THERE are two things floating around in politics at the moment which are very similar ­— the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework and Brexit.

Both will have long-term effects on the people of Bolton.

This similarity does not end there. In the case of the GMSF the loss to building on green belt land has had both major local parties blaming each other. Sadly, both are to blame.

Readers will remember David Cameron’s manifesto to build on green belt to get the housing market going. Now it is carried over into Teresa May's government.

The same can be said of Labour, which continues to blame the Tories for giving the directive to build on green belt.

Cutacre and Hulton Park are two classic examples of Labour's double dealing.

The former, now known as Logistics North, was supposed to be changed back to green belt. The latter, Hulton Park, could have been thrown out at planning stage, but was voted for acceptance by Labour councillors.

One may argue in Labour's case that Logistics North has created thousands of jobs, and indeed it has, but the fact that it is logistics means that most jobs are low paid and pollution levels have been increased dramatically in an area already hitting higher levels of pollution than is acceptable under EU laws.

The sooner councils become responsible for creating air pollution, the sooner we can prosecute them for creating bad health.

Furthermore, the irresponsible amount of green belt taken and which continues to be taken leaves Britain vulnerable should there ever be a war.

The present population is some 66 million, present cultivated land is capable of producing enough for 17 million, and you can see the problem.

In the case of Hulton Park, several thousand trees will be chopped down. Not only will they stop producing oxygen, they will stop taking in carbon dioxide and immediately they are chopped down will release all the carbon dioxide they have stored.

Its wild life will be decimated. In the bird life alone, 11 species are on the red list, this means that nationally we are in danger of losing them. A further 15 are amber-listed means they are vulnerable.

They breed there because the habitat suits them, knowing all this, they still voted for the area to be built on.

Brexit comes with Mrs May's mother-knows-best policy. She knows full well Britain's majority voted to take back control of its own destiny and not to be shackled to Europe.

Labour's only interest is to take power and offers no solution.

The most worrying aspects of this are with Tories we have dictatorship (my way or not at all) or communist Labour, which wants a people's vote, because none of us knew we were voting for democracy. See the similarity?

Peter German

Highfield Road

Farnworth