EDITORIAL: Energy crisis is a wake-up call - belts will have to be tightened!

TThe war in Ukraine has had tragic and devastating consequences for many thousands of families in that country - scores of them have moved to our shores in search of asylum since Putin waged war on their land.

But, fallout from the war has swept all across Europe and further afield with the energy sector in particular feeling the brunt of the actions of Russia. The country is literally holding others to ransom and as we face into winter it is very worrying indeed.

Locally, energy companies are announcing hike after hike in prices and people are worried - genuinely worried. How can I afford to heat my home? How can I afford to fuel my car? How can I afford to keep the lights on? How can my business survive? These are real and genuine worries now for people and yet we don’t seem to be hearing any real coherent message from the Government in relation to the continuous hikes.

To be fair, there have been some attempts to help people with rising costs and the government is very concerned about inflation. But, the amount of fear out there right now is palpable - the very considerable return to school costs have just been absorbed in our ‘free education’ existence; college fees and digs are a current reality for parents of third level students; day-to-day living costs are rising all the time; and now more energy hikes are being announced almost by the month. It’s never ending and it is really getting people down.

All of this coming off the back of Covid 19 has led to a really difficult time for people - three years of hell, you could say. Yes, it pales in comparison to the experience of those in the war torn regions, or of those suffering famine and injustice. But still, this is our reality right now; it’s not pleasant; and it’s not going away.

This is a wake-up call - belts will have to be tightened because the way things are progressing we will soon be ‘living way beyond our means’ as Charlie once put it.