I just read John Birmingham’s story (“The Coming Storm”, June 2009) and, um, is it a satirical piece? Surely it must be, for according to the author, a notable effect of the current recession is that residents of Balmain and thereabouts are being forced to eat apples instead of raspberries, and some are even – wait for it – having to dip into their savings.

My God, if that’s Balmain, I wonder how people on the North Shore are holding up? Some of them might even be dining in from time to time.

Moreover, most of the author’s research appears to have been done online. This seems like pretty lazy journalism to me. I like to think The Monthly is a bit more real; that the magazine’s writers do their research out in the real world. Funny, though – I think. It is satire, right?

By the way, single parents with no savings also read The Monthly – I can vouch for that.