“Show ’em the Yellow Card!”

The latest weapon in the Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) armoury – a pocket-sized primer about airport expansion – was launched today (Sunday, 30 January) by MPs, MEPs and council leaders attending the SSE Community Conference at the Stansted Hilton.

Peter Sanders, SSE Chairman, was joined by six local MPs and MEPs attending the conference, together with the Leader of Uttlesford District Council, Cllr Alan Dean.  The MPs present included the Rt Hon Sir Alan Haselhurst (speaker at the event), Mark Prisk and Alan Hurst MP plus MEPs Christopher Beazley, Andrew Duff and Geoffrey van Orden.

SSE’s Yellow Card is a handy compendium highlighting fact over fiction about proposals to expand Stansted Airport. It is designed to counter ignorance and misinformation and to convert sceptics who may think expansion is inevitable.

The Yellow Card demolishes the myth that improved roads mean a second runway is a done deal, and that expansion would be good for jobs. It also explains how cheap flights are worsening Britain’s tourism deficit. Furthermore, it shows why BAA’s business case for expansion is flawed and points up the environmental and air traffic control dangers.

“The Yellow Card drives home the key messages about why airport expansion would be a disaster and why BAA’s proposals are unsustainable,” said SSE Executive Committee member Mike Fairchild who edited the card and oversaw its production.

“This is a massive and complex campaign and it is essential not to lose sight of the killer facts that lie at its heart. The Yellow Card is intentionally short and to the point and all the more deadly because of it.”

Supporters of SSE will be urged to carry copies of the card to reinforce their arguments when talking to others – especially the sceptics – about airport expansion and how the proposals will be defeated.  Copies of the Yellow Card will shortly be sent to SSE’s 6,000 members with the message that if they need some ammunition to back up their arguments, “Show ’em the Yellow Card!”

Tens of thousands copies have also been requested by parish councils across Herts and Essex for distribution over the coming months.

Copies can also be obtained free of charge from the SSE Campaign Office on 01279 870558 or by emailing info@stanstedairportwatch.com.

ENDS