I think SY made a big PR mistake in announcing that their investigation is predicated on the notion that Madeleine could still be alive.
(They themselves do not necessarily take this view. Redwood was careful to say in July - in the very same statement he made about Madeleine being alive - that the goal of the investigation was to attempt to come to some kind of conclusion as to what had happened - not necessarily to find Madeleine).
Emphasising the supposed likelihood of her being alive has obviously been a crude attempt at instilling a sense of urgency in the public, in order to better justify the level of government money involved. But that tactic is backfiring.
The public well know that the chances of Madeleine being alive, or findable, are exceptionally small, and don't buy the argument that this is why the money is being spent.
Why couldn't SY just have explained that they were investigating in order to pursue justice?
I believe personally that investigating the case properly once and for all - if that is what SY are actually doing / being permitted to do - is a perfectly justifiable use of public funds, and that few parents would turn down government assistance if they found themselves in similar circumstances.
But idea that the government is spending millions because it sincerely believes Madeleine must be alive is plainly preposterous - how can they know? - and, together with the McCann's repeated insistences that she is alive, and their pursuit of so many bogus sightings etc., creates the impression of their being a lot of fakery going on - whether there is or not.
I think this 'fakey' aspect is what is turning people off.
Throw in a trial whose relevance to the finding of Madeleine is unclear and people begin to lose patience.
