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Am I alone in thinking that a giant inflatable banner, sponsored by the News of the World, is going to do very little to save Madeline McCann? Or, perhaps even more cynically, am I alone in believing that, even not so deep down, this is not the News of the World’s intention any longer?

Similarly, was there any genuine benefit in a myriad of local radio stations, including many in the North West, playing, in unison, an old Simple Minds song (“Don’t you forget about me”) on Bank Holiday Monday in order to highlight the case? A possible beneficiary might be Jim Kerr and co I imagine., but it will do little to further spotlight the case of the world’s most famous abductee.

I am not going to go down the route of speculating why this cute four-your old from a decent middle class family has caught the world’s attention in a way that hundreds of other children who have vanished in the meantime have not. That much is self-evident.

What I object to is the cavalcade of self-interested “well-wishers” who are exploiting this case to bask in reflected publicity. Whether they are doing it consciously or not, the media is now jam-packed with bleeding hearts wringing out their fellow feeling for the family by the column inch.

Whether setting up websites (with the legend “Sponsored by Infohost” at the bottom of each page) or publicly setting up the “Richard Branson Virgin Reward for the Return of Little Madeline”, this tragic event is being hijacked by a plethora of media and non-media businesses desperate to cash in on their self-consciously caring credentials.

“Let’s not buy the Sunday People this week,” say the weekend tabloid floaters, “Let’s invest in the News of the World instead– they care more about Little Madeline and have an inflatable banner.”

No doubt those involved in these activities will play the irreproachable get-out-of-jail free card – “We’re just doing our bit” in response to these fulminations, but I’m afraid I don’t believe that.

I find this the most nauseating attempt to cash in on the nation’s public grief since Diana died – although I suspect this August’s tenth anniversary “tissue with every issue” Princes Di why-oh-why chest-beating fest will set new records in this department.