SINCE retirement I’ve greatly enjoyed writing letters to the press.

I try to vary the topics, a little nostalgia, humour where appropriate, but most of all I like to provoke a lively debate.

Although I use a computer, I start with a longhand plan and I enjoy the discipline of trying to keep a letter to the point and concise.

It’s for the reader to appraise the actual content but they must be reasonably well written, as I get quite a few published.

I take time editing the drafts and a decent letter can take me a day or two.

Last week I had one published concerning the minimum pricing of alcohol (HAS, Nov 29).

It had taken me quite some time to write, as I had to research mortality rates from the Office for National Statistics.

The following evening I went on to the Northern Echo website to see the reaction. The first respondent simply commented: “Rubbish”.

Now granted, that’s a succinct response, but it didn’t take much thought or research.

Sadly, however, it’s typical of what passes for intellectual debate on many internet forums.

Furthermore, the relative anonymity seems to encourage an appalling lack of civility that rapidly deteriorates into personal abuse.

VJ Connor, Bishop Auckland.