BP trashed unfairly by Yanks?

[Humbert]

http://www.xxx.xxx.xx/news/stories/2010/06/11/2924257.htm?section=world

Boris fires back in war of words over BP
By Europe correspondent Emma Alberici

Tension is growing between the US and Britain over the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, with London mayor Boris Johnson calling for an end to what he calls "the trashing of a British icon".
Criticism of British oil giant BP has reached fever pitch in the US since the rig exploded more than 50 days ago.
Senior US politicians have recently begun referring to the company as British Petroleum, a name the business has not used since 1998, and president Barack Obama has said he would sack BP's top executive Tony Hayward.
Now outspoken London mayor Boris Johnson has hit back, saying he wants an end to what he says is "anti-British rhetoric".
British prime minister David Cameron says he will raise the issue with Mr Obama in a telephone call this weekend.
Mr Johnson does not deny BP has made monumental mistakes, but he has called for an end to the trashing of an iconic UK company.
"[It] starts to become a matter of national concern if a great British company is being continually beaten up on the international airwaves," he said.
"OK, [it] presided over a catastrophic accident... but ultimately it was an accident that BP I think is paying a very, very heavy price [for] indeed."
That price is easily measured on the London Stock Exchange.
Before oil began spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, BP was Britain's biggest company. It is now worth just half what it was two months ago.
BP makes up 13 per cent of the blue chip FTSE share market index.
In the House of Commons, Labour MP Tom Watson warned of a crisis that risked engulfing millions of British pensioners.
"When one pound in every six pounds in dividends is paid by this company alone, this is now a serious crisis facing millions of pensioners in the UK," he said.
"We need to say to our US allies, [the] world's insatiable appetites for oil is the cause of this, not British pensioners."
The US Justice Department is considering taking out an injunction to stop BP paying dividends to shareholders until the spill is cleaned up.
In the UK there are mounting concerns that attacks on BP are being dictated by the politics of November's mid-term elections in the US, rather than normal regulatory considerations.
The former British ambassador to the US, Sir Christopher Mayer, says it is time for the British Government to defend a significant British brand.
"I think the British government needs to say to the US administration, 'We feel your pain, we feel your anger, this is entirely understandable, but don't forget that the survival and long-term prosperity of BP is a vital British interest and this must be taken into account'," he said.
Heartfelt condolences
Seven weeks after the disaster, Mr Obama has held his first meeting with the relatives of the 11 victims who were killed in the explosion on the BP oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.
A spokesman says he expressed his heartfelt condolences during the private meeting at the White House.
BP's vice president of strategy Raymond Dempsey has told a Congressional hearing that the company is doing everything it can to respond to the disaster.
"BP is under no illusions about the seriousness of the situation we face," Mr Dempsey said.
"The world is watching us and we know that we'll be judged by our response to this crisis."
BP has today agreed to speed up compensation payments to businesses and individuals in the aftermath of the disaster.
More oil
Meanwhile, new research shows twice the amount of oil than previously thought may have been gushing out of the ruptured well.
US government researchers have been analysing data and pictures from the BP oil well ever since the spill began in April.
They now say up to 40,000 barrels of oil a day may have been leaking from the ruptured well, rather than the previous estimate of up to 25,000 barrels.
The research team has not yet estimated how much oil is still leaking from the well since BP put a containment cap on it last week.
BP says it is capturing about 16,000 barrels of oil a day.

Does anyone really feel that BP is being trashed unfairly? I certainly don't. If it was an American company it would have received the same treatment.

[taxexile]

If it was an American company it would have received the same treatment.

union carbide and bhopal anybody?

[dirtydog]

Don't know what the yanks are complaining about, a few specks of oil on their beaches and a couple of dead birds and that, they can claim the birds to eat themselves under american roadkill laws I believe.

[sabang]

Yes, probably so.

Compare BP's handling of this crisis, so far, to Exxon's response to the Valdez disaster. BP are already paying money to people who's livelihoods have been adversely affected. The media response- "too slow". OK then, but by the time Exxon paid anything many of the Plaintiffs were dead. And it was around one tenth of the original judgement, and (from memory) about 14 years later.

I fear that the witch hunt attitude is driving BP towards the Exxon response, ie defensiveness, stonewalling, delaying, legalising, never ending appeals, obfuscating. This is absolutely counterproductive- but the Directors of BP do have a responsibility towards their shareholders, and this is just what Exxon argued. So be careful what you wish for.

[Humbert]

This is just the normal amount of abuse that comes with a major goat f**k like this. I don't see anything anti-british in the response, only anti BP. If an American company destroyed the Devon coastline there would be no end to the anti-American whining.

[dirtydog]

Yeah but Devon is different, doubt anybody would mind the americans destroying a few hundred miles of coast in say scotland or wales, hell anywhere up north.

[panama hat]

If it was an American company it would have received the same treatment.

union carbide and bhopal anybody?

Exxon Valdez

Haliburton

etc etc etc . . .


The great unwashed masses are easily led . . . Toyota anyone? Compare that to the recent announcement by Chrysler and GM to recall 2 million cars.

I wonder what food item the US will change the name of, like Freedom Fries for French Fries.


I don't know the breakdown of who operated what and was involved where or owned which part of the operations . . . but I am sure it wasn't all BP

[robuzo]

This is just the normal amount of abuse that comes with a major goat f**k like this. I don't see anything anti-british in the response, only anti BP. If an American company destroyed the Devon coastline there would be no end to the anti-American whining.

Voice of reason, as usual.

"In the House of Commons, Labour MP Tom Watson warned of a crisis that risked engulfing millions of British pensioners.
"When one pound in every six pounds in dividends is paid by this company alone, this is now a serious crisis facing millions of pensioners in the UK," he said.
"We need to say to our US allies, [the] world's insatiable appetites for oil is the cause of this, not British pensioners."

Sorry they (whoever invests pensioners' money) put so many eggs in one basket. Another example of pensioners being fucked while the executives of the companies that actually fucked up stay rich.

[robuzo]

I don't know the breakdown of who operated what and was involved where or owned which part of the operations . . . but I am sure it wasn't all BP

Not naming any names, but here's a hint- it ain't Halle Berry:
BP takes Gulf oil spill heat, but what about other companies? - CSMonitor.com

Egregious insertion of Halle Berry photo apropos of nothing. Any complaints?

[Thai Pom]

Any complaints?

None whatsoever

[Fuzzy Bob]

[Humbert]

Anybody who has watched the CNN coverage of this crisis on a daily basis would have to admit that Anderson Cooper has made it into a personal crusade to whip BP mercilessly. He is infuriated because BP refuses to come on his show and answer criticisms. BP has made countless mistakes handling this crisis and they appear to be constantly behind the curve from a public relations standpoint.
If they would start talking straight they could weather this crisis. Unfortunately for them they are now viewed as incompetent, glib and untruthful.

[dotcom]

ditto shephard smith. he hates oil drilling; BP. he is the pixie dust & unicorn worshippers.

[Marmite the Dog]

He is infuriated because BP refuses to come on his show and answer criticisms.

BP quite rightly realise that they wont get a fair hearing, so why bother. They also probably wonder why bother answering to a bunch of dumb-fuck Merkins.

[sabang]

Any complaints?

Her jeans are too loose.


I might take a punt on BP actually.

[panama hat]

Any complaints?

None whatsoever

Nope, nope, nope . . . Lovely chin, too . . .

[robuzo]

He is infuriated because BP refuses to come on his show and answer criticisms.

BP quite rightly realise that they wont get a fair hearing, so why bother. They also probably wonder why bother answering to a bunch of dumb-fuck Merkins.

So you are on the side of "what, there are no plumes, and the sick people ate bad hamburgers" Tony Hayward? Up yours, too, John Bull.

[astasinim]

Arent eight of the fifteen top execs in BP merkin? Also, I think im correct in saying two thirds of its employees are merkin too.

Perhaps we should discuss the Niger delta.

[panama hat]

Perhaps we should discuss the Niger delta.

Bloody Dutchies!

[astasinim]

exactly.

[helge]

"In the House of Commons, Labour MP Tom Watson warned of a crisis that risked engulfing millions of British pensioners. "When one pound in every six pounds in dividends is paid by this company alone, this is now a serious crisis facing millions of pensioners in the UK," he said. "We need to say to our US allies, [the] world's insatiable appetites for oil is the cause of this, not British pensioners."

So another company too big to fail, and who cares ?. The taxpayer will pay this bill one way or another anyway

[Humbert]

He is infuriated because BP refuses to come on his show and answer criticisms.

BP quite rightly realise that they wont get a fair hearing, so why bother. They also probably wonder why bother answering to a bunch of dumb-fuck Merkins.

I doubt they are dumb-fuck enough to have your attitude.

[aging one]

Put old Marmers down there in Louisiana spouting that shit. The way I see it there will be no more BP soon as the stock has fallen by half already and they have no idea what to do. Turns out the oil has been coming out twice as fast as they thought anyway.

Here is Marmers waving his flag.


Here is what he is making light of.

[Marmite the Dog]

Here is what he is making light of.

Why am I making light of it saying that BP won't be allowed a fair-go if they went on CNN and were interviewed by someone who is obviously biased?

CNN is turning into Faux News.

[robuzo]

Arent eight of the fifteen top execs in BP merkin? Also, I think im correct in saying two thirds of its employees are merkin too.

Perhaps we should discuss the Niger delta.

Multi-nationals pretend to national identities only when it is convenient to them, otherwise they do their best to avoid contributing the countries they purport to come from- i.e., by doing their damnedest never to pay taxes. Only a petty nationalist John Bull (yes, that's tongue in cheek, but I do like the image) would see attacks on BP as an attack on Britain, the way a certain kind of clueless American thinks "buying American" from the likes of GM makes him a Yankee-Doodle-Dandy.