Madeleine McCann: Britain set to see new perspective on the Madeleine McCann mystery

The Independent on Sunday reports, Maddie: The Truth about the Lie is expected to be published in the U.K. The anticipated publication follows the book's huge success in Europe, where despite the customary legal threats from the McCanns, the book was published unhindered, unchallenged and free from interference by other parties.

The book is written by Goncalo Amaral, the Portuguese detective who led the investigation into the alleged disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Amaral - like Lenny Harper, the detective previously in charge of the Jersey care home investigation - has come under intense attack from a British media and British Establishment, eager to destroy his credibility. The book contains factual details of the investigation that have been suppressed by the British press.

From the moment Madeleine, (who was made a ward of court by her parents shortly after the alleged abduction) was belatedly reported missing, an overall strategy was implemented. The key component of that strategy was, and still is, the prevention of availability to the British public of any information that may show the McCanns in a negative light.

It's hard to imagine two people who made a deliberate decision to leave three babies unattended on a nightly basis being shown in anything other than a negative light, but thanks to interference from various parties, the McCanns inappropriately became poster children for responsible parenting.

Another key component of Team McCann's overall strategy is to discredit any individual or media organisation that tries to publicise a point-of-view that doesn't suit the agenda of the McCanns' or their key supporters. "Keyboard monkeys" emerged to attack individuals and new and traditional media who dare to speak out. Robert Murat was belittled and humiliated, while Mr Amaral, an experienced and well regarded detective is portrayed as a vicious, drunken thug.Even two highly regarded and highly insured sniffer dogs became victims of a smear campaign.

Mr Amaral's colleagues also came under attack. The Portuguese police were painted as lazy, incompetent and indifferent to the McCann's plight. They were subjected to racial abuse by the likes of Tony Parsons, a man who despite his lack of genuine media credentials, somehow managed to convince someone with an eye on circulation figures, that he could put two words together that might make sense to someone with the same dysfunctional and dated mindset as himself.

At least the Portuguese police and authorities haven't been responsible for the tragic and well publicised plight of several children failed by police and failed by councils and social services - that black mark goes to Britain, as it does so often despite decades of promises that "this will never happen again."

In short - everyone is disreputable, corrupt, negligent or an oddball - except of course for those who went out wining and dining while three vulnerable mites were left to their own devices. Instead they became media heroes - feted at police awards, patted on the back by disgraced former U.S. Attorney Generals, and welcomed by European MPs anxious to hear their expert views on child protection - a problem the McCanns admitted they were not previously aware of - despite their much publicised occupations as doctors. The sudden emergence of a convenient social-conscience can be a great boon to any media and image protection campaign.

Reports alleging filed complaints from two of Kate McCann's friends alleging inappropriate conversations between Gerry McCann the father of IVF conceived Madeleine and David Payne, a key member of the Tapas Nine, went unreported in the UK media. So too did allegations concerning unethical and illegal behaviour by Metodo 3, the highly publicised private detective agency hired by the McCanns, who along with all the other two-bob agencies they have hired, have failed to deliver.

In fact, all they have achieved is to leave a string of harassed and distraught families in their wake. Even they were discredited by the British media. An innocent family out with their children were widely publicised as poor, dishevelled and living in shacks - all because of the irresponsible and potentially illegal actions of two typical British holiday makers abroad with their, "Never mind the kids - where's the bar?" attitude.

Credible European media sources reporting outside interference hampering the investigation and claims of "moles" close to the case, are conveniently ignored by British publications that would normally be falling over themselves to be the first to publish such details. Many other reports worthy of further media investigation have also been unreported by the UK media and the likes of The Guardian's Roy Greenslade, a self-righteous, pious, McCann apologist, who wont have a word said against two people whose actions would be highly criticised elsewhere.

Mr Amaral is happy for his book to be published in the U.K. He rightly says, "People can form their opinion without the manipulation that we have seen before."

That sentence is the key to this tragedy. Madeleine McCann's fate very quickly ceased to be the core issue. Reputations and other factors became the key concerns. Calls were made, favours were called in (as admitted by one of the McCann's own family members).

Mr Amaral may well be happy but of course the McCanns' are not.

The last thing Kate and Gerry (the man whose on-camera face is quite different to the reality), want is for the book to be published in England's green and pleasant land. A land where centuries old tradition grants those with social-status and appropriate social-networks, a degree of protection not extended to lesser but equally irresponsible and unsavoury members of society.

The McCanns are no doubt angry that people may read the book and start asking unanswerable and previously forbidden questions. Then again, the McCanns are constantly furious and outraged about this that and the other if their reputations are in danger of being tarnished. Ironically, you rarely hear of them being furious, angry or outraged at what might have happened to Madeleine. Personally, I think nasty words by others would be the least of the concerns of the parents of missing children. They are usually to be found actively searching to the point of exhaustion and family break ups.

The McCanns' on the other hand, leave no stone unturned in their search for more money to add to a controversial and questionable fund that so far has only benefited the McCanns - and a host of detective agencies whose business credentials and suitability went largely unchecked by allegedly intelligent,successful and business-savvy backers.

At least the McCanns managed to avoid any messy inconvenience by refusing to get directly involved in the search for the child they failed. Their overall search strategy has involved hiring agencies with no previous demonstrated track record in locating missing persons; printing posters of the world's most recognisable child; refusing to take part in a reconstruction of the night Madeleine went missing; daily jogs along the beach or cliffs; collecting cronies from the airport in Portugal and maintaining a daily happy holiday diary (at least until they fled from the country they vowed never to leave without Madeleine, as soon as the police released them from questioning)

Clarence Mitchell of course was quick to respond to the news that a well trained British public may have access to a non-establishment perspective of the Madeleine McCann mystery.

"Lawyers for Kate and Gerry have been aware of what Mr Amaral has been alleging for some time. What he has said and written before now is grossly defamatory of them. If he chooses to publish them in Britain those words will be studied intensely carefully and they will not hesitate to act if they are defamatory."

The McCanns' have been far more vocal about the potential loss of their alleged reputations than they have been about the actual loss of the child they claim to have loved so dearly, but not dearly enough to ensure her safety and welfare.

Makes you wonder what the McCanns' and their dining companions would be prepared to do to protect their reputations

Published by Mike Hitchen, mikehitchenconsulting.com
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