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Quite what is behind the sudden rush of
Maddie stories in the UK media this week
is unclear, but one aspect is certain,
the buzz has come as UK prime minister
David Cameron heads back to Portugal,
for a meeting with Passos Coelho in São
Bento tomorrow.
Billed officially as a conversation to
discuss European affairs of mutual
interest, it had barely been announced
last week than mainstream media in UK
launched into this new Maddie frenzy.
Suggesting the €15 million Operation
Grange probe into the toddler’s
disappearance was due to be shelved
after four fruitless years (click here),
it then lurched into protestations that
this could not be further from the truth
and on to new “shock horrors” today,
alleging that Grange detectives “spent
£200 a night at 5-star hotels” on their
fact-finding visits to Portugal.
The bulk of the stories seem to have
been coming from the pro-Tory Sun,
though they have been followed up,
almost in synchronisation, by rival
tabloids the Mirror and Daily Mail. On
the basis that there is no smoke without
fire, Portuguese media has joined the
fray, with national tabloid Correio da
Manha reminding readers that it was
David Cameron who “responded to a direct
appeal from the parents of Madeleine
McCann” to set up the hugely expensive
Grange inquiry in the first place.
With a spokesman for the McCann parents
reportedly saying Kate and Gerry accept
Grange “could not last forever” but will
continue searching for their daughter,
whatever happens, it is difficult to
understand where all this renewed media
excitement is leading.
Certainly, the Portuguese inquiry - run
out of Porto - shows no signs of
closure, with national director of the
PJ Pedro do Carmo telling the Resident
last week that the investigation remains
“dynamic” and that the unit is still
working closely with British
counterparts.
Thus eyes are on tomorrow, when Cameron,
under fire over Britain’s stand against
fleeing migrants, is due in Lisbon for
those talks of “mutual interest”.
UPDATE: As this story went up, a
small announcement on the
Projecto
Justiça Gonçalo Amaral blogsite
gives another clue to the sudden media
razzmatazz. Could it have been to hide
the announcement that Gonçalo Amaral's
appeal against the record amount of
damages awarded against him in the civil
case taken out by the McCanns has
finally been accepted by Lisbon's
Appellate Court?
The low-key announcement simply thanks
"everyone who has made a contribution".
As the news went out, the gofundme
appeal - set up by a British single
mother to raise money for Amaral's legal
costs - has raised £38,205 (almost
€52,500), with multiple people
apparently contributing on a regular
basis. The latest contributor, Peter
Mac, has just posted:
"The mystery of the sudden flurry of
stupid "Grange is / is not going to be
wound down" stories in the tabloids is
exposed. News about the Appeal going
ahead has been neatly kept out of any of
the British press". |
