Gerry McCann: some forum posters "have too much time on their hands"

Originally Posted by Chris

Can I please remind people who are considering adding comments to this thread that the laws of defamation (a.k.a. "Libel") DO apply to forum posts and we will edit/delete anything which we believe puts Cable Forum on the wrong side of those laws.

Furthermore, I opened this topic with a suggestion that members may like to discuss Gerry McCann's comments about the use of internet forums. This topic is NOT here so people can simply re-state the entire contents of the original McCann thread.

Let's stick to the topic and stick within the law please.

IMO I feel he is on the make again. I could be wrong and I am not accusing him its purely conjecture. Without media coverage as said this would have lasted a couple of weeks . At least the coverage kept it at the front of peoples minds for a long which gave the authorities a better chance of a lead. It is a damn shame Maddie was never found and I hope she is alive and relatively happy somewhere. As for the judgements Gerry has made on people like me then they are less damning than mine on him

[Saaf_laandon_mo]

Originally Posted by Chris

Gerry McCann has appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport select committee to discuss the Press coverage in the wake of the disappearance of his daughter Madeleine. As well as attacking the way the Press turned her into a 'commodity' from which there were 'profits to be made', he also laid into the contributors of many internet forums, and online newspaper comment columns.




http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7935156.stm


There were some pretty choice comments from some posters on here, as I remember. I wonder whether the McCanns, or anyone connected with the family, saw them.

Discuss ...

Did Gerry not use the Maddy fund to make payments on his mortgage? If thats not profiteering from her disappearance I don't tknow what is.

If gerry mc'can isn't happy with internet forum users then perhaps he should remember that it was an act of parental negligence that allowed his little daughter to be abducted. Sorry i have well and truly had enough of them they court the press when it suits them and then turn on them when it isn't what they want or what they want to hear.

People have a right to their own opinions when something comes into the public domain and as long as it is stated as a personal opnion you don't have to like it but you do have to take it on the chin. For the record my feelings on this matter and the mc'cans are purely my personal opinion not stating it as fact or anything else.

Gerry go and moan somewhere else because maybe some of us do have more time then you like but then you didn't have time for something that you should have done and many of us do make the time to ensure, swings and roundabouts m8.

[mischievious]

Originally Posted by Chris

Can I please remind people who are considering adding comments to this thread that the laws of defamation (a.k.a. "Libel") DO apply to forum posts and we will edit/delete anything which we believe puts Cable Forum on the wrong side of those laws.

Sorry Chris I can't see any libellous comments here, unless you have deleted some

Originally Posted by Chris

Furthermore, I opened this topic with a suggestion that members may like to discuss Gerry McCann's comments about the use of internet forums. This topic is NOT here so people can simply re-state the entire contents of the original McCann thread.

Sounds a little like wishfull thinking

Seriously, Gerry Mcann can hardly pass Judgement that forum debates are wrong because he doesn't like the way they turn out. I am a father of two and suspect many here are also parents. How is it possible to get past the abandonment issue when no authority will deal with it? Further we are expected not only to get past it but to accept his statements with a semblence of credibility.

Originally Posted by Chris

Gerry McCann has appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport select committee to discuss the Press coverage in the wake of the disappearance of his daughter Madeleine. As well as attacking the way the Press turned her into a 'commodity' from which there were 'profits to be made', he also laid into the contributors of many internet forums, and online newspaper comment columns.




http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7935156.stm


There were some pretty choice comments from some posters on here, as I remember. I wonder whether the McCanns, or anyone connected with the family, saw them.

Discuss ...

I thought the press did a sterling job in keeping her on the front pages and offering a reward for her return. I know he and his wife went through hell when they were suspects but they got £500,000 for their troubles. At the end of the day the press needs to sell newspapers and we all know they'll stoop to anything when it comes to sales.

I'm with Zing when he mentions that he should have been looking after his daughter, you don't go abroad and leave your child in the apartment while you are wining and dining with your mates.

[mischievious]

Originally Posted by BBC
Mr McCann was also critical of many of the contributors to newspaper - and other website - chatrooms.
He said many had "too much time on their hands", adding: "I feel very sorry for those people who a need to do that [write abusive and unsubstantiated comments] and there's something clearly missing in those lives."

I can't help thinking that the inverse is also true, Gerry clearly had too much to do in his life. Yes I admit I have time on my hands to post here, I am at home whilst my children sleep. Is this a bad thing?

Then again.......... Right I'm off to the pub now, wife has gone to work (she works nights) I'm pretty sure the children won't wake and go anywhere. Eldest can easily open the front door though.... they'll be fine!. What's the worst that can happen, pub is only at the end of the road.

[etccarmageddon]

I think glass houses and stones comes to mind re his moans.

The fact is they have probably suffered enough cos they have lost their child (partly through their own stupidity). But dont go moaning about people on forums who express their views cos a lot of what has been said was true.

very very sad they have lost their daughter but please keep a low profile now and dont moan about the press or forums (ie. public opinion) because it just makes you look daft.

[downquark1]

Blogging and forums have become the scapegoat of the media, when they get caught doing something naughty it was the bad bad non profit blogs.

If there had been some official action taken against them because of the neglect i don't think they would have had half the stuff on the net they did but the fact that they have got away with the neglect has left a very bitter taste in the mouths of many. Moaning like this is not going to change a damn thing and i can't help feeling it is yet one more push to try and get the fact that it was negligence in the first place that caused all this pushed right back into the background and bringing more of the "were victims" to the front. .

[King_Kong]

It's a cruel world this, the fact that she is missing , i never paid much attention into it when the story came out. Not to be nasty, people go missing everyday, horrible things happen to children but as Parents, it was their responsibility to look after madeleine, I'm sure when they left the house to go out for a drink they knew that madeiline was left in the house on her own. It was of GOD's doing and sometimes you just have to grief and accept the punishment. It was them that accepted the media attention. About what happened to madeliene, we don't know but they know alot, alot more than we do or even the press. The truth is hidden, I only feel for and my heart goes out to madeilene. I only have little sympathy for the parents.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by King_Kong

It's a cruel world this, the fact that she is missing , i never paid much attention into it when the story came out. Not to be nasty, people go missing everyday, horrible things happen to children but as Parents, it was their responsibility to look after madeleine, I'm sure when they left the house to go out for a drink they knew that madeiline was left in the house on her own. It was of GOD's doing and sometimes you just have to grief and accept the punishment. It was them that accepted the media attention. About what happened to madeliene, we don't know but they know alot, alot more than we do or even the press. The truth is hidden, I only feel for and my heart goes out to madeilene. I only have little sympathy for the parents.

It certainly wasn't Gods doing, 'he' didn't make the parents go out for dinner or make some freak break in and snatch her, if there is a God and he had any part in all this I hope it was/is that she didn't/isn't suffering

[LondonRoad]

I don't really see that there's anything to be gained by taking action against the McCanns. I totally agree they were extremely irresponsible in leaving three toddlers alone in a holiday apartment but surely they have received the harshest penalty losing their beautiful little daughter. The punishment is ongoing since they have to live with it everyday.

Some parts of the press did do a job in keeping Maddie in the spotlight but the reporting and fabrication at times was unforgivable, Express group again to the fore. I hope something positive comes out of this press committee review because the self-policing of the tabloids isn't working.

[Saaf_laandon_mo]

Originally Posted by harmitage

I don't really see that there's anything to be gained by taking action against the McCanns. I totally agree they were extremely irresponsible in leaving three toddlers alone in a holiday apartment but surely they have received the harshest penalty losing their beautiful little daughter. The punishment is ongoing since they have to live with it everyday.

Some parts of the press did do a job in keeping Maddie in the spotlight but the reporting and fabrication at times was unforgivable, Express group again to the fore. I hope something positive comes out of this press committee review because the self-policing of the tabloids isn't working.

Are we saying that all parents who lose their kids due to their negligence shouldn't be punished. What if they are extremely good actors, couldn't give a damn about their lost/dead kids and just hamming it up for the cams. I'm not saying that this is the case with the Mccanns but where do you draw the line? There is a clear cut case of negligence here, no black and white area. they left 3 under 4's alone for a night out. They could have been doing it throughout the holiday for all we know. It's not like they turned around for one minute and Maddie was snatched is it?

[LondonRoad]

Originally Posted by Saaf_laandon_mo

Are we saying that all parents who lose their kids due to their negligence shouldn't be punished. What if they are extremely good actors, couldn't give a damn about their lost/dead kids and just hamming it up for the cams. I'm not saying that this is the case with the Mccanns but where do you draw the line? There is a clear cut case of negligence here, no black and white area. they left 3 under 4's alone for a night out. They could have been doing it throughout the holiday for all we know. It's not like they turned around for one minute and Maddie was snatched is it?

I was talking only about the McCanns. I am not defending their actions in neglecting their toddlers. Indeed in the original thread I expressed how I found it inconceivable that intelligent people could think it was OK to leave children of that age unsupervised in those circumstances. I am saying I don't see that there is anything to be gained by persuing any further action.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by harmitage

I don't see that there is anything to be gained by persuing any further action.

Can we even take any action? People comparing what the parents did with what some one did on a council estate seem to be forgetting that the little girl disappeared in a foreign country, surely any further action would have to be instigated by Portugal's authorities and when you consider how they handled the case, well it'd be good for it all to come out.