Madeleine McCann

[Unit]

I reckon she's dead.

[Chandler]

excellent post again Chandler ; plenty to think about , re the marina etc

(please excuse my scant in-depth knowledge again, but these are just a couple my thoughts from the tabloids, sorry if its already been dealt with)

Chandler ( or l444ry, futter, yaxx etc), What are your thoughts/ speculations on Gerry McCann's "supposed " missing blue tennis bag ?

He denies having had a bag of this description but ( according to the tabloids) witnesses say that he did , and there is speculation that it could have been the sort of bag that could be used to carry a child , surely if such a bag has indeed dissappeared , then why would the abductor not have come equipped with something to carry a child , and not relied on one just fortunately being around .

Surely witnesses describing it something like "a large holdall " would have sufficed , but a "blue tennis bag" is quite a precise description

Is this another smokescreen to implicate the mccanns ? if so why such a precise description of the bag ? ( hope you see what i'm getting at)

My other thought, is that anyone looking at Kate Mccann these days will be sure that "if" she had any involvement then she is paying a very heavy price for it and "sources close to her" ( yes that dreaded term) say that her face has distorted into a permant expression of a scream

All the best

'Sol Invictus' ('Hail The Unconquered Sun' the real Xmas greeting in ancient Rome until the Christians nicked it) to you Mr Zingari, 1444ry and all others who have an interest in this tragic case.

My credibility on this thread rests on my careful research and backing up my findings with citations so I am not going to comment on the blue holdall until I've trawled through the archives to see if it's existence has ever been mentioned before -particularly in the early days after Madeleine's disappearance.

I'll try and have something up by the 28th December (2007!)

Brumalia, The Lord of Misrule - those were the days...

[Alexikokopops]

This is why the whole Madeline McCann thing frustrates me

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7158774.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7158802.stm

Why don't these get as much news time?

[DB11]

Bet it's hard for them today

[Chandler]

Well, my first observation on this, the latest instalment of the 'McCann Roadshow', is that you would have thought that by now our resident McCannophobes would have been just a little wary about taking this latest 'scoop' (ie Gerry had a blue tennis holdall that he reported stolen to the PJ on the day that Madeleine disappeared) at face value.

Roger Federer is rumoured to carry around junior practice partners between knock abouts in his bag...

Which is why yours truly decided to do a little digging before giving his own valuation. And I can tell you now that my midnight delving has uncovered some curious objects. Before I brief you about my 'finds' a word or two about the hunch that got me reaching for my Spear & Jackson.

S&J's Country Border Spade 2b - just the ticket for unearthing the truth.

I felt that waiting till Day 234 of the enquiry to present such a crucial piece of evidence was more than a little odd. One could be forgiven for thinking that the PJ should have issued a description of the tennis bag on Day 1. Was it possible, I wondered, that this bag's existence was just another example of recycled news? I had a feeling that a bag had already cropped up somewhere in the investigation. And sure enough one had. Except it wasn't blue and it wasn't for tennis - it was a white carrier job:

A bag of clothes containing DNA linked to Madeleine McCann has been discovered dumped by a road in Portugal.

The white carrier bag was discovered in a layby two weeks ago near Faro airport, according to a report in the News of the World.

Kate and Gerry McCann have since been informed of its contents.

The bag is believed to contain a blue fleece jacket and a pair of adult jeans with traces of DNA which may have come from Maddie. (Daily Mail 5.11.07)

Curiously, this startling revelation now seems to have been buried in some media landfill site (where, no doubt, it will soon be joined by the blue tennis bag).

A final suspicion that came to me as I was rooting away in the garden shed for my old paraffin lamp was that the enigmatic blue bag was just a ploy to boost the ratings for the Xmas Eve Sky News 'Madeleine McCann Mystery (MMM).' Perish the thought that our (allegedly) 'McCannophile' media could do such a thing (more on this in a mo)!

The Japs might pronounce 'Sky News' as 'Sky Ruse' which, on reflection, is perhaps more accurate.

So, what have we here then? Well, if you come a little closer and wait a tick while I clean the muck off these little nuggets you'll see that I have in my clammy mitts some genuine anonymous witnesses:

Now, Witness 'A', you are absolutely SURE that you saw a blue tennis bag with a baby in it at the French Open?

Well I THOUGHT I had some genuine anonymous witnesses to Gerry's blue tennis bag. They were mentioned (but neither identified nor produced) on the 'MMM.' They were also referred to in several national newspapers on Xmas Eve but all such references have now been mystriously excised (The Times piece on the subject appears to have gone through the censor's mangle backwards - it's enough to make you feel you're losing your marbles).

Now, I had hoped also to bring you the 'Sky' jewel here - Gerry's report to the PJ that someone had swiped his blue tennis bag - but there's been a bit of a technical hitch. We do know that some antiques anoraks definitely spotted this claim on Sky News trailers for the 'MMM' whilst others said they saw it on the web.

But, cometh the hour er... goeth the story...downeth the pan. The 'MMM' strangely dropped its little 'Gerry PJ Report Exclusive' as did ALL mainstream media (NB including other Murdoch media Sun, Times) following the programme. Instead of a STOLEN bag we now had a MISSING one that vanished around the SAME TIME as Madeleine:

According to a new investigation, the bag went missing from the family’s holiday apartment around the time that Madeleine vanished, and it has not been seen since. (Daily Express 24.12.07)

It is claimed Portuguese cops have been hunting for the holdall, which disappeared at the same time as the four-year-old girl. (The Sun 24.12.07)

You don't think that the litigious McCanns put the wind up the press by asking them to produce documentary proof of Gerry's report of a stolen tennis bag to the PJ (a statement, given the PJ's attitude to the McCanns, you would have expected them to have taken very good care of)?

Row Back - the Murdoch Media Machine's principled response to the merest whiff of a libel suit.

So, no tennis bag witnesses to be found in the print media (not even anonymous ones) and certainly no account of Gerry McCann's report to PJ of a stolen tennis bag to be seen anywhere. Makes you wonder where Sky News got their information from. Well, one of the reasons why you should follow news of Madeleine's disappearance on this thread is that ol' Chandler 'ere will always unearth some little gem that others may overlook. Like this one:

Sky News stood by its story, which it said came from sources who had travelled to the resort after (sic) Madeleine's disappearance. (Daily Mail 24.12.07)

One of those very rare occasions when yours truly, widely acknowledged as having an answer for everything, is left speechless. Well almost...except to say that I find it remarkable that a major TV news channel could pass off anonymous after the fact hearsay as evidence without first checking out the circumstances in which Gerry McCann was alleged to have filed his police report and whether any incident number was given (which, of course, would normally be required by his insurer in the event of a claim).

The Sky News 'MMM' production was a deplorable example of bogus journalism (presented by the well known 'Brunt' crime reporter better known as Martin ****) which, when not falling over itself trying to get the leading suspect in the case off the hook (by suggesting that 'only' three of the 'Tapas 7' placed him at the scene on the night when, in actual fact, five other independent witnesses also gave statements to the same effect), irresponsibly indulged in fuelling more resentment towards the McCanns by implying that it was more than mere coincidence that the owner of 'Apartment 5a' was a certain Ruth McCann from Liverpool.

A complete Brunt

McCannophobic scoops, it would appear, ain't just the preserve of 'Porto Rags' like '24 Whores' and 'Diarrhoea No-Tits-Or-Ass.' Yes, it appears we do grow our own and that they are more tastefully constructed. The more cultured posters on this thread might be aware of a possible literary inspiration for the 'tot in a tennis bag' plot.

That Oscar Wilde has a lot to answer for....

Lady Bracknell - a fictional old bag.

Edited 29 December 2007 by Chandler

[Zingari]

great stuff again Chandler ; hope you had (or are having a good holiday) and a belated "sol invictus" ( if that's the term) to you , you're certainly not laying around wasting your time and you seem to be adding a few more comedic touches to your posts .

heres just a crumb for the maccanophobes though , there probably is another explanation ( and if so i'm sure you're the man to find it ) but its worth a look

Sky news is ( or maybe were )reporting that the police are looking for a blue sports bag that Gerry had in Portugal. It is beleived that Madeleines body may have been transported in it. Gerry has denied ever having such a bag but SKY are ( or maybe not now) sticking to their story. Here's a link which shows Gerry and Clarence. You can see clearly the blue FILA sports bag being carried by Mr McMitchell. Type Gerry McCann in the search. It is on page 11 of 14, tab down to May 22. editorial 74216181

i know you like to be kept busy all the best again for a great bit of work Chandler

http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.a...B2mr9ScABAAA#11

Edited 29 December 2007 by I Zingari

[Chandler]

great stuff again Chandler ; hope you had (or are having a good holiday) and a belated "sol invictus" ( if that's the term) to you , you're certainly not laying around wasting your time and you seem to be adding a few more comedic touches to your posts .

heres just a crumb for the maccanophobes though , there probably is another explanation ( and if so i'm sure you're the man to find it ) but its worth a look

Sky news is ( or maybe were )reporting that the police are looking for a blue sports bag that Gerry had in Portugal. It is beleived that Madeleines body may have been transported in it. Gerry has denied ever having such a bag but SKY are ( or maybe not now) sticking to their story. Here's a link which shows Gerry and Clarence. You can see clearly the blue FILA sports bag being carried by Mr McMitchell. Type Gerry McCann in the search. It is on page 11 of 14, tab down to May 22. editorial 74216181

i know you like to be kept busy all the best again for a great bit of work Chandler

http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.a...B2mr9ScABAAA#11

I'm sorry Mr Zingari but I'm a little baffled by your post. You write about Sky News's coverage of the wretched blue tennis bag in a way that suggests you didn't take in my post. It's possible my abbreviation of the 'Madeleine McCann Mystery' to 'MMM' confused you - this documentary was a Sky News production.

I must congratulate you though on your interesting observation (although it does not lend the 'bag theory' an iota of credibility - that is complete nonsense first to last). However, the image you refer to does possibly provide us with an insight into how fiendish minds may go about constructing their bizarre allegations and how they keep the public hooked by keeping the McCanns in the frame.

There will undoubtedly be many more 'blue bag' episodes in this saga - and virtually all of these reports will be forgotten in a few days.

[Webbo]

Were you at the football today Chandler?

[Chandler]

Were you at the football today Chandler?

Yes I was. I left before Paddy's leveller though. Unfortunately it was written in the stars - the immutable law of the ex and all that bullshit.

Glad I didn't see it.

[l444ry]

The "missing" blue bag has been a major focus for the PJ from the beginning. It has nothing to do with the white carrier bag found later. The PJ have always asserted that the McCann's may have used it for the disposal of the body. And it is probably another reason that they claimed arguido status in order to avoid answering questions about this as well................

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/madeleine...s_cid=rss_world

[Hullfox]

The "missing" blue bag has been a major focus for the PJ from the beginning. It has nothing to do with the white carrier bag found later. The PJ have always asserted that the McCann's may have used it for the disposal of the body. And it is probably another reason that they claimed arguido status in order to avoid answering questions about this as well................

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/madeleine...s_cid=rss_world

Surely at best it can only be possible.

[l444ry]

Surely at best it can only be possible.

Fair point. I stand rightly corrected on that word. However, it still seems to be related to the Renault hire car questions which have been well documented as the reason for the McCann's scarpering back home to England.

[Hullfox]

Fair point. I stand rightly corrected on that word. However, it still seems to be related to the Renault hire car questions which have been well documented as the reason for the McCann's scarpering back home to England.

[Zingari]

sorry chandler, l444ry etc ; i reread my post and must admit it is a little bit unclear as to what i was trying to say .

all i wanted to do was to draw your attention to something that you may not have been aware ( ie the existence of at least one photo, showing such a bag, fitting the description that GM denies all knowledge of)

ie. what is the explanation for GM denying having a blue bag when it can quite easily be seen in the photo ;and if the bag is not his , who's is it ?

has there already been an explanation of the bag in the photo ? if so i'm sorry but i missed it

[Trumpet]

sorry chandler, l444ry etc ; i reread my post and must admit it is a little bit unclear as to what i was trying to say .

all i wanted to do was to draw your attention to something that you may not have been aware ( ie the existence of at least one photo, showing such a bag, fitting the description that GM denies all knowledge of)

ie. what is the explanation for GM denying having a blue bag when it can quite easily be seen in the photo ;and if the bag is not his , who's is it ?

has there already been an explanation of the bag in the photo ? if so i'm sorry but i missed it

Tbh if i was GM, i wouldn't remember what type/ colour the guy on my left's bag was. I'll leave now, I know nothing on this case. It wasn't me

[Chandler]

The "missing" blue bag has been a major focus for the PJ from the beginning. It has nothing to do with the white carrier bag found later. The PJ have always asserted that the McCann's may have used it for the disposal of the body. And it is probably another reason that they claimed arguido status in order to avoid answering questions about this as well................

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/madeleine...s_cid=rss_world

Extensive Googling and trawling through online media archives reveal no mention of a blue bag (let alone a blue TENNIS bag) in the Madeleine McCann investigation prior to 23.12.07. The first mention of a blue tennis bag came in a Sky News trailer on the 23/12 for their Madeleine McCann Mystery' (MMM) documentary which was broadcast the following day.

All major newswire and blue chip media accounts that such a bag was reported stolen by Gerry McCann have now mysteriously disappeared.

The Pj suspect that Gerry McCann secretly hid all media references to a blue tennis bag in a blue tennis bag.

The first mention of a bag as a possible means of disposal of MM's remains was carried in The Sunday Mirror (contained within your link above):

"They are basically saying, 'If you confess Madeleine had an accident' and that I panicked and hid the body in a bag for a month then got rid of it in a hire car, I'd get two or three years' suspended sentence."

There are many problems with this this. Firstly, there is no description of the bag. Secondly, this report appeared four months after MM disappeared (ie 120+ days without the PJ asserting anything about a bag). Finally, if we accept this as a 'disposal theory' then it is at best a minor as well as a belated one. For the record, the most cited PJ disposal scenario is the interment at 'Nossa Senhora da Luz' churchyard. Next comes the refrigeration of MM's remains at an unspecified location.

Coming soon to a website near you - the PJ's unspecified refrigeration location.

Of course, disposal by blue tennis bag together with the means just cited are not mutually exclusive propositions. The problem here, though, is that there is no record of such a 'belt and braces' hypothesis ever being aired. And for good reason. Gerry McCann played very little tennis in Praia da Luz because:

Gerry had knocked up at the start of the 4.30pm tennis-drills session, but had decided not to exacerbate an injury to his Achilles tendon, so had dropped out... (Sunday Times 16.12.07 - NB same press stable as Sky News)

Actually, Gerry McCann was sidelined because he didn't want to exacerbate his grating Glaswgian accent...

And even if he had not been bothered by this injury and played a little more this little quote reveals why he didn't need a tennis bag:

But Mr McCann told friends yesterday that he did not take any tennis equipment to Praia da Luz.. (Daily Mail Online 25.12.07)

But of course Gerry McCann would say that wouldn't he, sure as you, 1444ry, would say that he would say that wouldn 't you (go figure)? Ever considered working for the CPS? It goes without saying that the ability to fit the hapless up is an essential pre requisite. Better still, why not apply to be coroner Number 5 in the Diana inquest after his current nibs bows out with 'I'm sorry but all this is getting a bit too much for me...sniff.'

Was Diana put in a blue tennis bag after Dodi over-sedated her?

1444ry, you are what is called in the conspiracy trade a 'disinformationist' a person who deliberately hops onto sites and threads like this with the sole intention of misleading other posters.

FAO Mr Zingari - Clarence Mitchell is now The McCanns' PR man NOT their bag man. At the time the image you posted was taken (22.5.07) Clarence Mitchell was still a government employee (Director of the Home Office's 'Media Monitoring Unit seconded to the Foreign Office - no bag carrying duties in the job description as far as I'm aware).

The obvious conclsion to draw, then, is the bag that Mitchell is pictured carrying is probably his own. And without wishing to appear too pedantic a FILA tennis bag is a distinctly non blue, customised, chic accessory that looks something rather like this:

but easily confused with Clarence's drab looking jim-jams and poo-poo undies container (by the partially sighted).

Edited 31 December 2007 by Chandler

[Zingari]

quote Chandler

FAO Mr Zingari - Clarence Mitchell is now The McCanns' PR man NOT their bag man. At the time the image you posted was taken (22.5.07) Clarence Mitchell was still a government employee (Director of the Home Office's 'Media Monitoring Unit seconded to the Foreign Office - no bag carrying duties in the job description as far as I'm aware).

The obvious conclsion to draw, then, is the bag that Mitchell is pictured carrying is probably his own. And without wishing to appear too pedantic a FILA tennis bag is a distinctly non blue, customised, chic accessory that looks something rather like this:

Hi chandler ; maybe you are correct that the blue FILA bag seen being carried by CM does indeed belong to him , but why has he not shown some evidence to support this ( sorry if he already has and i've missed it)

Does CM seem to you the sort of chav to take a "FILA" bag ( quite clearly visible ) even on holiday with him, let alone official business ? ( would he even own one ? ) to me it seems to me a little out of "style" for him

You may assume it belongs to CM, and you may be correct in the assumption but personally i'd like to see it proved and put to bed

And secondly ; where would they all be going "together" carrying their own luggage on may 22nd ?

were they on their way to the same hotel to check in together ( all at the same time ) ?

it doesn't really follow , surely CM would have already left his own bags in his room

The photo just has the "appearance" of GM being helped to carry his bags by CM . Somehow , this blue fila bag flame should be easy for GMs men to stamp out but for some reason its not quite yet been extinguished

Again, Chandler all the best with your investigation (and i'm not taking any sides) but it seems unlike you to "assume" anything in this case good luck mate,and happy new year ( or whatever salutation you'd prefer )

[Chandler]

From I Zingari

Hi chandler ; maybe you are correct that the blue FILA bag seen being carried by CM does indeed belong to him , but why has he not shown some evidence to support this ( sorry if he already has and i've missed it)

Does CM seem to you the sort of chav to take a "FILA" bag ( quite clearly visible ) even on holiday with him, let alone official business ? ( would he even own one ? ) to me it seems to me a little out of "style" for him

You may assume it belongs to CM, and you may be correct in the assumption but personally i'd like to see it proved and put to bed

And secondly ; where would they all be going "together" carrying their own luggage on may 22nd ?

were they on their way to the same hotel to check in together ( all at the same time ) ?

it doesn't really follow , surely CM would have already left his own bags in his room

The photo just has the "appearance" of GM being helped to carry his bags by CM . Somehow , this blue fila bag flame should be easy for GMs men to stamp out but for some reason its not quite yet been extinguished

Again, Chandler all the best with your investigation (and i'm not taking any sides) but it seems unlike you to "assume" anything in this case good luck mate,and happy new year ( or whatever salutation you'd prefer )

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Chandler:

This blue bag affair is becoming rather like a protracted tennis match that's stuck on deuce in the final set. OK, Mr Zingari, here are a few of my own special backhand returns to your sliced serves:

(1) So CM isn't chav enough to take a FILA bag on vacation? Your inference then is that GM, a consultant cardiologist, IS? Also, if CM isn't quite chav enough to carry his own FILA, it must follow then that he certainly isn't chav enough to carry anyone else's. Perhaps you are attaching too much significance to the Getty Image. Rest assured, if there was anything in it the media would have picked up on it by now.

Although upwardly mobile, there are no chavs known to be performing open heart surgery in the UK.

(2) We don't know exactly where the Getty Image was taken and although it is stamped 22.5.07 we can't be sure either of the precise date or time. CM & GM could have been going to or returning from anywhere. Remember, this was a time when GM & KM were travelling widely together (and separately) making appeals. It follows then, that GM would have to carry luggage.

(3) Looks to me like the GM men don't need to stamp out the FILA flame as the media has already done this for them - the last mainstream reference to the blue bag was made by the Daily Mail Online of the 25.12.07 - nearly a week ago. And even before this date, GM's alleged PJ bag theft statement and various accounts of (anonymous) blue bag witnesses were dropped by the press, including, incredibly and shamefully, the very news organisation widely credited with breaking the blue bag story - Sky News.

This sad tale lacks the most basic ingredients of credibility. In order to be taken seriously the 'blue bag' theory would have to be supported by at least THREE of the following:

(i) Written proof of GM's PJ report (ie date. time, mode of communication, place, attending officers, witnesses etc) including full statement by the complainant giving description of bag, contents and the time, location and circumstances in which it disappeared.

(ii) Any subsequent insurance claim submitted by GM.

Check your policy carefully before placing your child's remains in a tennis bag, 'losing it' and claiming.

(iii) A photograph of an exact facsimile of the bag GM reported stolen with manufacturer's logo, model no etc.

(iv) Broadcast images/footage of the actual bag. The Getty Image of the FILA bag you produced, to the best of my knowledge, has not been verified by any media outlet.

(v) Some public statement by the PJ that they are indeed looking for this bag and an explanation as to why this fact was never aired prior to the 23.12.07.

My advice to you Mr Zingari is to hang fire until any of this happens. My hunch is that you could be waiting a very long time.

Best to consider the matter closed, move on and wait for the next piece of dis, sorry, new information.

Mr Zingari's alter ego scans the horizon for incoming...blue bags.

Happy News Year to one and all. Will report back later in the week with some REAL insights.

Edited 31 December 2007 by Chandler

[Zingari]

agreed chandler as you say its maybe not such a mystery, as SKY do seem to have back-peddaled on it , for now at least

this nice looking chap may be the focus of everyone's interest for the time being anyway.

DJ Shifty

: Private detectives are searching for Christian Ridout in connection with Madeleine McCann's disappearance after being accused of grooming an under-age girl for sex in Praia da Luz

Edited 1 January 2008 by I Zingari

[l444ry]

Can Team McCann sink any lower?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3154222.ece

[Hullfox]

Can Team McCann sink any lower?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3154222.ece

FFS someone has talked to someone about doing something.

Nothing has been agreed so how is that stooping low.

IF I had lost a child I know that I would consider anything that may help to bring about their return. Absolutely anything. I would not be able to sleep at night if I thought that I had not tried everything possible no matter how desperate it may seem to others like you.

[l444ry]

FFS someone has talked to someone about doing something.

Nothing has been agreed so how is that stooping low.

IF I had lost a child I know that I would consider anything that may help to bring about their return. Absolutely anything. I would not be able to sleep at night if I thought that I had not tried everything possible no matter how desperate it may seem to others like you.

Assuming Madeleine was "lost".

Besides-:

a) As there appears to be damning evidence of DNA coming from Birmingham

b) Directors of the Madeleine Fund resigning

c) Stirrings at last that the PJ have put into action the reinterviewing of the Tapas 7

d) Recommendations to the judiciary that the McCann's have a case to answer

I suppose the words "smokescreen" and "desperation" spring to mind.

Edited 8 January 2008 by l444ry

[Hullfox]

I suppose the words "smokescreen" and "desperation" spring to mind.

To you maybe so.

[Daggers]

After 48 pages and numerous shite Chandler posts I guess I ought to come clean...Manwell Pablo did it and she is currently in his pantry.

There, I said it.

[Chandler]

Assuming Madeleine was "lost".

Besides-:

a) As there appears to be damning evidence of DNA coming from Birmingham

b) Directors of the Madeleine Fund resigning

c) Stirrings at last that the PJ have put into action the reinterviewing of the Tapas 7

d) Recommendations to the judiciary that the McCann's have a case to answer

I suppose the words "smokescreen" and "desperation" spring to mind.

1444ry, when you stand too close to an impressionist painting all you'll see is something like this:

but stand back a little and you might see something like this:

Now, on to your oh so stunning revelations:

(a) This 'report' was first carried by Correio da Manha (of the 8.1.08) - the Portorag now charged with libelling the McCanns and the Tapas seven. Odd the Portorag got this scoop as the Forensic Science Service's client is actually Leicestershire Constabulary and NOT the PJ (Sunday Times 16.12.07). Odder still that these funny paras also cropped up in the story over here:

It is understood that they are using a new technique called low copy number analysis, which allows them to find a genetic fingerprint from a tiny sample.

The samples from the flat and the hire car were said to be damaged and of low quality, but police sources now claim the latest results are definitive. (Daily Mail 8.1.08)

Not the same low copy number technique, by any chance, that 'showed' (contrary to the laws of science) that Madeleine had been sedated? Not the same technique, by any chance, that just got Sean Hoey off the Omagh Bomb rap? Not the same technique, by any chance, that is now so widely discredited that forensics experts are urging that it be ruled inadmissable as evidence in court?

And not the same story, by any chance, that all the Anglo-Port rags ran last August?

(b) The ONE director who has resigned from the Madeleine fund is former GMTV totty Esther McVey.

Former GMTV presenter maybe, but Esther is still very current totty.

Now, I just wonder whether the fact that Ms McVey will be contesting a Wirral constituency for the Tories had anything to do with her resignation. When she hopped on board the Maddie fund the McCanns were almost flavour of the month, but now... You don't think that she could be THAT much of a user do you? You don't think the fact that the McCanns own (Conservative) MP, Steven Dorrell, has avoided them like the plague for the last six months might have influenced her in any way do you?

Stephen Dorrell - faints at the sight of bubos.

You don't think that all politicians are gutless, opportunist shysters do you?

( c ) Is this the much vaunted 'reinterview' the PJ mysteriously managed to miss (but Jane Tanner was so willing to attend - Panorama 19.11.07) during their cloak and dagger trip to Enderby? Is this the 'reinterivew' that takes 'up to six months' to arrange because of all the 'letters' that the PJ have to send?

Or is this the 'reinterview' that Leicestershire Constabulary won't allow to happen unless/until 'dark forces' tell them otherwise?

(d) In addition to 'arguido' and 'judicial secrecy' there is another peculiarity about the Portuguese justice system. It's called 'Flippo Floppo.' This term applies to the public prosecutor who is required to change his mind about the 'weight of the body of evidence' at least once a week. This ensures that no one has a fookin' clue about what is going on.

No one except Chandler maybe...

Edited 9 January 2008 by Chandler