One thing that has always interested me  about team McCann is  the Madeleine Fund and how it's being spent.

Some of it has gone to the   Spanish private investigators Metodo 3.  They have made the most extravagant and  unbelievable claims.  Just after they were appointed they told the world they knew where the kid was being held. Then, just before Christmas, they confirmed that within days the Madeleine would be returned to her parents. These nonsensical claims were supported by the McCann's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell. Anyone who wants to listen to this man's drivel try the interview with a sympathetic reporter from Sky last year.
The real problem for the McCann's is that  they cannot see, what anyone with a quarter of a brain knows, that Madeleine is dead. She probably died on May 3rd last year. But  they are quite happy to listen to Metodo 3's garbage, provided it reinforces this belief.

I wonder just how much of the 1.2 million quid in the fund is now left.

Metodo 3 are  depleting it at the rate of £50,000.00 per month.  They have a six month contract. Amazing, for what they have done. But what have the directors of the fund been doing? Certainly not keeping an eye on the investigators.

On the 9th January 2008,  two of the existing directors of the Board of Madeleine’s  Fund- Leaving No Stone Unturned,  resigned.

‘There was a scheduled board meeting of Madeleine’s Fund today. We have reached a new longer- term phase in the search for Madeleine and we have reviewed how effective our Fund has been in pursuing its objectives. We agreed to continue our funding of the investigation to find Madeleine and we have decided to look at further media opportunities to support our search. To that end, we have invited two new directors to replace the two who stepped down, for business and personal reasons, We, together with Kate and Gerry McCann, extend our thanks to Esther and Phillip for their hard work and continuing support. We welcome Edward Smethurst and Jon Corner to the board to lend their expertise in commercial law and media.�?/P>

The Edward Smethurst cannot be the same Edward Smethurst,  a director of the Latium Group of Companies who, according this,

..."have been managing, organising and supporting the legal defence of the McCanns on a pro bono basis."

And Jon Corner cannot be the same Jon Corner who helped the wretched Richard Bilton make the Panorama Madeleine film - see transcript here and described here as " family friend". But in reality an independent film producer and the Managing director of River Media Ltd. and Godfather to the McCann children.
There's even talk of a book or film. According to Mitchell in the Daily Express the Madeleine Fund is in need of cash.

“We need money to search for Madeleine and that is the most important thing. Nothing has been decided yet. A film would be made on a percentage basis, with part of the profits going to the fund. None of the money would go to Kate and Gerry. They are not trying in any way to profit out of her name’�?/P>

It's about time the punters, who contributed so generously to the fund, are shown just how their money has been frittered away  spent!

But if the grovelling  interview Richard Bilton conducted with one of the "Tapas Nine", Jane Tanner, is an example of the programme, it ought to be seen yet another attempt by the McCanns to cloud the issue of their negligence.
Tanner was one of the group who were on holiday with the McCanns. They were all  getting pissed when Madeleine vanished.
Why is Tanner's  "evidence"  valueless? 
She claims to have seen a man carting off Madeleine and tells the  gormless  Bilton that she thought nothing of it at the time!  What? The 4 year old daughter of one of her best friends vanishes; the child's mother shouts out that "they've taken her" and yet she says nothing. Nonsense! And the nonsense increases when she persuades the  gullible Bilton that her description of the abductor and Madeleine, complete with the clothes she was wearing, is credible. A description FOUR, yes FOUR months,  after Tanner's alleged sighting.  Ask most coppers the value of this as  identification evidence and the replies would be unprintable.

Clarence Mitchell-far right in Ice Cream seller's jacket 

Failed Lib-Dem Parliamentary Candidate Justine McGuiness

I was always concerned about Clarence Mitchell's role as the McCann's spokesman when he appeared to be loaned by the British government shortly after Madeleine's disappearance.
Now he's turned up again, this time as "a private individual" helping them now the parents have returned to the UK.
Unlike their previous mouth, Justine McGuiness who was lawfully paid from the private company, Mitchell is being pretty coy about exactly who is signing his pay cheques.
I wonder why the cash is not coming from the Find Madeleine Fund. According to the fund's objects, I can't see any reason why. His role is exactly the same as that of McGuiness'.

It's really no good Gerry McCann bitching about the intrusive and speculative press now. I've no doubt, as he strenuously cultivated  a celebrity image, he gave little or no thought to what was really happening.
And it was so, so predictable here .  And to grumble about being scrutinised is just plain daft. What the hell did he expect? And I'm sorry to tell this simple minded chap, that with a million quid in their private company, the scrutiny will continue. And it will go on until the McCanns come clean about what happened the night their daughter vanished into thin air.
Almost as soon as she disappeared, I think we can at last leave the words kidnap or abduction  out of the reporting, the McCanns were rather too keen to get the press involved. And, via their mouth piece,  blame the Portuguese police. They were so happy to use the government's press man, to fly in private jets; to meet the rich and famous. To employ a failed politician   to direct their media campaigns. To flog tacky wristbands and to count the cash as the digits clicked over on their "Find Madeleine" cash machine/holiday fund.
The couple's naivete  is just unrivalled. Naive to leave their kids unsupervised in their appartment, door open, whilst they went out boozing. Naive to think that their cultivating of celebrity status would not have consequences. And the naivete continues on Gerry's blog today where he's still talking about "abduction". His blog is constantly mentioning running, funny?

"Day 113 - 24/08/2007

I started the day early with a pooled telephone interview for the press to talk about the media coverage of the campaign to find Madeleine in advance of my interview at the Edinburgh International TV festival. We touched on the coverage of the investigation and of course the wild speculation and innuendo being reported in some quarters. Although Kate, our friends and myself would love to correct much of the inaccuracy we will not divulge information publicly which might help the perpetrator of Madeleines (sic) abduction cover his tracks.

Travelled to Edinburgh this afternoon and managed to keep up the aerobic exercise with 25 minutes in the gym. I then met up with one of our friends who has been instrumental in distributing images of Madeleine and who produced the DVD of her to ‘Don’t you forget about me�? We had a bite to eat and took the chance to update each other on what has been happening in the last few weeks. Off to bed for an early night after speaking to Kate, who has some family staying with her in Portugal whilst I am in the UK.

Never mind Gerry, at least  you've managed to keep your  aerobics going.

All has gone pretty quiet on the McCann front in the last week or so.

Gerry and Kate are continuing to holiday in Portugal with their relations,  no doubt dipping into the Madeleine Fund.
I predicted here it would not be long before a further  substantial withdrawal was made from the Team McCann holiday fund. The balance no doubt bolstered with the contributions from these tacky, but profit making, products.
So Gerry's  now off to the USA, no doubt with his entourage, to understand, according to this ,"the work being carried out to reduce child abductions across the world".
Gerry, one thing that will reduce the likelihood of  kids being snatched is simple.

Repeat after me.

"Whilst on holiday don't leave your  kids alone, unattended whilst  you go out on the booze."

Bearing in mind they now have a full time media advisor, I'm surprised that Gerry was allowed to spout this drivel. But it gets better.

"We hope our efforts will help make the world a little bit safer for all children. Kate and I believe there is a strong, public feeling that crimes against children, wherever they may occur, are totally unacceptable."

It's debatable whether Gerry's junket to the US is covered by the objects of the fund, at least those posted on the website

3.     The objects of the Foundation   are:

                                3.1.1 To secure the safe return to her family of Madeleine McCann who was abducted in Praia da Luz, Portugal on Thursday 3rd May 2007;
                                3.1.2  To procure that Madeleine’s abduction is thoroughly investigated and that her abductors, as well as those who played or play any part in  assisting them, are identified and brought to justice; and
                                3.1.3   To provide support, including financial   assistance, to Madeleine’s family.
                                3.2     If the above objects are fulfilled then the objects of the Foundation shall be to pursue such purposes in similar cases arising in the United   Kingdom, Portugal or  elsewhere.

Clause 3.2 may cover this trip, but it only clicks in " when the above objects are fulfilled". I wonder whether the objects listed in 3.1.1 to 3.1.3 have indeed been fulfilled?

"Unfortunately shortly after arriving in London I had my wallet stolen which meant I was running late."

The McCanns seem to attract thieves!

A couple of days ago I read the bringmadeleinehome  website. G McCann writes this:

"Kate and I dropped Jon at the airport this morning and picked up some more friends/family who have come out to see us, but particularly the twins. They were certainly happy to see our visitors!"

And I bet those friends and family are unlikely to have to dip into their wallets to pay for their accommodation. The fund clearly allows payment of this kind to be made.
I'm grateful to George S for pointing out that the running total of the fund seems no longer to appear on the website. Perhaps when the total reaches £1,000,000. it will be just too embarrassing.

I'm no doctor, but I suspect that the best cure for this couple would be to return to the UK and get back to work, rather than improving their sun tans and getting up to this nonsense.

I wonder when they will face reality and accept that the child will not be found alive. They must be completely delusional.

A real journalist from German Radio got a bit of a duffing up by the British tabloids. But she was the first to ask the question I, and I think many other bloggers wanted to ask one of the members of Team McCann.
O.K., it may have seemed a little  too direct to many of the supine British press. But looking at the McCanns  answering the question " did you have anything to do with Madeleine's abduction" I was surprised to see how shocked they were.  And I think that  their, or HMG's, little helper  Clarence "who's paying my wages" Mitchell seems not to have even considered that such a question could be asked. They were both  ill prepared. Clearly Mitchell managed to bamboozle the UK press. About time you got home don't you think?
The reaction of Team McCann seemed to be instant. Today, surprise, surprise they intend to "review the campaign and give themselves time to grieve". Though they  seem to find the Mark Warner resort at Praia da Luz  more attractive than their work in the NHS back in Leicester. Even more attractive when their hotel bill comes straight from their private Madeleine Fund which has now reached £700,000.
I suspect their grieving won't be silent for long.