28 NOVEMBER 1970, Page 18

Open letter

Dear Spectator and all other diarists who, when they cannot think of anything better, fill out their columns with abuse of other journalists and so forth, Will you please stop it? The practice is clapped out and sloppy.

Peter Jay Economics Editor, The Times, Printing House Square, Ec4

Ps. Actually 1 agree with you about open letters in general, as I said in the first sentence of the one to which you objected. As I ex- plained there was a special reason in that case.