U.S. Fury at BP Stirs Backlash Among British

U.S. Fury at BP Stirs Backlash Among British

www.nytimes.com

LONDON — Spewing oil and alienating Americans with its chief executive’s impolitic remarks, BP may be Public Enemy No. 1 in the United States. But in Britain, where the company is a mainstay of the stock market and a favorite of pension funds, investors and politicians are becoming increasingly angry at the blistering attacks from across the Atlantic.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I was wondering when this would happen. I guess outrage, either against BP or against the U.S.'s outrage against BP, is dependent on the how it affects the bottom line.

The U.S. government is outraged at BP because their screw up is going to cost billions and is causing them to lose face. The British are now outraged at the U.S.'s outrage because that's going to cost them billions because of lost market share.

It's all misplaced outrage... the outrage should be because of the devastation caused in terms of loss of life, environmental and individual livelihood loss - not this crap.

“When you consider the huge exposure of British pension funds to BP, it starts to become a matter of national concern if a great British company is being continually beaten up on the airwaves,” Mr. Johnson told BBC radio’s Today program.

BP is the third largest oil company in the world, after ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell, with 80,000 employees worldwide as of last December, sales of $239 billion in 2009 and a market value — even after the recent losses — of more than $100 billion. At a time when Britain is desperate to reduce its deficit, BP is a huge contributor to British tax revenue, paying nearly $1.4 billion in taxes on its profits last year.

www.nytimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

The thing is...

1. They are upset because BP is not just a British company it is multinational
2. They are upset because BP is a bastion of British pensions...


Sounds to me like the Someone put all their eggs in one basket if they can't deal with American outrage at a multinational company that supposedly has nothing to do wit Britain...


So which is it guy? Does BP form a foundation for the british economy or doesn't it? You can't have it both ways.... Either it's British, or it's not... Anod if its not then what do you care if they are attacked in the press? Oh I know why... Because you are losing money...


Well tell it to a gulf coast resident... Until then STFU!!!!

[edit on 11-6-2010 by HunkaHunka]

Americans have every right to try and destroy this garbage company, if america really is isolated from uk.

You dont really want to worry about Boris - he's a bit of a harmless buffoon in British Politics, his main contribution as mayor of London has been to remove bendy busses off the streets .

Sad to say that I voted for him. I think the majority of Brits (of which Im one) think that this accident is a terrible thing and that BP will pay dear. but please don't forget that 35% + of BP is also owned by America - and its a major employer over there too.



[edit on 11-6-2010 by Silk]

I must also add that I have a business cad on my desk that lists one of the US operating arms of BP in the US as "BP Amoco Corporation"

Unless my mind is failing Amoco is an American corporation that was bought by BP.

reply to post by HunkaHunka


Do email your excellent response and address it SPECIFICALLY to the NWO Corporation masters' lackeys - the Brit MSM. They are the ones who are trying to distract the common people and rouse up nationalism in order to protect ONLY their paying masters, and to hell with the common americans and brits if hatred grows for each other.

The True Brit is not an inhuman being, uncaring of the fate of fellow humans suffering in the Gulf, for he/she came from a civilisational influence that goes far back to the dark age of declining Rome, and had even challenge the might of the Vatican. The common Brit is just as capable of nobility as any other human, for we are one same race.

Despite whatever their masters had done - rob and pillage throughout centuries, it had been the common Brit that had challenge his masters, the way an enlightened Willam Pitt Jr did as well as other Brit freeman commoner had done, and the rest was truly history for mankind.

It's only those who are truly desperate now to save their skins that seeks to divide us all, and it clearly shows to those who are prepared to open their eyes.



[edit on 11-6-2010 by SeekerofTruth101]

Are the British really that petulant and childish?

I haven't heard anyone over here saying anything bad about the British because of this scandal, we are focusing our anger on a multi-national company that just happens to be British in origin.

It really doesn't take much for the Brits to get angry at us does it, what a reactionary bunch.

reply to post by Retseh


LOL generalise much? I'm british and this is the first I've heard of such anger or backlash. lol

[edit on 11-6-2010 by _Phoenix_]

BP screwed up and the resulting damage was harmful to the environment and also to BP's share price. This has nothing to do with Americans or British liking or disliking each other.

An oil industry insider in another thread speculated the accountants trying to tun operations instead of the operations people running operations may have played a factor in this and that may be true.

So it should be a valuable lesson to accountants everywhere (VP of finance actually) that it doesn't pay to be penny wise and pound foolish, that is try to save a few pounds on some shortcuts and then spend a billion pounds on disaster recovery and lawsuits.

At times I grow weary of stating what I think. Not because no one gives my opinions any merit, nor because even I know that it is speculative and thus defensible only as an opinion.

I grow weary because it seems that the assertion bears repeating again and again, and some folks seem content to disregard it as an impossibility, while still insisting that their favorite celebrities 'change things'.

Here goes:

In the final analysis, there is no BP, there is no Amoco, there is only the Energy Cartel. The cartel is but a segment of the monetary monopoly. The same monopoly that has created a world-wide network of governmental functionaries and celebrities which we continue to accept as somehow empowered to effect change.

This simply will not happen. If the community overseas thinks that we somehow blame them, it is because their media is telling them so, and our media is obliging by feeding that myth.

At the end of it all we remain, subjugated and victimized by the global model which accounts for fiat currencies, combines of transnational corporations, and those they have appointed or allowed to govern.

Originally posted by Retseh

It really doesn't take much for the Brits to get angry at us does it, what a reactionary bunch.

Lol we used to call you that!

To be honest the vast majority of Brits will only have one thing on their collective mind over the next 4 weeks - and that's the World Cup.

This is just the MSM looking for an angle - cos they know that aside from the football no one will be watching them!

Originally posted by HunkaHunka
The thing is...

1. They are upset because BP is not just a British company it is multinational
2. They are upset because BP is a bastion of British pensions...


Sounds to me like the Brits put all their eggs in one basket if they can't deal with American outrage at a multinational company that supposedly has nothing to do wit Britain...


So which is is guy? Does BP form a foundation for the british economy or doesn't it? You can't have it both ways.... Either it's British, or it's not... Anod if its not then what do you care if they are attacked in the press? Oh I know why... Because you are losing money...


Wel tell it to a gulf coast resident... Until then STFU!!!!

+1, I am a gulf coast resident and also work at a financial firm. If they did not want the risk of stock then dont buy stock buy a MMKT. I hope BP goes bankrupt and all that supported them via there investments lose there shares of BP for $1 per lot on the worthless exchange.

Originally posted by _Phoenix_

LOL generalise much? I'm british and this is the first I've heard of such anger or backlash. lol

LOL, read much?

www.dailystar.co.uk...

www.metro.co.uk...

www.independent.ie...

www.politics.co.uk...$21379599.htm

www.express.co.uk...

To all of our friends in the UK. Please don't fall for this BS. Yes Americans are angry with the multi-national corporation BP but we have no problems with the British people or government.

The reason BP stock is falling is not because of bashing from America but because of their own mishandling of the situation. Perhaps the pension funds should think about selling their shares of BP and getting into other more profitable stocks if it is effecting pensioners finances.

Well it's sure not upsetting your average brit.

We have just about the highest pump prices in the world and don't get to see the profits from the oil even when we had our own.

The only thing british about Bp is in the name and it's all double talk,

There's very little British about BP.

It's a massive corporation. Corporations mainly act outside of boundaries.

The only time you should have any resentment with us, is when we kick your arses in the world cup tomorrow

Most Brits, most Americans would get on just fine with each other i think.

reply to post by Maxmars


Amen.

The average citizen needs to stop pretending that these big corporations, or even their governments, are synonymous with the people themselves.

The corporations and the governments they own do NOT;

1) Care about your individual success, unless they can profit from it.

2) Have any real loyalty to the nation you hold dear. They use YOUR love for your country to drive a wedge between you and other poor suckers in other nations when it suits (profits) them.

Wake up people. Its all a game of divide and conquer. And you mean nothing to those dividing unless you can work for them, fight for them, pay taxes to them, or buy their products. Its about them, not us. Any time you see someone trying to tell you that YOUR interests are to protect THEIR interests, run. You are being conned. Your interests are never their interests. They just need to make their interests your interests, so you will do their dirty work for them.

Stop being suckers.

reply to post by Retseh

Are the British really that petulant and childish? I haven't heard anyone over here saying anything bad about the British because of this scandal, we are focusing our anger on a multi-national company that just happens to be British in origin. It really doesn't take much for the Brits to get angry at us does it, what a reactionary bunch.

what the fudge you on?

yes there is now massive American bashing going on the the UK(more than usual), for branding the British as incompetent as BP,simply because we have have the word "British" in British Petroleum cmon.

this imaginary conflict is a result of the media, the news outlets. they are hyping this for some reason. maybe there are other oil companies interested in taking over what they where doing in US, and they are trying to create as much friction between BP and America as possible


[edit on 11-6-2010 by MR BOB]

reply to post by MR BOB


It appears to be working.

Nice bunny btw.