Letter from the editor: How are we doing?

“How are we doing?” we asked, to mark our 200th issue, on Tuesday. You have responded in droves with typical alacrity and a pleasing concision.

Most of you are happy with the paper — which is to be hoped as you buy it every day. But we all know people who buy things just to have a right old moan about them later — be it a season ticket at that theatre of broken dreams, Elland Road; a “ripen at home” avocado that will turn from rock to mush in two days or a copy of the News of the World. RIP.

Tomorrow we’ll discuss what you like (largely to give a few people here a pat on the back), but let’s deal with the criticisms first. Most — luckily for us — still centre on availability. “Luckily” because you want to buy i, and we can try to sort out availability issues if you kindly include addresses.

The racecards and the weather page still polarise. No need to restate the argument against a more comprehensive card in a concise paper, but we are contemplating caving in to pressure from all of you south-west of Bristol who want your own weather icon. But Bristol would be cut. Discuss. The Sudoku is either “too hard” or “too easy”, but space rules out printing the solutions. It’s not a complaint, but many of you have asked for a Sunday i. Never say never, but do you work a seven-day week?

The two most complained-about elements since launch have been Julie Burchill and Cooper Brown. That’s not too surprising, as both are professional contrarians. Burchill fans can still find her on Thursdays in our sister paper The Independent. As for Cooper, who really knows in which direction Mr Brown’s life will lead next?