ACT list MP Rodney Hide is a carpet bagger in Epsom and an opportunist whose words make a mockery of his pose as a “perk buster”, the National candidate for Epsom, Richard Worth, said today.

“His absence from the streets of Epsom during the past three years and his failure to support the elected MP for Epsom during that time in advocating local Epsom issues underlines the opportunism of his candidacy for the electorate.

“Mr Hide’s ill-concealed pride in his reputation as a maverick is damaging to ACT. It is sufficiently damaging to his party colleagues that they have placed him in the danger zone of ACT’s list candidates and urged him to stand down as a constituency candidate.

“But so desperate is he for survival as an MP that he has rejected their considered view and pursued a campaign of personal abuse. It is outrageous that he should claim to be the Epsom MP when the actual MP, Chris Fletcher, was elected by a record majority of Epsom voters.

“Epsom’s values are not those of half truths, personal abuse and opportunism in the pursuit of power. Epsom stands for integrity, law and order, social responsibility, family values and private enterprise. We look for constructive reform in education, health and transport at local and national levels.

“Mr Hide seeks to lead a minority party and apparently believes that this will advantage those who live and work in Epsom. He apparently sees profit in a campaign of abuse. I see his foolish comments about me as simply a reflection of his desperate efforts to advance his own personal interests.

“Furthermore his ego outruns reality when it comes to opinion polls. Independent polls commissioned by National show Mr Hide and the Labour candidate combined well below the total committed vote to National and myself as its Epsom candidate.

“I know from my 40 years living in the electorate, walking and shopping in the streets of Epsom and meeting with the diverse range of people who make up our area that they well know bluster and insincere posturing when they see it.”

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