Day 283 - 21 Oct 96 - Page 19


     
     1        it will not trouble me.
     2
     3   MR. MORRIS:  After five years on trial, sometimes it gets hard
     4        to be as diplomatic all the time as you might hope to be.
     5
     6        Can I just say that I did forget that there are comments
     7        generally that were made in the original pleadings and
     8        I think they are incorporated into the abstract.  It is
     9        only one page, so if I can just read those out just so they
    10        are, if you like, on the record.
    11
    12        And in terms of the meanings, these were the comments
    13        generally that we made in 1990, I think it was or early
    14        1991.
    15
    16        A:  That more one finds out about the first and second
    17        plaintiffs, the less attractive they become.
    18
    19        B:  That images of third world poverty often used by
    20        charities divert attention from one cause, namely
    21        exploitation by multi-nationals, such as the first and
    22        second plaintiffs.
    23
    24        C:  That the first and second plaintiffs searched endlessly
    25        for more and more profit.  Further, that by eating their
    26        food, one helps them wreck the planet.
    27
    28        D:  Most people regard processed burgers and synthetic
    29        chips served in paper or plastic containers as "junk
    30        food".  Further, that as a sign of the junk quality of Big
    31        Macs that people actually hold competitions to see who can
    32        eat one in the shortest time.  Further, that the craving
    33        experienced by some people for the food of McDonald's could
    34        lead to constipation, clogged arteries and heart attacks.
    35        Further, that the lettuce leaves of the first and second
    36        plaintiffs are so treated that they might as well be
    37        plastic.
    38
    39        E:  And this is a very important general comment - what is
    40        wrong with McDonald's is also wrong with the other fast
    41        food chains, such as Wimpey, Kentucky Fried Chicken and
    42        Wendy, et cetera.
    43
    44        If I just move on now back to Appendix 1 again.
    45
    46   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Yes.
    47
    48   MR. MORRIS:   We are going to come back to meanings when we go
    49        through each section in full detail or the fullest detail
    50        as we can manage, but for the moment that gives the 
    51        background.  And also when we go through the sections later 
    52        on in our closing speech we will obviously try to identify 
    53        what is fact, what is comment, what is defamatory and what
    54        is not, about the meanings that we contend for in the fact
    55        sheet.
    56
    57        We believe we have demonstrated with each of these
    58        following issues that the criticisms made in the fact sheet
    59        are in the public domain, that McDonald's themselves know
    60        or have admitted the basis for those criticisms, and that

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