Terry Smith’s seemingly cut-and -paste letter of Tory proclamations regarding “we’re all in this together” bears an uncanny resemblance to retrograde evolution (Letters, January 14).

Brian Cox on the BBC’s Wonders of Life illustrated how three bones in our ears are evolved gill arches from our common fish ancestors, Placoderms, the first jawed fishes alive millions of years ago.

He did this merely by using a flick book of drawings revealing how these bony arches moved around to be utilised in various ways, including Placoderms jaws, until eventually shrinking in size ending up connected to our eardrums. Cox showed how progressive evolution enabled increased intelligence through our complex hearing and sight which contributed to our ever increasing desire for information.

What a waste of such splendid products of evolution if the Tories don’t use this evolved intelligence for the betterment of peoples life experience rather than misery through neo-liberalism.

Should the Tories print a similar flick book of their intentions, we would see egalitarian social ideals not evolving but devolving into diminished State responsibility.

Their flick book could be entitled... “Retrograde Social Evolution” and used as an accurate description of the Tory manifesto.

Tom Scaife, Manor Drive, York.