Day 309 - 03 Dec 96 - Page 24
1 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
2
3 MR. RAMPTON: But I do not -----
4
5 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Obviously, on the meaning here -----
6
7 MR. RAMPTON: In fact, my Lord, one has "McDeadly" directly
8 above the "What's your poison?" box.
9
10 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
11
12 MR. RAMPTON: Whether by design or accident, one just does not
13 know, but -----
14
15 MR. MORRIS: It is actually about a quarter of an inch away from
16 the word "animals".
17
18 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I am sorry, you must not -- you have got to
19 observe the rules. I know from my time as an advocate that
20 one has to bite one's tongue a bit, because one can always
21 think of a retort. Just as Mr. Rampton was very restrained
22 when you were addressing me, you have to do your best.
23
24 MR. MORRIS: He did intervene sometimes.
25
26 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Very, very rarely. I am not choking you off,
27 as it were, because you have said very little. But you
28 must try and let it pass.
29
30 MR. MORRIS: Can I just say that because he is an experienced
31 advocate, to say the least, and we are litigants in person,
32 there is a feeling that when Mr. Rampton says something
33 which seems to be categoric about law or interpretation,
34 that it will be given much more weight than what we have
35 said.
36
37 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It is very unfair of you to say that. You
38 must disabuse yourself of that notion. At the end of the
39 hearing of this case, when I go away, I will have had
40 assistance from you, I will have had assistance from
41 Mr. Rampton, I would have thought several points which
42 neither of you have mentioned, and I will come to my own
43 conclusions.
44
45 MR. RAMPTON: That is undoubtedly right.
46
47 MR. JUSTICE BELL: "Several" being a considerable underestimate
48 in any long case. Just pause a moment, please. (Pause)
49
50 MR. RAMPTON: I should add that if your Lordship feels cagey or
51 cautious about McDisease and McDeadly in relation to food
52 poisoning -- I confess I do not, but if your Lordship does
53 -- I do not really mind, because the force (as we would
54 respectfully suggest) of the submission on meaning, so far
55 as food poisoning, is really in paragraphs 2(1) and 2(2) --
56 in context, of course.
57
58 Really, the question is: if it is not meant to strike fear
59 into people's hearts and make them stay away from
60 McDonald's, what on earth is it doing in this leaflet?
