Day 002 - 30 Jun 94 - Page 53


     
     1        secure a verdict favourable to the McDonald's
              Corporation?
     2
              We certainly hope, of course, we get a verdict favourable
     3        to freedom of speech and those that criticise the business
              practices of multi-national corporations and who care
     4        about environment/index.html">litter, nutrition, animals, forests and workers'
              rights and all the other things.
     5
              One further point about the character of the trial that is
     6        coming up -- again I did mention it before -- a lot of our
              experts will not have had proper site visits.  Finally,
     7        I have to say that there are legal implications within the
              laws, as they stand, of this country about the trial that
     8        obviously we are not happy with a trial without a jury;
              not because we question the integrity of the judge at this
     9        stage, but because they are our peers.  We believe we are
              entitled to be tried by our peers; that we believe there
    10        should be an equality of arguing powers and resources
              which there, clearly, is not.
    11
              We believe that some of the interlocutory stages have been
    12        very unfair.  We have not had discovery.  There has been a
              cover up; that we do not know the case we have to answer
    13        on the counterclaim.  That is a legal point as well as a
              difficulty for us in general, and that in any case the
    14        laws as regards Europe are increasingly coming to
              influence the courts in this country.  We do not know now
    15        the implications of that for a case like this in all the
              circumstances.  So, despite everything, we are determined
    16        to put the case, defend the fact sheet and to win the
              trial.
    17
         MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, thank you.  Miss Steel, did you want to
    18        add anything in opening?
 
    19   MISS STEEL:  No, I do not think so.
 
    20   MR. RAMPTON:  In fact, your Lordship did give me leave to
              mention one thing.  There are two other things I would
    21        want to mention.  Can I mention those two first?
              Mr. Morris mentioned a number of witnesses who, contrary
    22        to present indications, he said are being called to give
              evidence.  They are Mr. Sydney or Steven Gardiner; a meat
    23        labouring person, I believe, who is Mr. Douglas Shane; a
              girl from Canada who is called Sarah Ingliss, and a trade
    24        union witness from Australia who is called Mr. Bowland.
 
    25        I only say this at this stage, for the good conduct of the
              proceedings, if those people are being called as 
    26        witnesses, it would be convenient to be told in advance. 
              Your Lordship will have noticed from the witness schedule 
    27        that there are no names of any defendants' witnesses
              inserted in the spaces.  We have actually, so far as we
    28        have been able to, allotted particular days to particular
              people.  In addition to what I have just said, I would
    29        make a general plea that the defendants do what they can
              to notify us in advance on the day on which a particular
    30        witness may be called.
 

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