Day 275 - 08 Jul 96 - Page 27


     
     1
     2   MR. JUSTICE BELL: They start on page 22?
     3        A.  Page 22.  Yes, sorry.  Just on page 23, I think a lot
     4        of the conversation that is reported is things where one
     5        person is saying something and it has kind of come down as
     6        though, you know, that was a general agreement in the
     7        group, or that was the general -- I don't know, almost like
     8        it was a decision sort of thing -- whereas, for example,
     9        with the IMF, the IMF campaign had been running for a
    10        couple of years.  I mean, in fact, I think it started up in
    11        1988.  I remember that I went to Berlin in 1988 when the
    12        IMF was holding its conference.  I went and attended.
    13        There was like a counter-congress organised by protestors
    14        over there and there were various demonstrations, and I
    15        attended that.
    16
    17             I remember that that year London Greenpeace had a
    18        picket at the Bank of England as a protest against the
    19        International Monetary Fund, so it was an on-going
    20        campaign.  Obviously, some people in the group, myself
    21        included, were saying that we should have more focus on the
    22        International Monetary Fund, but that would not mean that
    23        everybody was going to get involved with it.  It is true of
    24        all the campaigns, all the campaigns done under the name of
    25        London Greenpeace, that it was always the case that some
    26        people would be involved with them and other people would
    27        not.
    28
    29             The next one I want refer to is page 27, which is 22nd
    30        November 1989.  Mr. Pocklington.  Just the reference in the
    31        third paragraph.  It was said that the person who wrote the
    32        original leaflet is no longer with the group.  That is
    33        basically what I was saying earlier.  I heard that on a
    34        number of occasions, I heard that being said.
    35
    36             On page 43 of the notes, which is 7th December 1989,
    37        Mr. Pocklington again.  In about the middle of the page he
    38        is talking about a meeting in January 1990 to discuss the
    39        future of the group and any plans anyone may have. "One of
    40        the subjects to be discussed would be the next year's
    41        anti-McDonald's fayre.  It was suggested by Mo that next
    42        year's events be the final national anti-McDonald's fayre
    43        and that this event should be inviting representatives of
    44        other groups nationwide".  It is my recollection that this
    45        was sort of like a compromise position put forward by Mo in
    46        a way.  I mean, that is probably not the best phrase, but I
    47        in particular had been saying that I did not think that
    48        there should be another fayre, because even if you did not
    49        get involved in organising it you always got dragged in on
    50        the day because they were always short of people to help
    51        and, for example, I end up helping out on the creche for
    52        several hours, and that I felt that it took up too much of
    53        people's energy and that there should not be another
    54        fayre.  I think that was why Mo was putting forward the
    55        suggestion that the next year's one should be the final one
    56        because I think Paul, for example, was, and other people,
    57        some other people were, still keen on doing more, and Mo
    58        suggested that if it was made the final one then it could
    59        be taken up by other groups around the country and that way
    60        it would not require London Greenpeace to put in a lot of

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