Day 037 - 14 Oct 94 - Page 69
1 Q. --- irritating for you as a witness that you are not
2 allowed to ask counsel questions, you are not, and nor
3 would anyone be allowed to ask Mr. Morris or Ms. Steel
4 questions. Answer the question. If I think it is unfair
5 I will interrupt myself.
6 A. I suddenly seem to find myself on trial here.
7
8 Q. Do not be inhibited from adding to your answer, but answer
9 the question first of all.
10 A. I thought I was here to assist the court and I seem to
11 be on trial here.
12
13 Q. Our system is that in the first instance that is done by
14 asking the questions put to you. Anyway, you did not have
15 in mind any particular corporation?
16 A. No.
17
18 MR. RAMPTON: Did you have in mind, Mr. Cox, an allegation to
19 the effect that Mr. McDonald's chop down rainforests in
20 order to grow beef for their hamburger?
21 A. No, I did not have that allegation in mind
22 specifically as far as McDonald's are concerned.
23
24 Q. That was not quite the answer to my question.
25 A. I thought it was.
26
27 Q. Do you have in mind an allegation that McDonald's chopped
28 down rainforest in order to grow beef?
29 A. Well, all I can do is repeat my answer. No, I did not
30 have that allegation in mind.
31
32 Q. Turn back, please, a page to the beginning, two pages
33 I beg your pardon.
34 A. Yes.
35
36 Q. Part one in the beginning. Is that in your stack of
37 papers?
38 A. If you do not mind I will use my own book here.
39
40 Q. Perfectly happy about that. "In the beginning", this is
41 where you start, I am not going to read very much of
42 this. I am going to start, if I may, in the second
43 column, the right-hand column with the first unindented
44 paragraph "Inevitably".
45
46 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Which page?
47
48 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, page 1: "Inevitably, with the huge
49 upsurge of interest in vegetarian living, various other
50 terms have been used, sometimes inaccurately. For
51 example, it is incorrect to call someone who refrains from
52 red meat, but who still eats chicken and fish, a
53 vegetarian. Other terms such as 'semi-vegetarian' or
54 'demi-vegetarian' are occasionally encountered, although
55 they have very little practical meaning. The essence of
56 vegetarianism is the absolute refusal to eat another
57 creature; and that is not something which is amenable
58 to compromise".
59
60 Mr. Cox, is that the point of view which you personally
