The lesson of Christmas should be that charity is no substitute for justice, especially when it comes to foodbank welfare

Christmas is a time when charity is very much at the forefront but is it a distraction from justice?
Take foodbanks. Go to any supermarket and you will find a basket full of goods, bought and donated by the public for foodbanks. Meanwhile, the supermarket pays the staff such low wages that they themselves often have to go to the foodbanks. The supermarket also has another basket round the back that is filled up with food to throw away.
Yes, it is good to give but at the same time should we not ask why in the fifth richest country in the world more than a million people have to go to foodbanks?  Also, I pay my taxes to provide a fair welfare system that supports people when they fall on hard times, not subsidise bad employers, who don't want to pay living wages. Nor do I support the culture of the present welfare system which seeks to punish people for their misfortunes and helps push them toward foodbanks.

* published Evening Standard - 14/12/2017/ Ilford Recorder - 21/12/2017