The McCanns: What's a matta you...Ah shaddup-a-ya face

Yesterday, Kate and Gerry McCann, full-time professional protectors of their increasingly tattered reputation, (aided and abetted by those whose integrity was in question even before the McCanns neglected their legal and moral responsibilities), used remarks by a Portuguese journalist as a smokescreen to try to hide the damaging, "Daddy, daddy" headlines in the UK press.

Perhaps we here at Team H could consider taking our own legal action against the parents.

Many people here have suffered considerable stress due to the avoidable but premeditated negligence of two people who betrayed their professional and private positions of trust. There can not be too many of us who were not moved to tears by the vision of a tiny little girl, crying "daddy, daddy" while daddy and mummy were getting wide-eyed and legless 100 or more yards away - oblivious to Madeleine's obvious distress.

Even if they had been aware, the couple display so little in the way of paternal instincts that there is no guarantee they would have rushed back and said, "What's the matter sweetheart - don't worry, mummy/daddy's here," as any normal parent would.

Then again, no normal parent would behave the way they did - and I don't give a tinker's cuss how many letter of support they claim to have saying otherwise.

Not only did they ignore Madeleine's cries that night, they took no action to prevent such a thing happening again.

The two heroes of the British Media and role models to the graduates of the Adult Play School Media Studies Course, took no notice of Madeleine's distress. They ignored her fears, ignored her worries - ignored her completely - and they continue to ignore their ongoing responsibility to Madeleine.

It doesn't matter how many times you are shown holding Cuddle Cat dearie - holding a cuddly toy is not going to turn you in to a mother overnight. You were never a mother - just a haulage truck to deliver acceptable middle class accessories.

Who knows, maybe we could even band together to take out civil action against these two jumped up-peasants who are trying desperately to hang on to what they have achieved through like-minded connections, rather than through actual ability and experience.

If the McCanns are not made to be accountable for their lack of parenting skills, either by Portuguese or British authorities, I would be quite happy to provide a vehicle to muster support for any private legal action that may be available.

Some things may change for me over the next couple of weeks but my determination to see these two subjected to scrutiny by judicial and/or child protection agencies, will not diminish.

While I am at it - I am sick to the back teeth of seeing the British media carrying headlines telling us the McCanns are furious.

It seems to me that the McCanns spend a lot of time being furious - which doesn't say too much about their character or their ability to handle stress or pressure - even in relation to little things such as being told to cheer up. Must be a happy childhood having two bad-tempered piss-artists as parents. Incidentally, have you noticed how the few personal anecdotes about the Grubs always seem to revolve around bars and nannies/creches?

The McCanns lost their right to be furious about any adverse publicity or scrutiny, the night they lost their three year old daughter.

I am furious, the vast majority of the British public are furious. We have earned that right.

The only thing the McCanns have earned is to be despised, ridiculed and censured. It's the only thing in their lives they have managed to achieve mostly by themselves - even then they needed a little help from their friends.

Don't bother crying for help or comfort McCanns - I am as oblivious to your plight as you were repeatedly to Madeleine's.

** The title of this post is a reference to the song "Shaddap You Face" written and performed by Joe Dolce (also known as the Joe Dolce Music Theatre) in 1980. It went to Number 1 on the Australian pop charts in 1980. It reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on February 17, 1981