Am I cynical? Did most readers, viewers and listeners want poor Nora, that Irish girl in Malaysia, to have been kidnapped, raped and murdered? Because it would have been a "great story"? And are disappointed when it appears she wandered away, saw a waterfall, fancied a swim, fell and died? Tragic but not such a "great story". And am I cynical to see this, think this and HATE this aspect of our species and the eagerness of many in the media to pander to it?

Just as media believes, probably rightly, that most people WANT Jimmy Savile to have been a Vile Pervert and not a decent charity worker? And Jeffrey Epstein to have been a Filthy Sex Provider instead of a normal, healthy male with a taste in beautiful young women?

And that Society (and Media) want the Law to find monsters and criminals because it titillates us and we can feel "there but for the grace of God go I"?.

Am I wrong to be disgusted by this Bread and Circuses aspect of humanity? Am I wrong to want neither Christians nor Lions to be sacrificed to appease our desire for the blood of others? And am I unwise to state this truth?

One of the joys of being 74 is - you no longer give a fuck. Speak the truth; express the wisdom gained through life; refuse to SHUT UP!

no not wrong..spot on.

And yes it is a joy to be very old (but still look gorgeous)

The Mail is full of comments that suggest that people in foreign places are completely incapable of conducting post mortems - even ones attended by French and Irish representatives - and that only a second one conducted by the British will give the 'right' result.

I too have an uneasy feeling that the pitchfork brigade are feeling dreadfully let down by the autopsy result. They simply don't believe it. They're all obsessed with the reports that she was unclothed when she was found. They fail to appreciate that people with disabilities don't necessarily behave as one might expect (in other words, in the heat of the jungle she probably took her clothes off).

I hate to say it but I think they will take their frustrations out on giving her poor parents the McCann treatment. Watch this space.

Meanwhile, a child protection expert advises that there should be a post mortem in this country.

twitter.com/mwilliamsthomas/status/1161919079139221504


My advice would always be in circumstances like this to have a 2nd independent PM - ideally in country.

Delicious. I knew MWT would have to put his oar in, now he's on the comeback trail (until Sunday).

Sheba Bear, I was also wondering if the parents would fall prey to the amateur detectives and pitchfork brigade. Here's hoping they don't.

Sheba Bear wrote:
Meanwhile, a child protection expert advises that there should be a post mortem in this country.

twitter.com/mwilliamsthomas/status/1161919079139221504


My advice would always be in circumstances like this to have a 2nd independent PM - ideally in country.
Wonder what he means by "in country". If that isn't a typo, isn't that military language referring to the country in which they're in, i.e. Malaysia?

Before the body was identified, MWT was also sharing his views on This Morning.

I think some of the disquiet was because at first, some news reports said that she had starved to death,(not in a week, she hadn't) but neglected to mention the ruptured intestine.

At 3:40 on the video MWT says, "I had an update about the family last night .... "

So, who was doing the updating? And why was a non-police-officer getting these updates?