THE launch of the new political party Veritas in Bolton should be regarded with extreme caution, not because of its anti-European stance necessarily, but because of the generally xenophobic attitude it strikes in its manifesto.

The policies on immigration and asylum of the "Straight Talking Party" are actually a gathering of misinformation and exaggeration. Full of unattributed "recent reports"' and "official figures", it falls back on the tired and discredited images of the country being swamped by "mass" immigration because of the government's "open door" policy.

Tellingly it misses that new arrivals must "integrate into the British way of life". Which is to be found where exactly? In New Bury? On a sheep farm in Cumbria? In London's Park Lane or along Wilmslow Road in Rusholme?

The idea of a single British identity is a myth. Veritas seems to hanker after some long lost England that has only ever existed as a nostalgic fantasy. But it is a fantasy that is outdated and irrelevant to modern Britain.

The party's literature, like that of UKIP, from which it emerged following Kilroy-Silk's failed leadership bid, uses this phrase repeatedly.

At the same time it seeks to blur distinctions between asylum seekers, immigrants, and existing ethnic minority communities, promoting xenophobia in the hope of rallying support to its anti-European cause.

Bolton has benefited greatly from the many cultures it is home to, and has a proud tradition of celebrating these cultures. Bolton Against Racism calls on voters to continue the tradition of supporting diversity in Bolton and to reject the attempts of any political party to drive a wedge between the different communities in our town.

Helen McHugh - Chair, Bolton Against Racism

Chris Chilton - Vice Chair, Bolton Against Racism

Wood Street

Bolton