Day 313 - 13 Dec 96 - Page 47


     
     1
     2        "Synthetic chips", I think that has now been dropped, but
     3        'synthetic' would be comment, and "junk food" would be
     4        comment, based upon all the previous points.  "Food so
     5        lacking in bulk it is hardly possible to chew it", that is
     6        comment, I would say.  "This sort of fake food encourages
     7        over-eating", we would say that is comment.  I mean 'fake',
     8        I think at the end of the day because of this section it
     9        may not be that important, certainly we think the word
    10        'craving' is comment, and the final sentence would be
    11        comment.  "That means, i.e.", this is a comment that could
    12        be drawn from the facts that have gone before.  "More
    13        profit for McDonald's", et cetera.
    14
    15        The reason I have dealt with this section, even though the
    16        meaning has been decided, is because we think that your
    17        meaning contains comment in it and that the point is that
    18        because we believe the original text contains comment, and
    19        indeed the cartoon itself.  "If the slaughterhouse don't
    20        get you the junk food will", we say that is comment.  It
    21        should be protected speech, but if it is going to be given
    22        any weight then it should be considered to be comment and,
    23        therefore, the contextual inference that has been given
    24        over the nutrition text should be an inference towards
    25        comment, of a comment nature, in your final ruling on the
    26        meaning of that section.
    27
    28        In the next page the word 'poisoning' in the heading there
    29        we would say is clearly comment, and in the next section,
    30        "What is it like working for McDonald's?", I think the
    31        words 'like' implies a comment.  The point is, it is not in
    32        itself a comment because it does not say anything that is
    33        defamatory but it adds a kind of atmosphere of comment to
    34        that section that is coming up.  "There must be a serious
    35        problem", we say a 'serious problem' is comment.  One point
    36        is that low wages comes in twice.  In one paragraph it is
    37        linked under the 'no unions allowed', it is linked to pay
    38        and conditions, which is a general charge in catering.
    39        "Workers in catering do badly in terms of pay and
    40        conditions", we would say is clearly a general charge and
    41        therefore entitled to pray in aid any evidence relevant to
    42        conditions and pay.
    43
    44        But then at the end of the paragraph under "trained to
    45        sweat", it says "no need to employ chefs or qualified staff
    46        for anybody prepared to work for low wages", and therefore
    47        there is a completely autonomous statement about the low
    48        wages not linked to conditions, poor pay and bad
    49        conditions.
    50
    51        Helen has pointed out that the last sentence in the first
    52        paragraph in that section, "the reasons are not hard to
    53        find", is a comment about what is to follow, or the links
    54        between what has been said and what is to follow.
    55
    56        In the final sentence, "the truth is McDonald's are only
    57        interested in recruiting cheap labour", we would say that
    58        has the character of a comment because, obviously, they are
    59        interested in making lots of profits.  Throughout the rest
    60        of the text of the leaflet it is clear they are interested

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