Re: [Petition closed, with 3,111 signatures] MADELEINE MCCANN PETITION ON PM's WEBSITE CALLING FOR A FULL REPORT FROM OPERATION GRANGE

by **Jill Havern** 28.01.16 9:14

I wouldn't call it #MadeleinePetition

Madeleine who?

Maybe #MadeleineMcCannPetition

by **Tony Bennett** 04.02.16 15:08

Total signatures have reached 1,559.

If you look at the petition page, here:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562

...there is a link which says 'Show on a Map', which takes you to a map of every Parliamentary constituency - showing how many have signed in each constituency. If you hover the cursor over your area on the map, it will show you how many have signed in your consitituency. The darker each area, the more that have signed.

Here are the constituencies where 8 or more have signed so far, with Halton top of the list:

Halton (Widnes & Runcorn) 13

Weston-super-Mare 11
Lanark E and Hamilton 11

St. Helens S and Whiston 9
N. Ayrshire and Arran 9
Bournemouth East 9

Sutton Coldfield 8
Wellingborough 8
Newcastle-on-Tyne N. 8
Bolton West 8

It would be great if anyone who hasn't yet signed it could do so - and help create a few more dark shades on the map.

And THANKS again to all who have taken the trouble to sign so far

by Guest 23.02.16 19:36

Looks like Katie Hopkins' article has given the petition a much needed boost. Could be 2,000 signatures before the end of this evening if it gathers up more steam. :-)

by Guest 24.02.16 13:11

2000 signatures! https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562

by **Tony Bennett** 27.02.16 1:06

melisande wrote:2000 signatures! https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562

Another two days, and we've crossed the 2,100 mark - now 2,105 signatures.

How good it would be to get a lot more, though.

We have another 56 days left to increase the total. The petition must end on 22 April.

Please consider signing the petition if you haven't yet - and join the 2,105 of us who have: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562

Also, if you are on any social media, do give the petition another plug; most people won't mind another reminder - and it always leads to extra signatures.

TIA!

by Doug D 27.02.16 10:43

KH has just tweeted this:

Katie Hopkins ‏

[ltr]@KTHopkins[/ltr]

57s58 seconds ago
McCann wanted 1 million to sign up to Child Rescue Alert with @TheSun. Still 965,000 off target. Brits will not back the face of negligence

Is she aware of the Grange petition? Can someone who tweets send a link to get it out to her 624k followers?

by **Jill Havern** 27.02.16 11:02

Doug D wrote:KH has just tweeted this:

Katie Hopkins ‏

[ltr]@KTHopkins[/ltr]

57s58 seconds ago
McCann wanted 1 million to sign up to Child Rescue Alert with @TheSun. Still 965,000 off target. Brits will not back the face of negligence

Is she aware of the Grange petition? Can someone who tweets send a link to get it out to her 624k followers?

I've just tweeted her the links to the Grange petition, Richard's films and this forum.

by **Tony Bennett** 03.03.16 11:35

2,142 signatures to date - and I'm pleased, in updating the numbers who have signed in each constituency, to see that my own constituency of Harlow has shot up into second place.

All those constituencies where 9 or more have signed so far listed below:

Halton (Widnes & Runcorn) 15

Harlow 13
Newcastle-upon-Tyne N 13

Lanark E and Hamilton 12

Weston-super-Mare 11

Oldham E and Saddleworth 10
St. Helens N 10
St. Helens S and Whiston 10

N. Ayrshire and Arran 10

Bournemouth East 9
Wellingborough 9
Bolton West 9
North Down (N. Ireland) 9
Leeds East 9

There are now 40 days left to collect as many signatures as we can:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562

by Guest 12.03.16 12:57

Good to see the petition has reached nearly 2,200 signatures but I am surprised that with all the flurry of stories in the media, it hasn't reached the 10,000 mark or even the 100,000 given the amount of negative reaction from the public recently. Could it be that it just isn't known about enough? It's a pity because something like this going viral surely would have given the government that much needed 'kick up the ass' to move things forward or am I just being a bit naive/impatient.

by **Tony Bennett** 12.03.16 13:26

melisande wrote:Good to see the petition has reached nearly 2,200 signatures but I am surprised that with all the flurry of stories in the media, it hasn't reached the 10,000 mark or even the 100,000 given the amount of negative reaction from the public recently. Could it be that it just isn't known about enough? It's a pity because something like this going viral surely would have given the government that much needed 'kick up the ass' to move things forward or am I just being a bit naive/impatient.

It is hard to get any publicity for the petition outside the forums, FB groups and blogs that discuss Madeleine.

And even then, some of those forums, blogs and groups have refused to even mention the petition.

I am going to try to promote the petition on a few other Twitter #hashtags to see if that will bring in more signatures.

We still have 41 days left to get signatures:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562

And thanks once more to the 2,181 who so far have showed enough concern about the extraordinary conduct of the British police, and in particular Operation Grange, by signing the petition

thumbup

by Guest 12.03.16 13:43

Good luck with it anyway.

by **Tony Bennett** 18.03.16 2:29

Tony Bennett wrote:
We still have 41 days left to get signatures:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562

And thanks once more to the 2,181 who so far have showed enough concern about the extraordinary conduct of the British police, and in particular Operation Grange, by signing the petition

The number of signers is up to 2,202.

We have 35 days left to get that number up as high as we can

by **Keitei** 24.03.16 22:27

The number of signers is up to 2239

Please continue to share on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you.

by Guest 25.03.16 16:28

sonic72 wrote:As much as it pains me to say it, this probably wont reach the 100,000 required, petitions rarely do because most people are too lazy to take a minute to sign it. They know this, hence the 100,000 limit, it's a deliberate obstacle.

I will sign it and wish you all the luck in reaching 100k, I hope this petition proves my theory wrong.

Yes, it looks like it is unlikely to reach 10,000 signatures never mind 100,000. Maybe if the petition had been started around a time when there was a lot of media attention around the McCann's, for instance when Katie Hopkins wrote her recent article (which I believe turned out to be the most read and shared) would have been a great opportunity to reach a lot of people. A petition needs to go viral to reach 10,000/100,000 signatures and for that to happen it really needs publicity. I didn't know until recently that there was a fb page in tandem with this forum. I noticed there was a welcome to new members and a request to sign the petition and share but it's way down the page. I think there would be more signatures if it was pegged at top of page. Just my opinion for what it's worth.

by **Tony Bennett** 26.03.16 8:33

melisande wrote:
Yes, it looks like it is unlikely to reach 10,000 signatures never mind 100,000. Maybe if the petition had been started around a time when there was a lot of media attention around the McCanns, for instance when Katie Hopkins wrote her recent article (which I believe turned out to be the most read and shared) would have been a great opportunity to reach a lot of people. A petition needs to go viral to reach 10,000/100,000 signatures and for that to happen it really needs publicity. I didn't know until recently that there was a FB page in tandem with this forum. I noticed there was a welcome to new members and a request to sign the petition and share but it's way down the page. I think there would be more signatures if it was pegged at top of page. Just my opinion for what it's worth.

Overnight, the number of signatures on the Madeleine petition reached 2,250 - and at the same time the petition entered the top 250 out of all the open petitions currently on the Prime Minister's website (Total: 2,793).

It stands this morning at 248th: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions?page=5&state=open

@ melisande Thank you very much for your suggestions. I will pass on to Jill the suggestion of pegging details of the petition at the top of the CMOMM FB page.

To get any petition on the Madeleine McCann case onto the Prime Minister's website is far from easy. Despite my best efforts to phrase the petition and the preamble with caution, the House of Commons Petitions Committee were concerned about possible libel and sent it back to me twice for amendment and then further amendments. It took nearly three months before they finally agreed the wording which, in the end, was considerably watered down.

Yes, the petition needed publicity, and it was never going to get it in the mainstream media. The fact that we have reached 2,250 signatures is down to quite a few individuals who have posted details from time to time on the forums, across some of the FB groups and on Twitter.

Sadly, not a few Madeleine forums, blogs and FB groups refused outright even to mention it, giving a variety of excuses for not doing so, otherwise the numbers could have been much higher.

However, it must also be admitted that the vast majority in the country do not entertain serious doubts about the McCanns' abduction claims, believing that this was a simple case of leaving the children alone in between checks. In addition, many others cannot understand why it is necessary for anyone to start a petition to obtain a report on a police investigation. They reason that Operation Grange must be an honest police investigation, genuinely seeking the truth, and that the police should be left alone to get on with their job

------------

LINK for anyone wanting to sign it: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562

by Guest 26.03.16 12:18

Yes, it's done well considering all the obstacles. I have noticed a lot more people are talking/commenting/sharing their thoughts on it now though where before would have been seen as a 'nutter' for thinking there was anything more than an abduction. To rank around the top 250 mark of nearly 3k petitions shows a definite shifting tide of opinion or maybe there hasn't been a shifting tide but , like myself, are just feeling more confident in speaking out. I have been willing the petition to do well because I would hope it would show that even if they don't have to acknowledge it publicly, they will have to acknowledge that a bottomless budget for operation grange without any definitive results cannot be sustained. Good luck.

by **Tony Bennett** 02.04.16 11:05

Tony Bennett wrote:2,142 signatures to date - and I'm pleased, in updating the numbers who have signed in each constituency, to see that my own constituency of Harlow has shot up into second place.

All those constituencies where 9 or more have signed so far listed below:

Halton (Widnes & Runcorn) 15

Harlow 13
Newcastle-upon-Tyne N 13

Lanark E and Hamilton 12

Weston-super-Mare 11

Oldham E and Saddleworth 10
St. Helens N 10
St. Helens S and Whiston 10

N. Ayrshire and Arran 10

Bournemouth East 9
Wellingborough 9
Bolton West 9
North Down (N. Ireland) 9
Leeds East 9

There are now 40 days left to collect as many signatures as we can:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562

A few more constituencies have joined the ranks where 9 or more have signed. There were 14 last time I checked, now there are 22, as follows.

Halton (i.e. Widnes and Runcorn) still tops the list, with Newcastle-upon-Tyne Nortth second:

16 Halton (Widnes & Runcorn) (15)

14 Newcastle-upon-Tyne N (13)

13 Harlow (13)
13 Lanark E and Hamilton (12)

12 Corby

11 Sherwood (Notts)
11 Weston-super-Mare (11)

10 Oldham E and Saddleworth (10)
10 St. Helens N (10)
10 St. Helens S and Whiston (10)
10 North Down (N. Ireland) (9)
10 N. Ayrshire and Arran (10)
10 Bournemouth East (9)
10 Milton Keynes South
10 Knowsley (Lancashire)

9 Wellingborough (9)
9 Bolton West (9)
9 Leeds East (9)
9 South Shields
9 Clacton
9 Caerphilly
9 Glasgow South-West

by **Keitei** 03.04.16 21:56

2,354 signatures, quite an increase.

Please keep on sharing, thank you.

by **Tony Bennett** 03.04.16 22:37

Keitei wrote:2,354 signatures, quite an increase.

Please keep on sharing, thank you.

Yes, there has been a boost of 68 new signers today (so far), I don't quite know why, but Richard Hall did say he'd be sending out a newsletter to his followers in the first week of April and would remind them to sign the petition.

May I remind all members and guests looking in here that a stated purpose of this official petition on the Prime Minister's website is as follows:

QUOTE

"The public is now entitled to a full report on how that has been spent. The report should cover the role of the government, the security services & UK police forces."

UNQUOTE

Is there anyone left who can doubt that as this £13-million plus, expensive, 5-year-long investigation nears its close - and has achieved nothing - that the public is entitled to the fullest possible explanation of what this money and time has been spent on...

...and can anyone doubt that the public has a right to know exactly why the government and various arms of the security services, including MI5, MI6, Special Branch and the government-funded Control Risks Group have been all over this case like a rash from the very first day Madeleine was reported missing?

May I also remind you that, by arrangements made through Charing Cross Police Station in the usual way, I do intend to present the results of this petition in person at 10 Downing Street, together with a covering letter. Five other people will be allowed to join me, if you are at all interested, please send me a 'pm'.

P.S. Not signed yet? LINK: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562

by **Keitei** 03.04.16 23:40

2,369 signatures

That's 15 signatures in an hour! I feel this is due to today's news & the fact that more people are sharing the link from CMoMM Facebook Group.

You don't have to be a member of the group to share the link.

Thank you!

by **Tony Bennett** 03.04.16 23:45

Keitei wrote:2,369 signatures

That's 15 signatures in an hour! I feel this is due to today's news & the fact that more people are sharing the link from CMoMM Facebook Group.

You don't have to be a member of the group to share the link.

Thank you!

@ Keitei

I think that assessment is probably correct, as I think Richard said he was sending out his newsletter on 6 April.

Many of the signatures have undoubtedly been achieved as a result of your personal, sustained effort to raise the profile of this petition

by dottyaussie 04.04.16 11:45

2406 signatures now :D I've been reposting it in the current news feeds re OG increase in funds on the FB sites :)

by **Tony Bennett** 04.04.16 11:53

dottyaussie wrote:2406 signatures now :D I've been reposting it in the current news feeds re OG increase in funds on the FB sites :)

- and of course, a 'reputation point' added winkwink

by dottyaussie 04.04.16 11:56

by Guest 04.04.16 11:56

I was trying to post the link on the sun comments but it doesn't seem to be working . Not sure if it is something to do with my mobile or the sun comments page. 2412 signatures now.

by **Tony Bennett** 05.04.16 13:17

Tony Bennett wrote:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562
A few more constituencies have joined the ranks where 9 or more have signed. There were 14 last time I checked, now there are 22, as follows [SNIPPED]

As can be seen from the updated list below, there are now 28 - six more - constituencies where 9 or more people have signed the petition.

I wonder who these people all are?

13 have signed in Harlow, myself, one other I know - but I have no idea who the other 11 are...

------------------

17 (16) Halton (Widnes & Runcorn) (15)

14 (14) Newcastle-upon-Tyne N (13)

13 (13) Harlow (13)
13 (13) Lanark E and Hamilton (12)
13 (10) North Down (N. Ireland) (9)

12 (12) Corby

11 (11) Sherwood (Notts)
11 (11) Weston-super-Mare (11)
11 (10) St. Helens S and Whiston (10)
11 (-) Bolsover (Derbyshire)
11 (-) Meriden

10 (10) St. Helens North
10 (10) Oldham E and Saddleworth (10)
10 (10) N. Ayrshire and Arran (10)
10 (10) Bournemouth East (9)
10 (10) Milton Keynes South
10 (10) Knowsley (Lancashire)
10 (9) South Shields
10 (-) Scarborough & Whitby

9 (9) Wellingborough (9)
9 (9) Bolton West (9)
9 (9) Leeds East (9)
9 (9) Clacton
9 (9) Caerphilly
9 (9) Glasgow South-West
9 (-) Braintree (Essex)
9 (-) Cardiff South and Penarth
9 (-) South Swindon

by Boosey 05.04.16 16:59

It is good to see that people are interested and have taken the time to sign. A bit disappointed in Ulster only North Down is represented. I did forward some friends the link but they were spread over the six counties and obviously not enough to make a mark on the map.

by **Tony Bennett** 05.04.16 20:40

Boosey wrote:It is good to see that people are interested and have taken the time to sign. A bit disappointed in Ulster only North Down is represented. I did forward some friends the link but they were spread over the six counties and obviously not enough to make a mark on the map.

@ Boosey Thank you very much for your efforts.

The full count so far in N. Ireland's 12 constituencies is 44 signatures, broken down as follows:

North Down 13
Upper Bann 6
Lagan Valley 5
Strangford 5
South Antrim 4
West Tyrone 3
East Antrim 3
East Londonderry 3
Mid Ulster 1
North Antrim 1

None yet in Fermanagh & South Tyrone and Newry & Armagh

by Boosey 05.04.16 22:36

Tony, thanks for the breakdown.

by **Tony Bennett** 10.04.16 0:40

Nearly 200 more signatures in the last 48 hours have brought the total signatures so far to

2,705

Much of this late surge appears to result from Richard Hall's reminder to his followers in his latest 'round robin' email - thank you Richard thumbsup

There are a total of 2,909 petitions on the Prime Minister's website and this petition on Operation Grange has climbed up to 241st position - thank you again to every one who has taken the trouble to sign.

...just 12 more days left to sign it:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108562