly could not have done so. There has also to be a reason why a young child should cry for "Daddy" in "Mummy's" presence.

When interviewed for Expresso TV, on 6 September 2008, Kate and Gerry collaborated in circumnavigating a question put to them regarding the deletion of 16 text messages, which Gerry was known, through police analysis, to have received. Their joint answer was unconvincingly dressed in an explanation of Gerry's own reticence about sending text messages prior to Madeleine's disappearance. While the content of communications sent and received is perforce of interest, even a skeletal call history has a tale to tell, being a record of who was in contact, even if not what information was shared. The devil, as always, is in the detail.

One has to question why, in such alarming circumstances as the disappearance of their daughter, both Kate and Gerry saw fit to engage in some electronic 'pruning' when there was no casual need to do so. It does rather raise the suspicion that there was a need, and not a casual one at that, to protect the identity of earlier contacts which might, upon later scrutiny, appear to have been untimely, inappropriate or both. In much the same way as the ready availability of photographic enlargements was perceived by the PJ to have been premature, there is at least a hint here of 'prior knowledge', i.e., that there was a 'beforehand' after all, and that someone outside of the McCanns' immediate circle knew what it was.

That ubiquitous 'source close to the McCanns' told the Daily Mirror (Mirror.co.uk News, 29 May, 2008) that, as far as Gerry was concerned, "The only time his phone rang was when work called and he explained he was on holiday. There are no mystery texts. Gerry has nothing to hide. It's yet more nonsense coming from Portugal."

When one surveys the data sheet itemising Gerry McCann's deleted text messages, two things at least become immediately obvious: that this source is lying, and that another forensic 'shadow' is clearly visible.

Having discovered that Gerry McCann was on holiday, 'work' is unlikely to have called repeatedly thereafter. And whilst 'Work' may not have sent Gerry fourteen text messages on May 2nd somebody clearly did. There was a constantly changing situation somewhere of which Gerry McCann was being kept informed via messages transmitted in close-knit batches, approximately hourly at first, then precisely two hourly. The tell-tale timings are:

8.07.12, 8.07.17
9.10.45, 9.13.01, 9.18.15
10.35.50, 10.47.56
12.35.58
13.46.23, 13.48.33, 13.59.32
15.49.05
17.49.26
19.49.34

The phrase 'regular updates' comes readily to mind. The mendacious 'source close to the McCanns' would no doubt try to convince people that these calls were unrelated to each other, but the timings between salvos, as well as the tight proximity within them, tell us otherwise. Of course we may never know who this mystery contact was, but being unusually optimistic for once, I should like to think that the word 'never' does not apply in this instance.

h/t and source Dr Martin Roberts mccanfiles.

Uncleared Suspect in Simulating a Crime and Hiding a Cadaver to be Guest Speaker at CEOP Conference on Child Abduction

And let's make no bones about it, uncleared major suspect he is and and uncleared he will remain until exonerated or not in a court of law.

Insufficient evidence is not an indication of innocence, nor might I add, the indecent and unprecedented haste by the Portuguese authorities in archiving the case of a missing child is not an indication that there is no case to answer.

On the contrary, the unprecedented, and believe me not only is it unprecedented it is unique in Portuguese criminal history* that a case of a missing child should be archived after such a short period of time is not only indicative that there is a case to answer but is confirmation in fact.

Why was the case archived you may ask, I don't know, the same as I don't know why McCann attended and received a standing ovation at the National Police Federation annual bravery awards.

The same I don't know why, that the ineffectual Leicestershire Constabulary have, and continue to have, a direct link from the force's own website to the grotesque Find Madeleine/Fund/Online Shop website of two uncleared suspects in a major crime.

And if I don't know the answer to any of the above, there is one thing for sure, I don't know why Gerry McCann is a guest speaker of the CEOP.



A reminder then for the reason Gerry and Kate McCann being made arguidos.

~ ~ ~

They were made arguidos, this was public, for simulating a crime and hiding a cadaver. Expresso 04 July 2008

~ ~ ~

And beyond that, in our law there exists the principal of no self-incrimination. A person can't continue speaking forever as a witness and providing evidence ("indications"). There is certainly a stigma in the arguido status, but I don't know what is worse. They were made arguidos, this was public,(knowledge) for simulating a crime and hiding a cadaver.

~ ~ ~

They were made arguidos on suspicion of two crimes: concealing a body and simulating an abduction and potentially the crime of abandonment. But saying they were made arguidos on the merest possibility that they were involved in the disappearance of their child is not true. The conclusions reached by the team investigating the crime, including colleagues in Britain,

~ ~ ~

“there was a common understanding”, between Portuguese and British police officers involved in the investigation, about the fact that Madeleine was dead.There was evidence, about two different crimes – which were referred by the defence lawyer, Pinto de Abreu, in a public statement – and it was hiding a body and a criminal simulation. That was the situation, when I left the investigation,” Mr. Amaral said. The former PJ inspector, who has a Law Degree from Lisbon University, mentioned the fact that “these kind of cases of disappearance, frequently bring with it other crimes, sometimes fake statements or physical abuse”. Source The interviews. McCannfiles

~ ~ ~

Yet somehow this uncleared suspect, the last person to see Madeleine McCann alive and statistically most likely to be involved the disappearance of the child is somehow a guest speaker at a conference hosted by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (Centre) (CEOP) on the subject of sexually-motivated child abductions.

I despair I really do, and not just for Madeleine McCann, I despair for this country, for what it has become and what has become acceptable to it, no matter how corrupt and offensive that it may be.


This is a much reduced version of the CEOP webpage.

Taken: Sexually-motivated child abductions

A One Day Conference, Tuesday 26 January 2010. School of Oriental and African Studies, Bloomsbury, London

Introduction

The stereotypical, high profile incidents of child abduction play into every parent’s worst nightmare and often result in media attention and public hysteria. Whilst the names of those children and offenders alike are engrained within our collective consciousness, these cases are mercifully very rare. Indeed, parental disputes resulting in the abduction of a child by one parent still make up the majority of abduction cases per se................

Conference objectives

This one day conference will explore the issues associated with a variety of child abduction cases, predominantly focussing on sexually motivated stranger abductions.

By using a combination of recent research, operational case studies and offender debriefs, this conference seeks to identify pertinent issues for any such investigation...........

Agenda

09:00 Registration

09:30 Welcome: Jim Gamble, Chief Executive, Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre

09.45 Multiple case research: Jim O. Beasley III, Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation

10.30 An holistic approach: Adam Gregory, Senior Behavioural Investigative Adviser, National Policing Improvement Agency

11:00 Break

11.30 Operation Paris – the Shannon Matthews investigation: Detective Superintendent Andy Brennan, Detective Inspector Andy Walker, West Yorkshire Police

12:30 Lunch

13.30 False allegations of abduction: William Donaldson, Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation

14:30 Break

14.45 Insight from the minds of child abductors:Detective Chief Superintendent Graham Hill, Dr Joe Sullivan, Consultant Chartered Psychologist, Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre

16.00 Closing speech: Gerry McCann

16.30 Questions and answers session: All speakers

Key Note Speakers

James O. Beasley III, Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Andy Brennan, Detective Superintendent, West Yorkshire Police

William H. Donaldson, Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Adam Gregory, Senior Behavioural Investigative Adviser, National Policing Improvement Agency

Graham Hill, Detective Chief Superintendent, Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre

Dr Joe Sullivan, Principal Forensic Behavioural Analyst, Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre

Who should attend

This one day conference is most suitable for those involved in child abuse investigation including:

Senior Investigating Offices and their deputies;
Police Family Liaison Officers working in major crime investigations;
Child protection professional who support major crime investigations; and
Critical incident managers and front line senior supervisors.

Delegate criteria and cost

There is a delegate fee of £195 per person which includes lunch and refreshments throughout the day.

I was going to hint that perhaps someone that lived in the area might take the trouble to attend, having seen the entrance fee perhaps I won't.

* Should I be proved wrong on this statement I will stand correcting.

h/t mccannfiles and as ever to those that work so tirelessly to bring us the various English translations of documents et al.

The Crying Game: Looking Back

This article dates back to October 2007. Tears have been a bit topical of late, so I thought I would offer this up as a last post on the subject and then I can move on to things contemporary.

It does, among other things remind us of things that were said at the time, such things as: schooled not to show emotion, and "It's extraordinary. Whenever she opened her mouth to talk he squeezed her hand," and of course no interview would be complete without the likes of this: "Everything Kate and Gerry said on that interview was totally genuine." They have nothing to hide." followed by the standard issue, "Our lawyers are watching..." now who could that be I wonder? then just before the article ends, this on the subject of Low Copy Testing. The FSS claims the technique is just as reliable as standard DNA testing.

Be kind to Kate: Mother's desperate plea after astonishing attack on McCann's 'TV circus act'

The mother of Kate McCann has made a desperate and heartfelt appeal for the public to be 'kinder' to her daughter.

Susan Healy, 61, argued her Kate wasn't at breaking point but called for the public attacks on her daughter to stop: "I want people to start being kinder to Kate, she has enough to cope with.

"Yes, she is distressed at times and she can't smile that often at the moment. But she is very strong and she is going to fight on to get Madeleine back.

"People are saying she's at breaking point but she's not going to have a nervous breakdown."

Analysed: Kate McCann wipes away a tear on Spanish TV

I previously did a little analysis of my own regarding this interview.

Her mother's defence comes as Kate was left reeling after her tearful breakdown was savaged as 'a circus act' by critics who claimed it showed she had 'psychiatric problems'

Friends of Mrs McCann and her husband Gerry said they were stunned by the "vile criticism" about their behaviour during a television interview.

They are considering taking legal action against a Spanish psychiatrist who made the worst of the slurs.

Jose Cabrera analysed the couple's television interview on Wednesday for the Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha, who described him as a forensic psychiatrist and facial expression specialist.

'Staged': Kate, sitting next to husband Gerry, breaks down during the interview

He said: "When people cry they move the muscles in their face and she (Kate) did not move one single muscle, just like poker players. That is very significant."

"It brings us the certainty that she is hiding something."

He described the interview, with Spanish broadcaster Antena 3, as "staged" and "nothing but big theatre", and said he thought Mrs McCann "has had psychiatric problems for a long time" before saying: "Now they've got worse."

He added: "Any Englishman is cold but she has something else - her personality is not normal - and he (Mr McCann) causes an impression because all he worries about is her answers."

Mrs McCann, 39, has faced criticism about her apparent "coolness" and her seeming control over her emotions in public.

Not featured in the article but from the same interview.

Mrs Healy, of Allerton, Merseyside, added: "Kate was speaking for herself in that interview - there were no restraints on her at all. Yes, she was very distressed at times but she can't be blamed for that."

A friend of the McCanns said Kate had been schooled not to show emotion because psychologists warned Madeleine's abductor could get kicks from watching her emotional response.

He said: "It is devastating for Kate and Gerry to be criticised in this way. Some of what has been said is beyond belief.

"The same people who criticised Kate when she managed to hold herself together are now attacking her because she couldn't.

"The fact she cried during a TV interview proves nothing except the fact that Kate is running on high emotions, as you would expect any mother whose child has gone missing would be.

"Kate and Gerry are philosophical about the media coverage but they cannot let this level of vile criticism go. They are absolutely shocked and stunned.

"When the time is right they will be taking action against anyone who they feel has overstepped the mark. It is good that Correio printed the name of the Spanish psychologist whose opinions they published. He is one more person on the list of people to sue."

The couple have already threatened legal action against the Portuguese weekly newspaper Tal e Qual, which accused them of killing their daughter, and the daily tabloid 24 Horas, which claimed Mr McCann was not Madeleine's biological father.

Mr Cabrera, 50, did not restrict his comments to Mrs McCann. The Madrid-based psychiatrist - who has never met the couple - said Mr McCann's only concern during the interview was to "control" his wife.

He said: "All he worried about was controlling her. It's extraordinary. Whenever she opened her mouth to talk he squeezed her hand - and all this because the key to this mystery is definitely with her."

He added: "It is he who dominates the whole situation. He is aware of everything and knows he has to control her and her problematic personality so that she does not go too far in front of the cameras and speak too much."

Mr McCann, also 39, did whisper a warning to his wife at the end of the interview, telling her not to speak until her microphone was taken off, but friends said that was because they had just been asked a question which their lawyers had told them not to answer.

The couple were said to be horrified by the response to the interview, which was given to appeal for help in finding Madeleine and to launch a 24-hour information hotline.

Mr Cabrera was not their only critic. Portuguese criminologist Moita Flores, a former detective with the Policia Judiciaria, said: "The interview was a circus act.

"The most curious thing is that before this interview was agreed to, everybody already knew she was going to cry, which is what happened, and she even managed to play the part quite well."

He told Correio da Manha: "It was an act which nobody believes. After their theory of abduction they now insist on their innocence, and those who are innocent don't need this."

McCann spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "A few days ago Kate was criticised for not showing enough emotion and then when she does cry she is criticised too.

"Everything Kate and Gerry said on that interview was totally genuine. They have nothing to hide.

"Our lawyers are watching the media coverage very carefully in both Portugal and Britain and action will be taken against anything we feel has gone too far."

The 24-hour hotline was said to have attracted a huge number of calls in its first day of operation. It was set up on the advice of private investigators working for the McCanns, who will follow up potential sightings and leads.

Murat feels 'forgotten' and 'desperate'

The first official suspect in the Madeleine investigation feels he has been 'forgotten' in the furore over Kate and Gerry McCann.

Robert Murat is so desperate to clear his name that he is willing to submit to further police interviews and searches of the villa he shares with his mother in Praia da Luz.

His lawyer Francisco Pagarete said: "Mr Murat has been living with this for a long time now and it is time the police admit they have no evidence against him. He is desperate to get his life back.

"If the inspectors want another interview, we are willing. Mr Murat is very keen to see the case against him finished."

Mr Murat, 33, was named as a suspect on May 14 and his villa was searched. The British ex-pat property consultant has always insisted he had nothing to do with Madeleine's disappearance.

Doubts raised over DNA evidence

Questions have been raised over the DNA technique which led to Kate and Gerry McCann being made suspects.

Experts at the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham used a method called "low copy number" profiling to analyse material found in the couple's hire car.

They claim that LCN profiling can obtain an accurate "genetic fingerprint" from just a single human cell.

But other experts have warned that the Portuguese police have placed too much significance on the DNA results, which link Madeleine to the car hired weeks after her disappearance.

The technique, pioneered by the FSS in 1999, differs from standard DNA testing in that it does not rely on the presence of bodily fluids or significant amounts of skin or hair.

Instead, just a single cell of sweat or skin, left by a mere touch, is all that is needed. The tiny DNA fragment is then copied many times over to provide a big enough sample to match with other profiles.

The FSS claims the technique is just as reliable as standard DNA testing.

But some experts suggest the copying process can be prone to errors, and that because such small samples can be transferred from place to place by touch alone, finding someone's DNA at a crime scene does not necessarily mean they were ever there in person. source thisislondon

h/t Ironside.