Thursday 17 June 2010

BP - an exercise in cynicism

And the American way!

I just loved the theatre as five of the United State's oilmen turned up to 'give evidence' to the House energy and commerce sub-committee. It was so much fun seeing all these whiter than white experts stick the knife into BP (which incidentally is not 'British' petroleum anymore - but hey, Obama's the President he's not supposed to know anything!) and paint their respective companies as saints against the sinner. Amazingly we can all forget about the excesses and errors of their companies (didn't Exxon do something wonderful for the ecology only recently?).

I just love the amazing hypocrisy on display and the backside covering of a President who promised much, has delivered little and is using so much spin to look like he and his administration are doing something! I would imagine that everyone is doing as much as they can and that the Administration, apart from trying to lever money out of BP and look like they are effective, has no real part to play.

Whatever next, Obama will be standing up against the twisters and hurricanes and demanding redress from someone! A modern day Canute who is in line for a bit of a drenching I would guess!

Still - there's always comfort in having a scapegoat isn't there?

I thought BP had been absorbed by Amoco (didn't they call it a merger), that decidedly American Company, in 1998.

Wow - does that mean that Obama needs to point fingers closer to home? Probably - but it's better to engage in what is effectively anti-British rhetoric and maintain what has always been in that they exhibit that wonderful, "My country even when wrong, is right!" mantra.

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