The Strange Case of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and the McCanns

Lest they forget..

By Craig Murray - Former British Ambassador.

The Strange Case of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and the McCanns

20th April 2016

I have a confession to make. Back in 2014 I posted that I was going to write something further on the subject of the McCanns. In the end I did not, because I was surprised by the strong emotional reaction I received, from a number of decent people, who were enraged that I might be prepared to write something not to the McCanns’ advantage. But I regret being so pusillanimous, particularly as so much discussion has been suppressed by the extremely aggressive stance taken on threats of libel action on this story.

So in the full knowledge that some decent people will be outraged, here it is.

This week there have been two more developments. The Home Office has announced that it will fund still further the police investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance, on which £10 million has already been spent. Plus the appeals court in Lisbon has [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] the libel verdict against the Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral, who led the case and formed his own firm convictions at to what happened. The 500,000 euro libel award to the McCanns is now cancelled.

None of these sums of money would matter in the least, and practically nobody would grudge any expense, to have Madeleine McCann alive, safe and happy. There can be nothing worse for a parent than the loss of a child, whatever the circumstances. If the McCanns genuinely do not know what happened, that must be agonising beyond belief. My grandparents had a nineteen year old son, an uncle I never knew, missing in action in World War 2 and the pain never left them, even when his fate was resolved.

And yet, and yet… It is because our children are so precious to us that we treat them as such. I recall an incident on Jamie’s first birthday, which we spent in a hotel in Italy. I was in the room with Jamie. My then wife had gone out to the car. The birthday cake was delivered to reception and had to be paid for. Jamie was fast asleep. I dashed out of the hotel room, down two flights of steps to reception, literally threw the money at them and ran back up the stairs. I was away under two minutes but have never experienced such adrenalin, nor would wish to again. An overwhelming instinct had kicked in telling me I had done wrong in leaving the baby unattended, even so briefly.

I find the McCanns’ behaviour indefensible. There appears to be a disconnect in the public mind in the UK which prevents people from realising just how far the McCanns were from their children. This is a useful graphic just to see the layout, (do not worry about the other info on it).

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The McCanns could not actually see their apartment from the tapas bar due to the wall around the pool. To get back there, they had to use the gate and walk around that wall, which made it a 75 yard hike. And the apartment had double doors onto the street on the opposite side of the block from that facing the pool.

I do not see how anybody understanding this geography can consider that it was normal parenting for the McCanns to leave two one year olds and a three year old, alone in the apartment in these circumstances – for hours, and repeatedly several days running. It is something I would absolutely never dream of doing with my own children. If nothing else, had any of the children been crying and in distress – and the chances of that with three tiny children are pretty high – there was no way they could hear them.

The claimed abduction is not the only thing that could have happened. Cholic. Vomiting. Sore nappies. Coughing. Choking. Bad dreams. Overheating. All kinds of thing can distress children. So far as I can judge, it is not that I am weird in my own views, rather it is absolutely accepted in British society that you do not leave 1 year olds without care of an adult. Why are the McCanns an exception?

Which leads me on to the question of why they received such exceptional treatment from British authorities, directed straight from No. 10, to the extent that Blair and Brown eventually gave them a PR representative? I used at one stage to be Resident Clerk in the FCO, a now abolished post effectively of night duty officer. I can tell you from horrible personal experience that the FCO deals with gut-wrenching cases of lost or dead children abroad frequently. I spent one of the most terrible three hours of my life, through to a cold dawn, on the phone with a hysterical bereaved mother desperate to explore any avenue that might give a possibility that the boy who had just drowned in Brazil was misidentified as her son. On average, I am afraid such tragedies get substantially less than 1% of the public resources that were devoted to the McCanns.

I am going to come straight out with this. British diplomatic staff were under direct instruction to support the McCanns far beyond the usual and to put pressure on the Portuguese authorities over the case. I have direct information that more than one of those diplomatic staff found the McCanns less than convincing and their stories inconsistent. Embassy staff were perturbed to be ordered that British authorities were to be present at every contact between the McCanns and Portuguese police.

This again is absolutely not the norm. On a daily basis more British citizens have contact with foreign authorities than the total staff of the FCO. It would be simply impossible to give that level of support to everybody. Plus, against jingoistic presumption, a great many Brits who have contact with foreign police are actually criminals.

The British Ambassador in Portugal, John Buck, had been my direct boss in the FCO. he was Deputy Head of Southern European Department when I was Head of Cyprus Section. He and his staff were concerned by contradictions in the McCann’s story. The Embassy warned, in writing, that being perceived as too close to the McCanns might not prove wise. They demanded the instruction from London be reconfirmed. It was.

I know of people’s misgivings because I was told directly. But material was [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]to a Belgian newspaper confirming what I have said. It was published by the Express, but like so much other material which is not supportive of the McCanns, it got taken down. Fortunately that last link preserved it. It also shows that the FCO continues to refuse Freedom of Information requests for the material on the interesting grounds that it might damage relations with Portugal.

For the avoidance of doubt, I do not believe there was a high level paedophile ring involved. I make no such argument. Nor do I claim to know what happened to Madeleine McCann. But I do believe that the McCanns were less than exemplary parents. I believe that New Labour’s No.10 saw, in typical Blair fashion, a highly photogenic tragedy which there might be popularity in appearing to work on.

And I believe there is a genuine danger that the high profile support from the top of the British government might have put some psychological pressure on the Portuguese investigators and prosecuting officers in their determinations.

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I like this post. Because it highlights the most common of human instincts in parents. Mothers especially. The adrenalin factor.


Recently, listening to a caller on LBC's Ian Collins show, say that the funding into this little girls disappearance should now stop. He then asked the caller ''But, if it were your child, would you want it to stop?''


What an absolutely ridiculous question!


I was tempted to call him myself and ask him to ask me the same question. To which, I would also ridiculously ask him ''And yourself also Mr Collins. If it were your child, would you want it to stop?''


The answer every time is the biggest fattest 'NO' you could summon. Of course not, nobody would, regardless of what the public may say. So why ask this most silliest of questions and constantly distract from the main point of this caller's concern? Which was that so much money has been heaped in the direction of one particular missing child. He pretty much bullied the caller into what is an obvious answer.


I might then have gone on to add another 'Bloomin obvious' to him.


That is, that the funding should have stopped moons ago Mr Collins. Not just because it constantly bangs it's head against the most solid of brick walls (if that weren't clue enough) but that if we are to follow the lines of the abduction fed by these parents while they....adrenalin and care free, did the unthinkable and dined without their (barely out of nappies) children, then they have only themselves to blame and considering this, have had more than their share of sympathy and enough money and help already up to this point. Perhaps many other cases of youngsters gone missing (by people not at fault) could have benefited from some of these funds by possibly getting better results.

This thread topic reminds me of the strange case of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson.

Brown and Mandelson were "joined at the hip" but Gordon Brown hated the ground that Mandelson walked on,  but the fear of what one knew about the other and that getting out,  was the glue that held the tarnished lot together. 

Nothing ever changes!

Brown and Mandelson are believed to have fallen out over Mandelson’s backing of Tony Blair to succeed as Labour leader following the death of John Smith.

From Lord Levy’s autobiography A Question of Honour…

“A few weeks afterwards, Tony Blair turned to me as he was towelling down after a swim at my house in North London and remarked: “What am I going to do about Gordon and Mandelson? ”
I had by now come to understand that whenever he asked that kind of question, he had a plan in mind – one that almost invariably involved me.
“You’re good with people,” he said. “Why don’t you have a talk with them both, see whether you can patch things up?” 

I saw Peter first for lunch in the Commons and explained how worried Tony was about the friction between two of the people he most relied on to change Labour and the country.
 Peter, who had been on the receiving end of many months of deadly glares from Gordon, said: “It’s going to be difficult but if Tony wants us to have a go at patching things up, of course I’m ready to do anything I can.

”
Buoyed, if still not confident, I then arranged to have lunch with Gordon.
We met on a Wednesday in a crowded top-floor restaurant in Millbank, a few minutes’ walk from Parliament. Gordon was friendly – at least until I explained my mission.
“Make up with Peter?” he hissed in an angry whisper.
Then, as his voice gradually rose from dispatch-box volume to a near shout, he exclaimed: “Peter? He’s been going around telling everyone that I’m gay! And I am NOT GAY! ”
Dozens of people looked around in astonishment, no doubt assuming that I had tried – and thankfully failed – to proposition the Shadow Chancellor.”

Basil with a brush wrote:Recently, listening to a caller on LBC's Ian Collins show, say that the funding into this little girls disappearance should now stop. He then asked the caller ''But, if it were your child, would you want it to stop?''

What an absolutely ridiculous question!

An emotive question to say the least.

As any police officer well knows, as hard as it might be, they have to keep an emotional distance, otherwise they'd drop at the first hurdle.

Funding a wild goose chase, because that's what Operation Grange is all about, can't go on indefinitely - although it seems to be the current state of affairs.  Indeed as with any criminal investigation, there has to come a time when it's no longer viable to continue, otherwise the nationwide forces would be bogged down by hundreds of Operation Granges all chasing their own tails - or should that be tales?  Anyway, it's all taken out of proportion when supporting the hapless McCann duo.  If it were a bona-fide inquiry/investigation, the case of Madeleine McCann would never be abandoned by the authorities - only archived pending new evidence, which is exactly what the Portuguese authorities did - ostensibly.

If the Metropolitan Police were able to assure, even convince, the public that the case of Madeleine McCann was moving towards a solution - genuinely, then I doubt there would be a single whimper from anyone - but they are not!.  All they can offer is 'new significant leads' which effectively lead nowhere but the filing cabinet.  We are being fobbed off with excuses for more and more funding. 

It's all hogwash!

Hogwash indeed! This case, had it been treat as anodyne as the countless other missing persons cases, would be set aside as a cold case, only to see the light of day again should something significant turn up out of the blue....
...which is what happened with "Wearside Jack", the Yorkshire Ripper hoax tape maker, caught by serendipity in essence, when, 24 years later, they matched DNA off the back of an envelope from one of his hoax letters to one John Humble, who'd been arrested for being Brahms and Liszt in the year 2000.
Remember, it was a mere copper, PC Ring who nabbed the Ripper, not the top bods... who fell for the hoax tape assuring everyone they were only looking for a Geordie gadgee, thus anyone not being a Geordie was not the Ripper.

These MP'S and PM's do indeed have strange bedfellows:
From Dr Sally Baker's Blog March 2018;


Meanwhile in England, Theresa May has promised lots of lovely lolly for the NHS! Theresa is quoted as saying that the NHS has provided her with ‘compassionate care’ for her diabetes. Theresa – that’s because you are a Prime Minister who, whilst you were a Councillor in Merton, 1986-94, obligingly ignored the organised crime – which included the facilitating of a sex trafficking ring – taking place at your local hospital, St George’s Hospital Medical School. Then when you were Home Secretary and you were given responsibility for re-opening the investigation into the North Wales Child Abuse Scandal, you appointed Lady Justice Julia Macur to review the Waterhouse Inquiry and you set up the IICSA. The Macur Review was so heavily redacted that it was meaningless – although Julia did stress that she could assure us all that Waterhouse was no cover-up and that there was No Paedophile Ring in north Wales. The IICSA has progressively fallen apart after every person appointed as Chair was demonstrated to be a paedophiles’ friend. Except for Judge Lowell Goddard, who walked out and returned to New Zealand after declaring that the Home Office were trying to rig the Inquiry.

Had Theresa blown the whistle on what was happening at St George’s she would not be receiving ‘compassionate care’ from the NHS. She would be refused treatment for all conditions no matter how serious and if her lawyers made representation regarding her legal entitlement to NHS treatment, she would simply be sent from pillar to post and be met with aggression and hostility – and still no treatment. That’s when she wasn’t being arrested and fitted up by NHS staff.  Theresa would eventually conclude that she was better off without the Top Doctors. Presumably Theresa is giving them a few more million to ensure that she continues to receive ‘compassionate care’. After all, Theresa knows what happened to those who complained about the paedophile ring that never existed in north Wales.

CRASH! Whoops, another traffic accident…

No doubt we will soon be seeing another shot of Theresa’s smug, grinning face reminding everyone that Ken Clarke called her a ‘bloody difficult woman’. Bloody difficult? She’s rolling over to have her tummy tickled by the Top Doctors whilst she orders Phil Hammond to hand over a blank cheque. The Torygraph has reported that there will have to be a tax rise to foot the bill for the Top Doctors and that ‘older people’ will have to bear the brunt. ‘Older people’ are going to love you Theresa – they can’t get appointments with GPs, their operations are being cancelled and they are being blamed for the Top Doctors’ own failures on the grounds that they are all too fat/demented/boozing too much/costing far too much to keep alive and now they’re going to be stung in order than the Top Docs and senior managers can continue to receive £100k pa or in some cases a great deal more

Hi Kaz,thanks for your post,

Once again we see the Prime Ministers(Theresa May) of the UK standing up for the NHS,the same NHS they have made cuts to budgets to for the past Ten years of government,remember David Cameron and his Son who later passed away,but that didn't stop dodgy Dave from implementing the governments white paper did it?
Most of the MP's will No doubt have taken out some sort of pre requisite"Private Medical Insurance Policy" purely as an exercise in securing the treatment one has aspired to within Parliament and have a safety guard NHS to fall back on in times of an emergency?

Wales Care Home child abuse,quite alarming that both Lady Macur and the Home Secretary(TM) never interviewed Mr Des Frost about the abuses at Bryn Alyn,Estyn,neither did MP William Hague,must have slipped there busy schedule of who to avoid not to Interview process?
As Go getemGoncalo,has pointed out there are quite a number of well known Labour Politicians who have remained very quiet over the child abuse throughout the wales area,MP Neil Kinnock,oh he became an MEP to detract any from any friends and associates who did not investigate the abuses?

Two bothers mysteriously died along with other people in Rented accommodation set up by Mr Allen for Adult after Care from Bryn Alyn,Estyn, Care Home support close to the Borough of Richmond,Surrey,No persons were ever convicted on the Arson attacks to the Premises after Metropolitan Police Investigations into the deaths?

It was thought justice Lowell Goddard was to be a safe pair of hands in regard to IICSA,with her extensive background knowledge in New Zealand cases of child abuse,perhaps Mrs Goddard had had enough of the amount of cover ups to the elites in society who need an extra safe pair of hands to assist their fall from grace!

Is Alexis Jay a "Safe pair" of hands on IICSA,Just how could you trust the"Perverts Of Parliament" and the knowledge of Masonic lodges within the Political Chambers of the House Of Common's,just like the IPCC investigating the IPCC,"Nothing to see here,Now Move Along Please"Rotherham Sex Scandal,1400 Girls groomed under the noses of South Yorkshire Police, who had No Idea the abuses were happening, yeah OK,a fair Cop Gov,we've reported ourselves to the IPCC?

It doesn't matter which 'colour' they shout for , so many of these MP's , PM's
, Top doctors and what goes for Justice Services in this country are united by one despicable practice. If they're not indulging then they're covering up for those that do. What is wrong with this country?
If they're up there swanning around you can bet your life they're 'wrong 'uns.' You don't get to those dizzy heights without having a for sale price. I despise the lot of them.

kaz wrote:It doesn't matter which 'colour' they shout for , so many of these MP's , PM's
, Top doctors and what goes for Justice Services in this country are united by one despicable practice. If they're not indulging then they're covering up for those that do. What is wrong with this country?
If they're up there swanning around you can bet your life they're 'wrong 'uns.' You don't get to those dizzy heights without having a for sale price. I despise the lot of them.

Perhaps Guido Fawkes was right all along,they tortured him to death, made him a Martyr and for years, then tried to ban the public from having "Bonfire celebrations" resurrected in his rememberance 5th November?

Now, If the public ever had a chance to change the House Of Commons,it needs the public to raid and rescue all the"Parchment Papers" before any incendiary devices placed within that structure,if it needs to be raised to the ground to form"Democracy" to the United Kingdom?
Just think about how the elite from Society have connived,conned their way into power over the Thousand or more years,having Men,Woman,children slaughtered for Kings,Queens to usurp their powers on the Plebicites,then naming this Den of inequity,The House Of Common's,run by landed gentry,to their rules and Regulations to the present day?

My blood pressure has risen dangerously tonight on reading the latest Irish Independent online. There, bold as brass, is an appeal for those with information on the disappearance of Mary Boyle (exactly 41 years ago) to contact the Gardai!! This weekend a petition containing 10,000 signatures was handed over, demanding that an inquest into the case should be permitted. To date, this has been consistently refused, nor has the man named on several occasions by Mary's own mother as the killer, and the former police's prime suspect, ever been re interviewed.
But why am I posting this here - simply because I believe Madeleine, like Mary, continues to suffer the cost of saving politicians blushes. Mary was let down because political cronyism was used to influence the investigation into her disappearance. Successive governments are prepared to sacrifice her rather than allow the corrupt influence of politics on policing to be shown in all its ugly reality.
I firmly believe Madeleine is another victim of the same cowardice. In 2006-2007 Blair, Brown et al were up to their necks in political hot water over the cash for honours scandal. Blair had become the first ever serving P.M. to be questioned by police as part of a political corruption inquiry. In his own words Labour's popularity and political future had plummeted "Like an arrow" as a result. They desperately needed a diversion to keep the ongoing investigation out of the headlines, preferably a diversion that would paint them in a good light with Joe public. Along came Madeleine's disappearance. Gordon B was delighted to assist a fellow Scot, a Labour supporter and a colleague of his own brother. Blair jumped at the opportunity of a diversion and the chance to show his "caring credentials". They backed the wrong horse, supported the McCanns (even when the foreign office advised caution) and went so far as to send British police over to Portugal to scupper the investigation. Like successive governments here, the U.K.  establishment has spent the last eleven years covering up this interference. Poor Madeleine, 11 years on. Poor Mary 41 years on. Children who were dispensable "In defence of the realm". Sickening beyond belief! 

Pheobe wrote:They backed the wrong horse, supported the McCanns (even when the foreign office advised caution) and went so far as to send British police over to Portugal to scupper the investigation.

Pray, where does this information come from?

The Leicestershire police were sent to Portugal to "Assist" the investigation. Goncalo Amaral has made it crystal clear that he believes their purpose was to protect the McCanns irrespective of the damage to the P.J. investigation. I happen to agree. Dr. Amaral has also stated that there "was too much politics"  which influenced the investigation. I happen to agree. To quote from your own post above -
"I am going to come straight out with this. British diplomatic staff were under direct instruction to support the McCanns far beyond the usual and to put pressure on the Portuguese authorities over the case. I have direct information that more than one of those diplomatic staff found the McCanns less than convincing and their stories inconsistent. Embassy staff were perturbed to be ordered that British authorities were to be present at every contact between the McCanns and Portuguese .....
The British Ambassador in Portugal, John Buck, had been my direct boss in the FCO. he was Deputy Head of Southern European Department when I was Head of Cyprus Section. He and his staff were concerned by contradictions in the McCann’s story. The Embassy warned, in writing, that being perceived as too close to the McCanns might not prove wise. They demanded the instruction from London be reconfirmed. It was." 
I presume the ambassadorial services fall under the remit of the foreign office. That is the case where I live.

I'm sorry, I don't understand your post ^^^.

Verdi wrote:I'm sorry, I don't understand your post ^^^.

You asked "Pray, where does this information come from" having highlighted "Even when the foreign office advised caution". I presume diplomacy and ambassadorial functions come within the remit of the Foreign Office.

Phoebe wrote:

Verdi wrote:I'm sorry, I don't understand your post ^^^.

You asked "Pray, where does this information come from" having highlighted "Even when the foreign office advised caution". I presume diplomacy and ambassadorial functions come within the remit of the Foreign Office.

Indeed the Foreign and Commonwealth Office governs diplomatic staff at home and abroad but I ask again - where does your information come from?

I'm at loss to know what you mean. If you mean the cash for honours  scandal, simply google Tony Blair political difficulties 2006-2007 and follow the numerous articles eg. Telegraph, Guardian, Independent , Times, R.T.E. Reuters. BBC etc. etc.