15 September 2004

RAM Is 1000% Wrong And Is Misleading Voters.

Some people are confused about the existence of two 'rates rebels' groups in the ARC election - ourselves, the original RatesRebellion campaign, and RAM Residents Action Movement led by Grant Morgan of the Socialist Worker.

We are concerned that RAM is now disseminating totally false claims about bus fares and what it calls 'international cross-subsidisation' - a familiar activist catch cry.

In a so-called 'Public Information Bulletin' published on its website and distributed to the media, the Residents Action Movement claims that a Stagecoach company in the UK charges only one pound [NZ$2.75] to travel from London to Glasgow.

And on that basis, claims RAM, Auckland bus fares must be subsidising cheap fares in the UK.

It seemed to us that this claim must be untrue and that it was being used as some sort of shock tactic in the election campaign and to gain credibility for RAM's cause.

We were right. The claim is totally untrue. In fact it is 1000% wrong.

We have been in touch with Stagecoach in the UK who state quite definitely that there is no such one pound fare and that the cheapest fare on that service is TEN pounds.

Stagecoach also states that each of its overseas companies operate within local commercial environments and cannot be justifiably compared.

In our view RAM is deliberately misleading people with this type of claim.

We state once again, we are the original co-ordinators of the ratepayers rebellion campaign and our team for the election is standing across the region under the ticket 'RatesRebellion-Fresh Start'.

ENDS

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