Day 147 - 04 Jul 95 - Page 27


     
     1        What I am pointing out to you for you, hopefully, to
     2        consider is this:  in effect, you are being told by
     3        Mr. Rampton that McDonald's will pay for you to have a
     4        transcript, so you can use it for your cross-examination,
     5        and when you come to final submissions you have a word
     6        perfect account of the evidence, but they are only prepared
     7        to pay for you to have a copy if you say that you will not
     8        show it to someone else.  All I am inviting is your
     9        response to that, to give you an opportunity to address me
    10        on that, if you wish.
    11
    12   MS. STEEL:  To be honest, I do not understand this.  If we are
    13        asked (as we are) by friends, family, journalists, whoever,
    14        about what has been going on in this case, we are entitled
    15        to say what has been going on in this case.  Would the
    16        Plaintiffs rather we do it from memory, or would they
    17        rather we do it accurately from checking things up first?
    18
    19        We are not distributing copies of the transcripts to
    20        anybody.  We will end up being afraid to even talk about
    21        the case to anybody, if this carries on.  Is that what the
    22        Plaintiffs really want?
    23
    24   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  There must be a limit to the extent to which
    25        you can address the Plaintiffs through me.  All I am saying
    26        is, if you want to address me on what Mr. Rampton has just
    27        said, do not neglect to do so just because you have
    28        forgotten to do so.
    29
    30   MR. RAMPTON:  I would like to finish this topic.  I would like
    31        to respond to the suggestion -----
    32
    33   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What I am going to do now is adjourn until
    34        five past two.  I will then you give an opportunity to say
    35        anything more you wish to say on this topic.  Then I will
    36        hear what Mr. Rampton wants to say in reply to you.
    37
    38        All I am trying to point out to you is that it is not an
    39        absolute "no" which McDonald's are putting to you.  They
    40        are saying that you can have them; you will, therefore,
    41        have them for cross-examination and for final speeches, but
    42        only if you say you will not hand them to anyone else.  It
    43        is up to you to decide about that.  This is about the third
    44        or fourth time I have put it.  If you want to say anything
    45        about that, tell me at five past two.
    46
    47   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, not showing the transcript to others
    48        would include of course, which is exactly the same -- which
    49        it is now apparent at last that the Defendants admit they
    50        have been doing -- which is reading out verbatim selected 
    51        passages to journalists, McLibel Support campaign; the 
    52        undertaking extends to that, too. 
    53
    54   MR. MORRIS:  I would rather die than allow McDonald's to censor
    55        information that is coming out in this trial that is in the
    56        public arena.
    57
    58   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  We will resume at five past two, and I will
    59        hear any further you want to say.
    60

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