The BP oil spill - my thoughts

Lazy days


Joined: 24/07/2008
Posts: 847

Message Posted:
22/06/2010 11:47

The Americans are making a real fuss about the BP oil spill as it is in their waters, *BP to blame, make em suffer, big compensation claims* all very valid points but in my humble opinion very two faced of them, they have very short memories, I wonder if Obama & the screaming hysterical senators and hypocrites remember 'BHOPAL' and Union Carbide and AMERICAN OWNED company, America washed their dirty hands of it.

How much was paid out eventually ?? 3p per life !!

I think they should hang their heads in shame, what do the members here think ?

NanaJan



Joined: 15/10/2009
Posts: 90

Message Posted:
22/06/2010 13:43

I think that Obama does not like the British anyway as was stated in the newspapers this week because his grandparents were treated badly by them in their home country and he has been taught from a child to hate the Brits.



The oil spill is a disaster and BP have to sort it all out but the way they have been speaking to the Chairman is no way to speak to anyone and certainly not the way to get any decent talks going between the parties.



Relations between the US and Britain will be damaged I feel over this lot.



Everyone wants cheap oil and at the end of the day obtaining the oil can and does cause mishaps.

fiendishpaul


Joined: 18/05/2008
Posts: 1720

Message Posted:
22/06/2010 13:54

I think that the US politicians have been drawn into bashing a 'British' company to try and score political points and Obama is reacting in this hardline manner to shore up his administration. In fact BP is a multinational company with 40% being owned by British shareholders and 39% by American shareholders. It also employs over twice as many Americans as Brits.



Yes it is an ecological disater, but BP have promised to clean up and i am sure that they will do so - they really can't afford not to.



Give it 12 - 18 months and this will be all but forgotten, Gulf residents will have got their compensation, BP shares will rise and the staus quo will resume.



Just my opinion of course



Paul

Lazy days


Joined: 24/07/2008
Posts: 847

Message Posted:
23/06/2010 11:57

Hi P aul

I really hope you are right and the area recovers as quickly as possible, but the Americans are always quick to point out others fallibility but very quick to cover up their own.

Nana Jan, yes I also think that relations will sour, isnt it funny though how they are so quick to point to the *Britishness* of the company, no mention of what paul so rightly pointed out or the fact that the faulty valves etc were manufactured by an American company

Marvo


Joined: 30/04/2007
Posts: 194

Message Posted:
23/06/2010 13:35

I might be wrong, but I read some where that a % of the leaking well ( I think it was 25%) was owned by one or two American company's, and they have so far refused to agree to contribute to the compensation plan, leaving it all to BP to pick up.

If the USA did not have such an overwhelming thirst for oil, they would not be drilling on there own back yard. They issued the permits to drill, they should have been aware of the possible dangers and should carry some of the cost for the clean up.

wynyardman



Joined: 15/12/2007
Posts: 4580

Message Posted:
23/06/2010 13:52

There are some dire predictions of what is really happenning at this well see Rense.com.



What amazes me with The Obama shakedown, is as a trading company BP will have to recover lost profits from somewhere.



Where do BP sell most of their oil.? He can get a clue if he goes and looks in the White House garage.



Political rhetoric?



wynyardman

Geejay


Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 475

Message Posted:
23/06/2010 19:57

Sure....BP have said many times that they will pay for clean up but Obama keeps pushing that they should. This is American Politics.

However, it was his administration that issued the licence to drill having made a risk assessment, Since this drilling was at depths previously unknown, their assessment was obviously not good enough. The licensing authority should therefore share the blame in this matter.

proger1



Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 2919

Message Posted:
23/06/2010 20:07

It is interesting to say that Obama doesn't like BP because it is British. In point of fact it is a worldwide shareholder controlled company of which admittedly is 40% british owned however the next largest shareholder company is america with 39%. 1% difference is not a lot to be going on.



Paul

wynyardman



Joined: 15/12/2007
Posts: 4580

Message Posted:
23/06/2010 20:13

Obama is currently staring into his Macrystal ball. I wonder who will be next in the line of fire that America choose to call Political Expediency.



Shameful from a world leader.







wynyardman

littlejohn


Joined: 09/03/2009
Posts: 316

Message Posted:
24/06/2010 01:32

Message1 - they should hang their heads in shame for their treatment of the real americans, their policy on race and treatment of negro people down through the years not to mention their indiscriminate rampage in Vietnam.

They are a bunch of arrogant bastards and if anyone thinks there is any special relationship they must have their heads well and truly up their a**es.

Further more we have not long since paid them back for their"assistance" during the second world war which they only got involved in when it suited them.

Anyway it's only a matter of time before some racist red neck has a pop at him and we will then get another Bush to run the world.

Won't that be nice !!??

Oxoners


Joined: 24/01/2008
Posts: 128

Message Posted:
24/06/2010 06:28

Shame on you all, perhaps if you lived in an area that was beginning to get some of this oil hitting their beaches you would be singing a different tune. People here are loosing their jobs, hotels have lost bookings, people can't fish, soon they are going to close the beaches. This is an dreadful occurance and BP are to blame, this is not about politics its about real people loosing their jobs etc, i hope none of you ever have to experience it. How would you feel if Escape beach and the karpaz were covered in tar balls, then you looked out to sea and saw the sheen on the water and you knew with each tide it was coming a little closer. You would not be happy, well guess what the people here arn't either. Someone has to pay and yes it should be BP. Before you ask, no I'm not American, I'm British and proud to be so but I'm not proud of the way BP are treating people here.

proger1



Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 2919

Message Posted:
24/06/2010 07:12

Oxoners, if you read the posts again, I think you will find this is about the americans laying the blame at the feet of the british not about the attrocious situation that is still ongoing.

Well done for feeling sorry for these people but please don't take you frustrations out on us for a situation we have no control over.



Paul

fiendishpaul


Joined: 18/05/2008
Posts: 1720

Message Posted:
24/06/2010 07:41

Oxoners



Proger1 is spot on.



The posts on this thread don't deny that BP are in the wrong and we all agree that they should be made to pay for their mistake. However, the US politicians are using it to bash the UK when to all intents and purposes, the perpetrators are a multinational company with significant ties to the US.



I feel for the people of the Gulf, I have a friend who lives in Destin and get daily updates from him. I hope that BP honour their promises and clean up the mess that they have made and that the Gulf can get back to some sense of normality in the coming months.



Regards



Paul

twaddle


Joined: 06/07/2008
Posts: 245

Message Posted:
24/06/2010 10:55

I think that the USA should take some responsibility for stopping the oil instead of wringing their hands and blaming BP.

Yes, it is a disaster and it is BP's responsibility to sort it out. However, if Mr Obama thinks that it is so easy to stop the flow, why does he not employ the huge resources of the US military into stopping the flow and then charge BP for the full cost. This would hopefully save some of their coastline from being further polluted.

This is just an opportunity for him to impress US voters with his harsh words for those that damage US interests without the need to do any more than go off play a few rounds of golf whilst BP struggles to stop the flow!

BillyB


Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 436

Message Posted:
24/06/2010 11:53

The American government need to take some of the blame here. Afterall 31 years ago there was a similar oil spill in the gulf of Mexico but in shallower waters. They tried to stop it using the same methods that they have been doing on the recent BP spill, nothing worked then either. It finally stoped after 9 months by drilling a relief well, the same procedure will stop the BP spill but they have to drill alot deeper. So the American government were aware a spill could happen again but at no point in 31 years have they specified that any oil companies must drill double wells to aviod any further spills. The reason why the American government have never specified a relief well must be in place is the extra costs, the Americans wanted cheap oil for there 5 litre gas guzzlers.

Wait until the relief well is drilled and hurricain season finished and take a look at BP's latest results and maybe buy shares but don't expect a dividend for a year or so.