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America's ALWAYS tried to do down Britain

jujuman13

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Obama's BP oil spill ire: America's ALWAYS tried to do down Britain | Mail Online

Quote(Has the worm turned at last? As the oil continues to gush in the Gulf of Mexico, angry rhetoric has gushed from President Barack Obama's lips. His rabid denunciations of BP have damaged the interests not only of that company but of most British people, in a way that must make us wonder whether he leads a friendly country.)

I always read peoples comments on stories such as these, I find that the general public who care to have an opinion are not necessarily in tune with the paid writer of pieces such as these.

My own comments are that before the Company chose to be thought of as BP, it was called British Petroleum, BP is responsible to an enormous degree for this devastating leak and pollution of the Gulf shore.
However I feel about BP and the various statements of it's CEO Tony Hayward I find that I have to some extent feel a trifle disgusted at the rhetoric pouring from Obama's lips.

You see, BP has admitted responsibility and has said it will settle the clean up costs and all legitimate claims, undoubtedly these will run into many Billions of Dollars.

Now what do you suppose might happen if BP goes bust broke, who do think will have to pick up the tab for all the clean up costs?

While your mulling that one over, let me propose what is likely to happen should BP go bust.

In order for the US Government to pick up the tab for the clean up, they will need to slap an extra tax on Gasoline and Diesel, this is what President Obama would like to do in any case as part of his Cap and Trade.

At the moment it is very much in the interest of America that BP remains an ongoing Company.

Anyone have any comments?
 
Below are the comments made by folk after reading the article.

A lot of idiots on this board are falling for the oldest trick in the book.

The only people who are being blamed here are the management of BP, which stands for British Petroleum, not British People.

The rich, arrogant morons who have been running BP are scared, and their friends in government are trying to get the masses to stand up for them.

No one blames the citizens or government of the UK for this, not even a little. BP is a private company and they have cause a economic and environmental catastrophe.

- Eric, Hoboken, USA, 11/6/2010 15:57
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The US is a young country, it's in puberty, it is arrogant, loud, obnoxious and believes it is right all the time. It lives indulgently and excessively as If there is no tomorrow, but sometimes isn't too sure who it is. It will grow up eventually and mature, become adult, responsible and will realise it cannot go on living like it did before.

- Graeme, Dundee, Scotland, 11/6/2010 15:55
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President Obama doesn't care who owns the damn oil company, it could be China, or Japan, or Canada, or US. I thought Americans were the only fools who tried to pull this kind of rubbish. Every time someone is called out for wrongdoing over here they run and hide behind their race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Now I see that that we are not only becoming a nation of cowards, but a planet of cowards. Whatever happened to accountability? What happened to admitting wrongdoing? I guess it's easier to just yell "You're picking on me because I'm (insert race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality here)" I'm embarrassed. Not as an American, but as a human being. No one has any courage anymore. I realize my country has it's head completely up inside it's own backside, but I thought you lot were smarter than that. It's not hard to be smarter than America you know.

- Jason, Albany, New York, Untied States, 11/6/2010 15:50
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This is NOT about the USA versus Britain. This is about a privately held and operated company that has, through their own actions failed to protect the environment in which they operate, the safety of their workers and the investments of their shareholders.

I think it's extremely irresponsible for this author to try and spin this event into a grudge match between the US and UK.

To these pensioners and investors I have one thing to say: BP's executives failed you. Blaming victim who expects redress is idiotic, and I am quite frankly more annoyed and a little dumber for having read this article.

Americans are quite fond of you Brits, that is a fact. So please, don't let these snakes fool you into believing that they are the victims here, you're losing money, not them. I would expect even if fired, all of the people involved will exit BP with a fortune and live out their lives without a care in the world. Think about that.

- Eric, Hoboken, USA, 11/6/2010 15:49
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Quite right,the Americans are the biggest back stabbers we've got.After Suez the French very wisely kicked them into touch while every one of our craven leaders since has been ready to kowtow to them. Pass me the sick bucket.

- norman, blackpool, 11/6/2010 15:43
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Obama is a person of no experience and no class. I cannot call him a man because he obviously never had the guidance of a real man and does not know what it means. He confuses profanity and false bravado with manliness. He has spent his life being a "community organizer" (agitator) who does not know how to do anything but spout rhetoric to stir up the people who like to think of themselves as victims. - well, socialists actually. He is a great embarrassment to most of us.
My apologizes to our friends.

- Em, USA, 11/6/2010 15:33
 
Badmouthing our president wont change the piss poor response BP had to this crisis.

I even saw British newspapers trying to tie this into the World Cup match of all things. I may now actually watch hoping we kick their ass.

Obama has actually been far more cordial than I'd like with BP.

That staged 400 people they bused in to clean while Obama was there was really pathetic.
 
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How does this actually get put into print? I mean seriously? President Obama is not bashing BP because they are a british company, it would be the same reaction if it was Chevron or Exxon etc...

The author apparently also believes that only Brits are invested in BP's stock and stand to lose. What exactly does he envision? The President saying "no worries BP, we forgive you."? That will never happen, and even if we did "forgive them", that does not mean that BP does not have a legal obligation to pay the liabilities stemming from this, as described under US law, which governs in this scenario.

I wonder what his reaction would be if Exxon blew out a rig and leaked millions of barrels of oil all over the English Channel. I would wager it would be outrage.
 
If I am not mistaken BP has most of its assets in two main countries. Russia, in a JV with TKP (I believe that is the name of the company) and the US of A.

BP is one of the major operators in Alaska, and I expect in the gulf. It has a poor safety record in the US, at its refineries, and for its pipelines. This track record has nothing to do with the US government other then the government having relaxed enforcement of regulations for both safety and environmental issues. BP did not have do things on the cheap, and inhindsight, I bet they wish they didnt. But as BP is the primary org responsible for the spill they are going to be the ones to pay for it.

Now, should BP go bankruptl, the US government can sieze its US based assets and then sell them as a means to cover the costs of the spill. I expect BP US based assets would bring in around $20 billion
 
It is not the fact BP has spilled this that is annoying but his constant use of the companies old name.
BP has not belonged to the British state in decades, so why does he bring it up?
It is a multi national company with a large number of shares held by Americans and many assets and employees in the United States, why is he not turning on the other companies also implicated? not to mention the oil was solely for US Market.

All Obama is trying to do is divert attention from his failures.
 
It is not the fact BP has spilled this that is annoying but his constant use of the companies old name.
BP has not belonged to the British state in decades, so why does he bring it up?
It is a multi national company with a large number of shares held by Americans and many assets and employees in the United States, why is he not turning on the other companies also implicated? not to mention the oil was solely for US Market.

All Obama is trying to do is divert attention from his failures.

Has President Obama said "British Petroleum"? I haven't heard him say it (doesn't mean he didn't). If he has, then of course he is wrong because it hasn't been known by that moniker for quite some time... Though I suppose the mistake is understandable. It is still known by its old name in Chinese -- 英國石油公司 (Literally "United Kingdom Petroleum Corporation)
 
-- I wonder what his reaction would be if Exxon blew out a rig and leaked millions of barrels of oil all over the English Channel. I would wager it would be outrage.

Piper Alpha Oil Rig - killed 167 British workers when it blew up. Occidental Oil was a soley US concern.

Bhopal - 3,000+ killed when US owned Union Carbide factory leaked toxic gases into Bhopal.

I think there's been cause for complaint against US companies too. I'd have to read up regarding the costs of clean up and compensation.

While I disagree the Daily Mail headline, I think you're unfair on jujuman13.
 
Not really; throughout most of the 20th century America and Britain have enjoyed excellent relations.

Obama appears to be determined to singlehandedly alienate all of our closest allies, with Israel and Britain topping the list. If it isn't deliberate, then he must be the most inept statesman in living memory...
 
Piper Alpha Oil Rig - killed 167 British workers when it blew up. Occidental Oil was a soley US concern.

Bhopal - 3,000+ killed when US owned Union Carbide factory leaked toxic gases into Bhopal.

I think there's been cause for complaint against US companies too. I'd have to read up regarding the costs of clean up and compensation.

While I disagree the Daily Mail headline, I think you're unfair on jujuman13.

My comments were more directed at the author of the articlee that he linked to.
 
Moderator's Warning:
Moved this to a more appropriate place for an op/ed sourced thread
 
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