Obama is anti-british

[Merlin5]

Yes, but BP changed the well design meaning there was an increased risk of failure of the cement plug and then subsequently didn't carryout any testing on the integrity of it.

BP are at fault for that one, no doubt about it.

I just saw your post after posting mine. I guess that answers my question then. That BP made a massive mistake.

 

[CaptainComedy]

you know - I respected DVDBunny because he wasn't one of those sly idiots that try to sound clever. he was an idiot through and through. I prefer that to some of the idiots here trying to make up stories about how obama is anti british. too right about there not being a big enough facepalm. How about you start making your own opinion on the matter rather than being news fan boys.

 

[Kemik]

BP may employ 23000 Americans, but they have just taken hundreds of thousands of jobs out on the coastline. And yet you will call criticism of this anti-British. Don't be so naive.

Source? They've been paying out massive amounts of compensation. Even people who own a boat but don't even use it are claiming around $1000 a day compensation. The reporter who's article I recently read said the fishermen were all finding it difficult to make $1000 a month before the oil spill, now that the spill has happened they're all claiming that amount or more a day for compensation.

I'm not in either camp on the anti-british Obama btw.

 

[Naffa]

OP clearly learned his craft from the Glenn Beck school of Journalism

With some remedial lessons from Professor Bill O'Reilly?

 

[Biohazard]

Yes, but BP changed the well design meaning there was an increased risk of failure of the cement plug and then subsequently didn't carryout any testing on the integrity of it.

BP are at fault for that one, no doubt about it.

I would also cite lack of regulation on the US govn. side which would only compound matters, which they have admitted in their own right.

It just a hypocritical standpoint from the US. Also taking into considering 'US' platform/drilling dissasters and their own gigantian demand for oil.

 

[scorza]

Yes, but BP changed the well design meaning there was an increased risk of failure of the cement plug and then subsequently didn't carryout any testing on the integrity of it.

BP are at fault for that one, no doubt about it.

Shouldn't we wait for a proper inquiry before deciding what happened and apportioning blame? That's my main beef with Obama's attitude, the way he's just decided that BP are to blame without a proper examination of the evidence.

Also, the customer-supplier relationship does not mean that the supplier should do what the customers tells them to do if it's unsafe. Halliburton are engineers ffs - they have a professional responsibility to tell BP to sod off if they want them to do something that's too risky.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

If an american oil company had raped the backside out of our coastline you can be sure our PM would be using the same tactics to mirror the outrage that the british public would have towards america/american company.

Why have you used the word 'if'?

The same tactics as Obama.... I hope not, that would be mighty embarrassing.

BP shareholders are 40% British and 39% US, along with the other US entities in this ACCIDENT its hardly reason to mention British at every opportunity and effect 1/7 of the FTSE100 dividend payouts.

Apparently the agricultural chemical waste in regions of the Gulf had already pretty much screwed the shrimp farming up with large dead zones so if anything the shrimp fishermen are better off skimming oil for a few weeks than working for a full year.

Does anyone know much about the history of Obamas' Kenyan born father being badly treated by Britain at some point, Ive seen it mentioned a lot but not with any details.

 

[Jokester]

Shouldn't we wait for a proper inquiry before deciding what happened and apportioning blame? That's my main beef with Obama's attitude, the way he's just decided that BP are to blame without a proper examination of the evidence.

Also, the customer-supplier relationship does not mean that the supplier should do what the customers tells them to do if it's unsafe. Halliburton are engineers ffs - they have a professional responsibility to tell BP to sod off if they want them to do something that's too risky.

You mean like the inquiry carried out by the MMS in May?

Knowing the risks involved, Halliburton probably did advise them of the risks, but it's a moot point because regardless of whether they did, Halliburton don't have the capability to verify the integrity of the cement linings, it's left to another BP sub contractor called Schlumberger to carryout ultrasonic testing which is considered a gold standard on whether the cement work is acceptable or not and this was not carried out. Whether this was not done because BP were rushing the job through to completion regardless (BP big wigs were on the rig at the time of the explosion to celebrate the completion of the well safely!), or as some rumours have, Schlumberger refused to carryout the work until BP had the well under control and were pulled off the rig for safety reasons 12hours before the rig blew up.

Oddly enough Schlumberger personnel didn't testify at the inquiry, though their company did confirm that their men left the platform that day without completing their testing scope.

 

[gettothechopper]

L-O-L

you people do make up some crap

he is getting hammered by americans (who may or may not understand what happend)
he has to "look tough" to them, yeah from our point of view its a fair amount of hot air but you cant blame the guy, we would be the same if it was the other way around

also it may not have been bp's fault directly but they were RESPONSIBLE for that oil well

Its pretty funny that some of you actually think that he is mentioning BP just to lower their share price !

 

[Superficial]

he is getting hammered by americans (who may or may not understand what happend)
he has to "look tough" to them, yeah from our point of view its a fair amount of hot air but you cant blame the guy, we would be the same if it was the other way around

I've heard this POv before and to an extent I would be inclined to agree except, well, it did happen to us, with Piper alpha, and MT didnt indulge in this kind of behaviour...

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/uk-press-iea-dredge-up-memory-of-piper-alpha-2010-06-10 - An admittedly quick link

its not directly apples for apples i agree but lets face it - the loss of human life ws much worse.

 

[Beansprout]

Who cars what Obama says (esp as it wasn't just BP, it was Transocean and good old Halliburton too), we've found hundreds of millions of barrels of oil in the Falklands right at the start of drilling...bring on the next few years!!

Edit: As for Schlumburger, ex's dad is just below VP level so could quiz him (if I didn't fall out massively with ex...)

 

[Greenlizard0]

I think this has been taken well out of proportion, but then it's not even like the Beeb to write something that stirs. It's slightly too early to really know what is going on, if ever we do with a drill and the sums of money involved.

Don't forget too, it suited the Americans for our relationship to be palatable in the Bush era for obvious reasons. They don't really need us at this time and we shouldn't get a complex because well, if we've recently acted as a puppy then we're going to be treated like one. We're no longer as big as world player than in the past I'm not sure why some don't understand that. Also, neither how anybody could feel betrayed; America will always do what America deems best for itself.

Obama being scorned for this is laughable, especially since the atmosphere over his election keeps being brought up. Also, for example when Obama did NOT declare nothing but support for us over the Falklands/'Malvinas' Islands recently, any US president would have done the same. It doesn't matter who's at the top.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

Who cars what Obama says (esp as it wasn't just BP, it was Transocean and good old Halliburton too), we've found hundreds of millions of barrels of oil in the Falklands right at the start of drilling...bring on the next few years!!

Anyone with a BP share, UK child trust fund or pension?

 

[GreatAuk]

I don't think Obama is 'anti British', I think he's just trying to 'pass the buck'. People in America seem to be angry at Obama, and he's just trying to pin the blame on someone else - BP just happens to be responsible, and the fact they are seen as a foreign company just makes them easier to blame. It's very unfortunate for BP who stuck by all the regulations, and have done all they can to stop the leak, (and also for all the BP shareholders), but it's not like anyone expects Americans to be decent or fair, so it's all fairly predictable I suppose. I think proposals that BP should compensate other oil companies however are ridiculous - BP has done everything they can, and it wasn't directly their fault that the other companies had to stop.

I just see it as Americans getting rage and blaming Obama + BP (partly because they see BP as evil foreigners), and Obama trying to pass all the blame on to BP so rednecks won't shoot him. poor BP .

 

[Hades]

So you refuse to accept the fact that it is indeed called British Petroleum but shorthanded to BP since the merger with Amoco Corporation? What about the fact that it's still a wholly British company based in London? You're just backpedalling because you've finally realized how ridiculous all this 'Obama hates Britain' diatribe is.

It's not a wholly British Company at all. Very far from it. 40% of shares are held in the UK. 39% are held in the US.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jun/10/us-bloodlust-bp-oil-spill

 

[digipeep]

From what I've read on this it's Haliburton that have made the **** up and they are as American a company as you can get.

Hopefully there will be an official independent inquiry and all the gory details will come out.

Also, Obama probably knows already he has next to no change of getting a 2nd term in office.

 

[Amp34]

Slumberger are involved as well?

Think I better start sending out more CV's... Seems half the companies I've applied for jobs with could be in for some rough times...

 

[Nitefly]

also it may not have been bp's fault directly but they were RESPONSIBLE for that oil well

Its pretty funny that some of you actually think that he is mentioning BP just to lower their share price !

I think the problem is that he is referring to 'British Petroleum', a company that doesn't exist. By doing so, it's effectively turning the pointing fingers away from the US.

 

[neoboy]

Barrack Obama really has went down to the bottom in my books after this (not that he ever was up anywhere frankly). Not so much for the "Anti-British rhetoric" (although there are plenty of arguments for this) but who the blatant double standards displayed in this case and some damn right "rash" comments. I mean you going to kick what "ass" and how? What is exactly that BP doing wrong? What would you do differently? What is it that BP aren't doing now that they can?

For once BP is about as British as any other multinational corporation out there and that's not much. Such institutions looks beyond national boundaries and it's the case here. British do make a large proportion of the workforce both on the ground and top level but there's hardly a monopoly here. Infact as many people have already mentioned the US workers outnumber them. They also have a large chunk of shares invested in the company so I wonder how the elite in the US will react to the no dividend payment that Mr Obama is trying to enforce.

Now let's look at the rig itself that is actually owned by Transocean, a company that has its roots in the USA and recently had a merger with another very American firm, GlobalSantaFe. Do you know what while we're blaming everyone let's throw in Hyundai in there who built the rig and Haliburton for their apparently dodgy cement? Oh you mean you won't because that wouldn't help your agenda of diverting public's attention from their perception that you Mr Obama mishandling this incident? I could throw in an awful lot of incidents where US corporations have been involved but that wouldn't be fair since you weren't the president at the time.

 

[Pestilence]

WAR ON AMERICA!

TO THE FRONT LINES, CHAPS!