The National:

HERE’S a question. What caused the UK’s current energy crisis?

If you ask most journalists, you’ll hear that wholesale gas costs spiked, demand grew post-lockdown, Russia reportedly held back supplies from Europe, a lack of UK Government intervention meant cost increases weren’t eased and the privatised energy industry means the state has less control over where profits go than, say, France – where the nationalised energy company EDF is forced to take a financial hit in order to limit bill increases for consumers to just 4%.

The National:

Meanwhile, the situation in Ukraine is making things more difficult and a lack of preparation for the transition to net-zero (eg not enough renewable infrastructure or homes being retrofitted to improve insulation) means the UK is still far too reliant on fossil fuels.

It’s far from a simple explanation – and there are undoubtedly other factors at play – but that *generally* sums it up.

However, if you ask Daily Mail journalist and former The Independent founding editor Stephen Glover what caused the energy crisis, you may see a rather different answer.

What did Stephen Glover say?

Glover believes the UK has put too much energy into appeasing a mysterious “Green lobby” and “Green ideology”, shutting down coal power stations and failing to develop nuclear power generators.

Now we’re not sure who’s in this “Green lobby” which is being blamed so extensively of late, but we feel quite confident that the problem with energy is not environmentalists having *too much power* over the UK Government … Just to remind you dear reader, there is one Green MP at Westminster. One.

At the same time, Glover expresses horror that fracking is currently banned in England – something which happened after it er, caused earthquakes. (Funny how the same folks who say people don’t want to live next to “eyesore” windfarms seem quite relaxed making them reside over potential earthquake hotspots).

... and what about devolution?

And who’s to blame for the fracking ban? Well even though the UK Government took its own decision on the matter in 2019, Scotland and Wales are the big baddies in the room apparently.

“We can now see that it was premature to ban fracking in England in 2019,” the journalist states. “As a result of an idiotic devolution settlement, the Scottish and Welsh administrations had previously vetoed fracking. We were wrong to follow suit without properly weighing the arguments.”

Ah, because the UK Government is so well known to idolise the Labour-led Welsh government and SNP-led Scottish Government.

Plus if it’s a common view on the right-of-centre that devolution is “idiotic”, just give us our independence already. It’s pretty simple …

The anti-net-zero brigade

What’s more, Glover’s arguments are very similar to ones made by Julia Hartley-Brewer on Thursday night’s Question Time.

He claims: “The mistakes of the British State can be easily summarised. Energy security has been sacrificed on the altar of Green ideology. Of course we should decarbonise, though remember that this country is responsible for only one per cent of all global emissions.”

This 1% claim was perfectly dismantled by a sustainability expert in the audience of Question Time last week – who pointed out that climate change is a global problem.

READ MORE: Jacob Rees-Mogg eyes 'every last drop' of North Sea oil and pushes fracking during LBC interview

“It’s not about individual targets,” she told the commentator. “It’s about everyone working together to reduce atmospheric carbon to reduce the rise in temperatures, so we don’t see an escalation in eco-system collapse around the world, increases in volatility of weather patterns, flooding, forest fires, refugee crises, people moving. Climate change is a huge disaster.”

So well put. Please, audience lady, make yourself known – we need you around to debunk all this energy nonsense!

Expect to see lots more blame piled onto the Scottish and Welsh governments for the energy situation, as the anti-net-zero crowd step up their efforts …