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 e-a-history-of-british-energy-since-1810/calender.ics
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DTSTAMP:20261113T133920
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SUMMARY:Power and the people: a history of British energy since 1810
LOCATION:London School of Economics: In-person public event (MAR.1.08\, Ma
 rshall Building)
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday 17 November 2026 6.30pm - 8pmSpeakerDr Arthur DowningC
 hairDr Abby InnesJoin us for the book launch of Power and the People\, the
  new book by Arthur Downing.The energy crisis of the early 2020s exposed t
 he true nature of Britain’s energy system: fragile\, fragmented\, comica
 lly complicated\, and hopelessly dependent on imported fossil fuels. How d
 id it come to this? Power and the People uncovers the hidden history of Br
 itish energy from the Victorians to the present.The book tells the story o
 f the private and publicly owned organisations that built the energy syste
 m\, from local municipal electricity companies in the early twentieth cent
 ury\, to state-owned enterprises that built infrastructure at a massive sc
 ale and breakneck speed from 1926 to 1979. The frenzied construction bonan
 za changed the landscape of Britain and fabric of everyday life for citize
 ns.From the 1980s the electricity and gas industries were broken apart and
  sold off. Privatisation worked for a short time but then the model starte
 d to break down. Climate change introduced a new problem. In response\, th
 e privatised model was gradually adapted and over decades became a complex
  and contradictory system that is crumbling. Today\, we're living under a 
 zombie system that lurches from crisis to crisis. But there is hope. Arthu
 r Downing offers an alternative future of what is possible\, based on less
 ons from our own past.Meet our speaker and chairArthur Downing is Strategy
  Director at Octopus Energy\, the UK's largest electricity supplier\, and 
 a Visiting Senior Fellow at LSE. He was also an advisor to the Department 
 for Energy Security and Net Zero.He has spent his career across the energy
  industry — in the private sector\, in regulated network companies and i
 n government. He was previously Director of Strategy and Regulation at Nat
 ional Gas Transmission\, and before that a Principal in the energy practic
 e at Boston Consulting Group\, where he focused on electricity network str
 ategy\, operations and regulation across transmission and distribution. Ea
 rlier\, at National Grid\, he led work on electric vehicle charging.Before
  working in energy\, Arthur was a Prize Fellow of All Souls College\, Oxfo
 rd. He holds a doctorate in Economic History and a first-class degree in H
 istory\, both from the University of Oxford. Power and the People is his f
 irst book.Abby Innes is Associate Professor of Political Economy at the Eu
 ropean Institute\, LSE\, where she teaches the political economy of the gr
 een transition. Abby began as a specialist on the political economy of the
  post-communist transition\, and through her subsequent work on the failur
 es of neoliberal orthodoxy in the UK and on the green transition in Europe
  the complexity of ‘whole system’ transitions in political economic te
 rms remains the common thread. Her current work is on regenerative economi
 cs\, specifically\, on how firms\, finance and public institutions can con
 vert from the dominant neoclassical economic methods and beliefs of the lo
 ng twentieth century to strategies\, methods and values more compatible wi
 th a fragile planet and a thriving society.More about this eventEstablishe
 d in 1991\, the LSE European Institute is a world-leading centre for the s
 tudy of Europe in its global context. With eight master’s degrees and a 
 doctoral programme\, a vibrant research community\, and a world-leading pu
 blic events programme\, our work spans Political Economy\, Politics & Poli
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 luesky\, Twitter\, YouTube\, and Soundcloud.Join our mailing list to recei
 ve news about EI events.Any questions?Contact us at ei.events@lse.ac.uk.Fr
 om time to time there are changes to event details so we strongly recommen
 d that if you plan to attend this event you check back on this listing on 
 the day of the event.Whilst we are hosting this listing\, LSE Events does 
 not take responsibility for the running and administration of this event. 
 While we take responsible measures to ensure that accurate information is 
 given here this event is ultimately the responsibility of the organisation
  presenting the event.LSE holds a wide range of events\, covering many of 
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 vents do not reflect the position or views of the London School of Economi
 cs and Political Science.
URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.lse.ac.uk/european-institute/events/2026-27/powe
 r-and-the-people-a-history-of-british-energy-since-1810
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