Day 312 - 11 Dec 96 - Page 48


     
     1        and that is all that Mr. Rampton has quoted.
     2
     3        Now, I do not actually know whether he put this particular
     4        leaflet to any witness, but he certainly did not ask
     5        anybody what that statement meant and it should be put in
     6        context, and if you read the whole of that leaflet, or the
     7        whole of the paragraph, the last paragraph, it actually
     8        says that: "The group has no leaders or members" and then
     9        says the quote, "and all our work is done collectively";
    10        i.e., that the work to be done is done on a collective
    11        rather than a hierarchical basis, if you look at the whole
    12        context of what is being said, and it does not mean (as
    13        Mr. Rampton is trying to interpret it) that everybody
    14        remotely involved with the group is involved in everything
    15        in a collective way.
    16
    17        So, it is important to read the context of that leaflet or
    18        the whole of it to get the context; the whole of that
    19        paragraph to get the context of it.
    20
    21   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.
    22
    23   MS. STEEL:   On page 8 there is, firstly, a question that
    24        I wanted to ask about this, the thing in the left-hand
    25        margin.  I have absolutely no idea what that means.
    26
    27   MR. RAMPTON:  All that means -- I had better explain it; I
    28        should not have put it in Latin, but it is a convenient
    29        shorthand -- all it means is that is the day before which
    30        it is not possible to make a claim for libel.  "Before
    31        which not" is what the Latin means.
    32
    33   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is just explaining why September 1987 has
    34        been chosen, not because it is factually significant so far
    35        as whether, as I understand it, the group's anti-McDonald's
    36        campaign was one of its principal activities, but it is
    37        legally significant because of the limitation point.
    38
    39   MS. STEEL:   Right.  The thing about paragraph 5 is that, as a
    40        reference for saying that the group's anti-McDonald's
    41        campaign was clearly one of its principal activities --
    42        perhaps the principal activity -- Mr. Rampton gives this
    43        leaflet as a reference.  Now, that is not what the leaflet
    44        says.  The leaflet says it is one of the most successful
    45        campaigns, which is entirely different to being a principal
    46        campaign.
    47
    48        In paragraph 7 on that page Mr. Rampton refers to myself
    49        and Mr. Morris enthusiastically associating ourselves with
    50        the anti-McDonald's campaign and the particular leaflet
    51        that is referred to there.  I just wanted to point out that
    52        is actually -- what is suggested there is actually contrary
    53        to the evidence where Mr. Gravett actually said that he
    54        wrote the leaflet without us having read it or being
    55        consulted.
    56
    57        On page 9, this is about the Plaintiffs' case for
    58        distribution of the anti-McDonald's fact sheet and
    59        encouraging its distribution, and the reference -- the
    60        third reference under number 9, pink 1A, 47, 131,

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