Since the 1920s, the ESB has been at the core of secure electricity generation across the entire State. It did that to great effect, getting power lines out to the most rural communities. The ESB, as a State-owned body, worked to deliver electricity not as commodity for profit but as a resource for the Irish public. Because it operated in the national interest as oppose to in the interests of lining the pockets of stakeholders and investors, the ESB was able to do all of that while providing affordable electricity and great working conditions for its staff. As a result of Fianna Fáil's and Fine Gael's blind commitment to EU policies that are not always in the national interest, there was a push to open up our energy sector to private ventures. They tried to fool the public into believing that liberalising the market would bring more choice and reduce prices. Instead, in the early 2000s the Irish Government drove up prices for ESB customers by nearly 70%, for one reason only: to force customers to leave the ESB and to make the market more profitable for private energy companies. Just as the private market has failed the Irish public in the supply of affordable housing, so too has it failed in the supply of affordable energy. However, the private market has ensured record prices for investors and stakeholders at the expense of the Irish public. For Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the interests of ordinary people have always come second to the interest of capital and profits for private companies.

Sentiment score: 0.31