Day 065 - 09 Dec 94 - Page 18
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2 MR. JUSTICE BELL: We will go on. Do not worry.
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4 MS. STEEL: That is precisely what I was going to say.
5 Mr. Rampton is always making this kind of complaint.
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7 MR. RAMPTON: I have not finished. Unlike the Defendants, I do
8 not stop at the bit which I think suits me.
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10 MS. STEEL: No. He stops reading and complains before we have
11 even asked the question, let alone letting us finish what
12 we were reading.
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14 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Is there anything which helps us as to --
15 presumably, they were all asked a question and they were
16 all asked whether they had children or not and some made
17 comments. But are there any figures -- you carry on,
18 Mr. Rampton.
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20 MR. RAMPTON: All I can point to (and it is not an answer to
21 your Lordship's question necessarily at all) as a base for
22 this particular table, figure 35, appears to have been 796
23 women. Since they do not give us figures and only give us
24 percentages, one does not know whether they add up to 796.
25 Can I read on, Ms. Dibb? "Respondents had little doubt
26 that advertisements, particularly television commercials,
27 had a strong effect upon their children. Several pointed
28 out that, because of their children's greater interest in
29 advertisements, it was they who informed them" -- that is
30 the parents -- "about new products. Interestingly, only a
31 few seemed to object to this and these objections tended to
32 be expressed fairly mildly". Then there are some anecdotal
33 quotes set out below that.
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35 What I wanted to ask you is this: Suppose it be right that
36 parents observe that children have, what shall I say, a
37 greater susceptibility to advertising than adults do in the
38 sense that they have a greater interest in them, do you not
39 deduce from these two bits of evidence taken together that
40 what actually determines the eventual food purchase is not
41 what the child thinks about the advertisement, but what the
42 parent decides the child shall have?
43 A. I think you made a similar point earlier. The answer
44 that I gave was that there is a lot of evidence that
45 parents feel they make decisions perhaps against their
46 better judgment because of their child's influence.
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48 Now, there are certain things, points on which parents in
49 bringing up their children may feel that they only have a
50 limited amount of time and energy to start getting upset or
51 cross with their children about.
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53 Q. What evidence ---?
54 A. No, sorry, if I can just finish?
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56 Q. Yes, of course.
57 A. What concerns me is children's nutrition and the
58 ultimate effect it may have. Indeed, in some instances,
59 parents do and may acquiesce to their children's demands.
60 That is known. I have quoted evidence whilst giving
