It could just as easily be said that now that SY have specifically ruled out the McCanns and their friends as either suspects or persons of interest - there is no point in anyone continuing to go over and over the files in the vain hope of finding proof that they are guilty - because if it existed then SY would have found it. But I'm sure you would not agree with that.
The SC did not pass judgement on whether Amaral's book was libellous or not - although I can only presume they had their tongues firmly in their cheeks when they claimed that it was mostly based on the official files. (words to that effect).
It is a fact IMO that if the case had been brought in the UK then the McCanns would have won it hands down. I consider myself fortunate to live in a country where if a person decides to publicly destroy your reputation and ruin your life then they had better be damn sure that what they claim about you is actually true before they put it into print. It would appear that the opposite is the case in Portugal.
I find it hard to believe that anyone would prefer or even condone the Portuguese legal approach in preference to ours.
If there was a way of bringing it under UK law then bringing it under Portuguese law was a particularly poor decision. And if there wasn't, it is another example of speculation that fails to further the search for Madeleine one jot
Its the type of 'what if' that joins all the other redundant 'what ifs'. What if the McCanns had holidayed in the UK? What if the McCanns had eaten in their apartment? What if the McCanns had locked the patio doors? What if the McCanns had hired a baby-sitter? What if the McCanns arranged the Tapas 9 seating so they were visually monitoring the rear entrance to 5A. What if the McCanns had bought a baby-monitor? What if the T9 etc had not initiated a media scrum?
The list of what ifs must be very large indeed and they don't help because things went differently.
Feel free to opine that you prefer the English legal system. Personally, I am happy that our 6 adults and 2 children are better off here. And since we are law-abiding citizens enjoying our right to freedom of speech, I don't see any of us being subjected to attempted muzzling.
The courts balanced the right of the McCanns against differing rights of Amaral, and found in favour of Amaral.
Unless we see the McCanns v Portugal at the ECHR, and the McCanns win, then it's game over.
The real impact for me is that it is likely to wipe out, financially, a future search for Madeleine.