Day 002 - 29 Jun 94 - Page 52


     
     1        secretary and activist in the Post Office.
 
     2        I take it very personally when I am called a liar on paper
              in national leaflets and press statements.  It is now for
     3        McDonald's Corporation to prove that I have lied about
              their company.  I do not like bullies, I do not like
     4        exploitation and I do not like propaganda in order to make
              profits.  I have been taught all my life to question
     5        things.  I am going to carry on doing that throughout my
              whole life.  The more sophisticated the deceit or
     6        propaganda, the more concerned I am to question and
              challenge it.
     7
              My final points are that this trial should never have been
     8        brought, this case should never have been brought.  It
              comes down to censorship and might versus right: The might
     9        of McDonald's Corporation against the right of freedom of
              speech.  This trial is going to be extremely difficult for
    10        the two defendants in every way; that we are seeking the
              protection of the court as members of public.  We are
    11        facing a well-paid, well-versed and rehearsed team with
              all the resources and backing they could possibly need.
    12        We are unpaid, unrehearsed, inexperienced, we have little
              time to prepare, extremely nervous and probably what might
    13        happen -- it is possible -- is that Mr. Rampton might wipe
              the floor with us -- it is possible -- on certain points
    14        or on certain witnesses, but to what great purpose?  To
              what great satisfaction can he possibly get or McDonald's
    15        Corporation get from that?
 
    16        We believe that a fair trial is something that will have
              to be worked on rather than automatically achievable in
    17        this case.  This could be an historic case.
 
    18        We have had really no time to sort through the documents.
              We have not got the space in our respective houses to lay
    19        them out properly.  We have had no time to talk to our
              witnesses, to get them to do supplementary statements, to
    20        get the documents to them that are relevant.  We will not
              be able to pay them to come in to sit in with the
    21        witnesses they are meant to be countering, so they can
              come up with cross-examination points for us, or bear it
    22        in mind when they give evidence.
 
    23        We still do not know the plaintiffs' case about our
              counterclaim.  The cross-examination will start without us
    24        knowing what the case against us is.  We have had no
              practice on how to file and recall answers to questions
    25        given by witnesses which are going to be crucial.
              Mr. Rampton, no doubt, is going to use every trick in the 
    26        book (and that is no criticism of him; he is doing his 
              job)  ----- 
    27
         MR. RAMPTON:  Except they are not tricks, if you please.
    28
         MR. MORRIS:  Mr. Rampton is an entirely principled barrister
    29        who never uses any legal tricks.  So to bamboozle the
              court and to win by any way they can, the question will
    30        be:  What is it all for?  What is all this energy and
              effort for?  Is it to establish the truth or is it to

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