Sir, – On December 23rd, 2016, The Irish Times front page photograph (by Nick Bradshaw) was captioned: “Christmas aid: Thousands queue for food parcels in Dublin.” The photograph of people queueing at the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin told a sad and miserable story.
Seven years later, your front page photograph (Alan Betson, December 14th) was captioned: “Christmas food parcels: ‘The queues are getting longer every week. I wouldn’t be able to cope without it.’”
This photograph is not just sad but illustrates the ubiquitous lack of a social conscience in our society, especially at a political level.
As one of the wealthiest countries in the world both photographs should leave us embarrassed, but the most recent one should make us squirm with shame. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL GANNON,
Kilkenny city.
