Time to look to our own history for inspiration on national energy security

Ireland had the first publicly owned energy system, in the 1920s. We need to return it to democratic public ownership

The energy crisis has prompted calls for state intervention, as was the case when the ESB and Bórd na Mona were formed. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Escalating energy costs, power cuts, and the doubling down on fossil fuels during a summer of unprecedented heat waves: The news is full of troubling stories related to our broken energy system. 

One positive is that a system that many of us take for granted has come under greater scrutiny, opening a space for public debate and political intervention that might otherwise have been impossible.