I’d like a public inquiry to examine carefully the conduct of the emergency services that day - and if there are lessons to be learnt.
The recorded experiences of many of the survivors are somewhat alarming and have never been further investigated with the relevant service involved called to account.

sean dunne, lincoln,

As a Portuguese the only thing I don't like in this story is the blind xenofobia shown aginst the Portuguese when the odds began to be against the couple. If this story goes on for a long time I say that with the political support this couple clearly has, we are going to see the Portugueses police in jail :)

Ines, Oporto, Portugal

Why did her sister and brother sleep through the event(s)? Why not? Wasn't a young girl murdered in a dormitory in Brittany whilst her school friends slept alongside her.Many are burgled with the burglers even removing things from the room in which they are sleeping and they are not disturbed.So why the astonishment?

L.Warren., Lincoln., England

And of course we must never forget how the Mekons, sorry neo-cons, planned and executed 9/11 and how they have managed to keep this brutal, vast, hugely risky and wholly unnecessary conspiracy secret to all apart from a few 'brave' campaigners.

Alan Goldwater, London,

Someone needs to draw a parallel with the Azaria Chamberlain case in Australia in the 1980's. Lindy Chamberlain was suspected of killing her baby, largely because she was unable to gain public sympathy through the media. She was convicted and jailed amid public hysteria, but was later proved to be innocent. The McCanns seem to be the victims of the same sort of dinner party gossip and vilification as Lindy Chamberlain. See the film "Evil Angels" or "A Cry in the Dark"

Rohan, New York, USA

It seems that to cast suspicion on the McCanns has become politicaly incorrect in the eyes of many "scribblers". The truth is that the press has become so biased for the McCanns that to say otherwise is tantamount to heresy. Surely the objective is the search for truth (however painful) and the safe return of Maddie.

Hamad lone, ex-pat brit, Middle East

"Sherlock Holmes’s rule was that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." From your own paper this very day.

Tim , Kingston,

I'm not sure which camp i fall into here. I don't have an opinion about the McCanns one way or another. But where do a start with the carpet bombing the media has engaged in as they try to out-do each other with one excessively sympathetic article after another.

Before the law, the McCanns may be innocent or guilty, we don't know. But i'd climb a mountain of the sympathetic dross masquerading as journalism just to read an article that demonises them in an effort to find some kind of media balance!

James, London,

I'm sorry - but you're quite wrong about Shakespeare. There are many very powerful reasons to doubt the Stratford man's authorship. If you're brave enough to have your deeply held prejudices shattered I suggest you read "Breaking the Shakespeare Codes" - it comes out on Saturday.

Enjoy!

Robert Nield, Hartford, Cheshire

I'm one of the large section of the public that has read an awful lot about the McCanns. Along with the Portuguese police and the media I don't have a clue whether they are innocent or guilty because most of what I have read appears to be opinion or gossip rather than fact. So I shall presume that they are innocent until there is proof to the contrary. Anybody like to join me?

Al, Weybridge,

I entirely agree. I am constantly blown away at how many people think they know enough about the McCanns to judge them, and the manner in which they are dealing with their indisputable grief at losing Madeleine... who are we to judge what is normal or likeable behaviour in this tragic situation (however it started)?

Rebecca, London, UK

Roland Smith

You don't appear to understand the term 'punitive'.

Chris, London,

I'm one of the large and punitive section of the public that has always liked the McCanns. They do indeed seem to be a very nice and pleasant couple and any one adept at reading character must consider them to be innocent.

Roland Smith, Amersham, UK

I'm one of the large and punitive section of the public that has never liked the McCanns. They do indeed seem to be a very odd and unpleasant couple and any one adept at reading character must consider them prime suspects.

ludovic muggleton, pattaya, thailand

The business about what Mrs McCann shouted when she found Madeleine gone is very strange - why has nobody pointed out to the Portugeuse that it's much more natural when under stresss to shout "They"ve taken her!" than "She"s been taken!", and that "they" tends to be the pronoun by default in familiar English? Saying "He's taken her!" or "She's taken her!" would seem more questionable to me, implying that Kate was referring to a particular person, and "Someone's taken her!" is much more cumbersome to say. "They" implies to me surprise, disarray and spontanaiety.
I remember in the case of the British nanny who was accused of killing her charge in America (Louise Woodward, I think): apparently she said of the baby, "I popped him on the bed," and this was for some time taken to mean that she had thrown him down violently, whereas she meant to say simply that she had put him on the bed. The nuances of a language are always tricky, but definitely worth investigating.

Helene, Strasbourg, France

All things are possible, and if there is a trial, we will see the evidence. What will be the worst aspect, is if they are guilty, they deserve to be punished more so for their abuse of the PR process. IF they are guilty. Who knows what happened, but they would not be the first parents to lie about killing a child.

Kevin Brown, Nice, Alpes Maritimes

"Anti-Shakespearianism" comes down to ignorance:
(i) "not one play, not one poem, not one letter in (his) own hand has ever been found". So? I have dozens of historical figures from the same period whose own works do not survive, but other evidence indicates material or ideas can be attributed to them.

(ii) "will contains no clearly Shakespearean turn of phrase". Early-modern wills were typically written on the deathbed. Furthermore, they were usually written by someone else, typically following examples in precedent books. Shakespearean phrases would risk affecting the legal effectiveness of some of the will, so any prudent man would avoid such affectations. This argument fundamentally misunderstands the purpose of a will based on nineteenth century assumptions of the artist as a great man. Part of Shakespeare's genius was to work within existing forms and ideas, knowing what to alter or retain!

So perhaps a good conclusion for the article would be to ignore the ignorant...

JS, Cambridge,

A good point well made, David. Sometimes I think that over-exposure to complicated fictional plots blinds many to the reality that the simplest explanations are usually correct. You could, of course, have added the Dodi and Diana saga to this list as well.

Eric Murray, Auckland,

David Aaronovitch claims to have trouble explaining the 'unscrupulous use, by good people, of doubt and scepticism' concerning the authourship of the Shakespeare plays. The implication in the question is ridiculous. Where is the unscrupuloiusness? The art-history interests of some, including D Aaronovitch apparently, may extend only to the works of art themselves, excluding any discussion of their creators, but it seems obvious that to those who are interested in the creators as well as in their works, the 'anti-Stratfordian' question is of huge legitimate interest. I think Mr Aaronovitch is unscrupulously exploiting an unfortunately widespread lack of appreciation of this point.

James Spurr, South Molton, UK

Hear, hear. A good article, cleverly put.

Sarah, London,

the middle class think shakespeare didn't write his plays because he was working class, and the working class think the McCann's are guilty because they're middle class.

victims of 7/7 are idiotic to demand an enquiry into why they were blown up, because they would've been blown up anyway

thanks dave

john motor, LDN, England