Day 103 - 14 Mar 95 - Page 69


     
     1        quite hard to keep my train of thought and get properly
     2        prepared.  That is a large part of why this has taken so
     3        long.
     4
     5   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I sympathise with any tiredness or stress you
     6        may be suffering from.  In fact, it is not necessary even
     7        for me to say that.  But one has to look at the matter in
     8        the round as well.  You have part of the day only
     9        tomorrow.  Obviously, you have to listen to what
    10        Mr. Bennett has to say, but you do not have what I know is
    11        the tension of knowing you are going to have to stand up
    12        and cross-examine sooner or later during that day.  So it
    13        is not a bad day for you from that point of view.
    14
    15        You are continuing to cross-examine Dr. Pattison in the
    16        afternoon, but you have covered a large number of topics.
    17        If you go from half past 2 tomorrow until about quarter
    18        past four, you have an hour and three quarters to finish
    19        it.  You have time before half past 2 to sit down and make
    20        sure you have yourself in order and go through your notes
    21        and ask yourselves:  "What really have we usefully to ask
    22        Dr. Pattison which remains?"
    23
    24        I think it helps you if you set yourself a target of
    25        finishing Dr. Pattison in that period tomorrow.
    26
    27   MS. STEEL:   Can I just say something else which, I mean, we did
    28        keep asking for breaks, more breaks, to be put between each
    29        witness.  As far as I can see, every time the Plaintiffs
    30        have drawn up a timetable they have tried to make the
    31        breaks as short as possible and as few as possible and
    32        quite often no breaks unless we kick up a big fuss about
    33        it.  This is going to be a continual problem unless they
    34        start taking notice of the fact that we cannot keep up at
    35        the pace at which they are going.  They have eight people
    36        on their team.  There are just two of us.  It is
    37        impossible.
    38
    39   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You have to speak to me about it, as I have
    40        said before.  You have to set it out and tell me what you
    41        have to do before the next witnesses are called and give
    42        some reasoned estimate of how long it will take.  I will
    43        listen to you with a perfectly open mind and quite
    44        sympathetically.
    45
    46        But, I am dealing with the current situation with regard to
    47        Dr. Pattison at the moment.  You see, I know he covers two
    48        topics but between you, unless I have misinterpreted my
    49        notes, you have been cross-examining Dr. Pattison for four
    50        whole days now.  I think if a target is set, quite frankly, 
    51        you will make it easier for yourselves. 
    52 
    53        I have indicated before that I think there is a limit on
    54        the amount of detail you can elicit and then usefully hold
    55        on to.  I think you are making rods for your own back when
    56        you just elicit more and more information which, at the end
    57        of the day, you are going to try to want to sift to get out
    58        of it what is important to support your arguments in this
    59        case.
    60

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