"Anti-British" Obama Attacked Over BP

[Christmas Tree 4920]

Barack Obama has been labelled anti-British for his attack on BP in an open letter from the head of one of the country's leading companies.

 

In the astonishing letter - seen by Sky News - John Napier, chairman of insurance company RSA, said Mr Obama should act in a "more Statesman like way".

Mr Napier, who is appearing on the Jeff Randall show this evening, then questions the president's ability to take "the heat when under pressure".

 

The letter follows the president's scathing attacks on BP and particularly its chief executive Tony Hayward in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil rig disaster.

 

Earlier this week Mr Obama said he wanted to know "whose ass to kick" over the massive spill and levelled yet more criticism at BP's handling of the leak.

 

Shares in the company have taken a battering since the comments. They have fallen nearly 45% or by £54.5bn since the explosion.

 

Mr Napier's no-holds barred letter to Mr Obama wastes no time in attacking the president over his handling of the case.

 

He writes: "Please forgive this open letter but your comments towards BP and its CEO as reported here are coming across as somewhat prejudicial and personal.

 

"There is no doubt that BP, as a UK PLC, is totally committed to do everything possible to contain the oil leak and meet all its obligations in the USA."

 

He goes on: "There is a sense here that these attacks are being made because BP is British.

 

"If you compare the damage inflicted on the economies of the western world by polluted securities from the irresponsible, unchecked greed and avarice of leading USA international banks, there has not been the same personalised response in or from countries beyond the US.

 

"Perhaps a case of double standards?"

 

He continues: "The immediate issues are very challenging but are best solved working together in a more Statesman like way."

 

He ends the letter: "We can all agree that the first and absolute priority is to stem the leak.

 

"Perhaps the second one is to ensure the reputation of the Presidency outside the USA is seen as objective, balanced, able and capable of taking the heat when under pressure.

 

"We liked the Obama we saw at your election, can we have more of it please."

 

London Mayor Boris Johnson joined the backlash against the US administration, hitting out at "anti-British rhetoric" and "buck-passing".

 

He added that there had been "attempts to damage the reputation of a great British company".

 

Prime Minister David Cameron will discuss the fall-out of the oil spill during a phone call with Mr Obama over the weekend.

 

Well done sir, British Balls indeed.

[The Fish 11080]

I'm confused, it's the fault of a British company, right?

Has Obama said "tsk, typical British?"

 

I may be out of the loop, but I certainly haven't felt like Obama is being "anti-British" at all.

[Renton 22436]

I'm confused, it's the fault of a British company, right?

Has Obama said "tsk, typical British?"

 

I may be out of the loop, but I certainly haven't felt like Obama is being "anti-British" at all.

 

Not really, it's a global company. The fact Obama has started calling it British Petroleum instead of BP (its preferred term for aorund two decades) is significant.

[Christmas Tree 4920]

I'm confused, it's the fault of a British company, right?

Has Obama said "tsk, typical British?"

 

I may be out of the loop, but I certainly haven't felt like Obama is being "anti-British" at all.

 

 

His rhetoric about "Foot on the Throat of British Petroleum" and other veiled threats have helped BP shares lose, I think, 49 Billion in value.

 

Bear in mind most British companies have pension funds tied to BP performance and you will see that this Gung Ho Rheteric is causing a lot of needless problems.

 

So say the experts anyway.

[tooner 243]

Not sure how much NA news you guys watch, but this smells of sensationalism to me.

 

I think the fact BO has started to voice his desire to kicks some one's ass over this is more of a comment on the lack luster response by BP not about the fact hey are a british company. That being said, I think the general unpreparedness of BP (and the rest of the oil industry) for this type of accident especially in the states where regulations are more lax, speaks more to the corruption in the american government when it comes to big oil companies than it does about BP's operational short comings.

[Christmas Tree 4920]

Not sure how much NA news you guys watch, but this smells of sensationalism to me.

 

I think the fact BO has started to voice his desire to kicks some one's ass over this is more of a comment on the lack luster response by BP not about the fact hey are a british company. That being said, I think the general unpreparedness of BP (and the rest of the oil industry) for this type of accident especially in the states where regulations are more lax, speaks more to the corruption in the american government when it comes to big oil companies than it does about BP's operational short comings.

 

 

It smells of Mid Term american senate elections according to our man in washington

[Park Life 71]

He won't kick anyones ass the cowardly fuck.

[tooner 243]

Not sure how much NA news you guys watch, but this smells of sensationalism to me.

 

I think the fact BO has started to voice his desire to kicks some one's ass over this is more of a comment on the lack luster response by BP not about the fact hey are a british company. That being said, I think the general unpreparedness of BP (and the rest of the oil industry) for this type of accident especially in the states where regulations are more lax, speaks more to the corruption in the american government when it comes to big oil companies than it does about BP's operational short comings.

 

 

It smells of Mid Term american senate elections according to our man in washington

 

 

then it wouldn't be BO saying it, it would be a senator.....i think everything BO is saying relates to his re-election and the percieved weakness of the current white house regime in the face of what is potentially the worst environmental disaster of the last 50 years. (not to be sensationalistic...) I think the fear is this will hurt his re-election bid as the Iran hostage crisis hurt the peanut farmer.

[Christmas Tree 4920]

Not sure how much NA news you guys watch, but this smells of sensationalism to me.

 

I think the fact BO has started to voice his desire to kicks some one's ass over this is more of a comment on the lack luster response by BP not about the fact hey are a british company. That being said, I think the general unpreparedness of BP (and the rest of the oil industry) for this type of accident especially in the states where regulations are more lax, speaks more to the corruption in the american government when it comes to big oil companies than it does about BP's operational short comings.

 

 

It smells of Mid Term american senate elections according to our man in washington

 

 

then it wouldn't be BO saying it, it would be a senator.....i think everything BO is saying relates to his re-election and the percieved weakness of the current white house regime in the face of what is potentially the worst environmental disaster of the last 50 years. (not to be sensationalistic...) I think the fear is this will hurt his re-election bid as the Iran hostage crisis hurt the peanut farmer.

 

 

Not that I take agreat deal of notice of American politics but what went wrong with this fella.

 

When he was running against Clinton I remember lots of documentarys on the TV about how he was going to be the new great this and that.

 

I have I missed all his special powers are is he just one big anti climax.

[ChezGiven 0]

It is the fault of the environmentalists who forced the deep exploration so far offshore it became dangerous and Dick Cheney for setting the regulatory agenda.

 

That was the view of a senior oil industry consultant i spoke to last week.

[Cid_MCDP 0]

Not sure how much NA news you guys watch, but this smells of sensationalism to me.

 

I think the fact BO has started to voice his desire to kicks some one's ass over this is more of a comment on the lack luster response by BP not about the fact hey are a british company. That being said, I think the general unpreparedness of BP (and the rest of the oil industry) for this type of accident especially in the states where regulations are more lax, speaks more to the corruption in the american government when it comes to big oil companies than it does about BP's operational short comings.

 

 

It smells of Mid Term american senate elections according to our man in washington

 

 

then it wouldn't be BO saying it, it would be a senator.....i think everything BO is saying relates to his re-election and the percieved weakness of the current white house regime in the face of what is potentially the worst environmental disaster of the last 50 years. (not to be sensationalistic...) I think the fear is this will hurt his re-election bid as the Iran hostage crisis hurt the peanut farmer.

 

 

Not that I take agreat deal of notice of American politics but what went wrong with this fella.

 

When he was running against Clinton I remember lots of documentarys on the TV about how he was going to be the new great this and that.

 

I have I missed all his special powers are is he just one big anti climax.

 

Well, when you run on a ticket of changing everything, then don't change much, a lot of people will get disillusioned.

 

(And please note- I have no love for either of our two dominant parties and wasn't at all swayed by the "Change" ticket and the subsequent lack thereof.)

 

As for the "kick ass" line, a fairly significant segment of the population over here are vocalizing disappointment with Obama's (rightly perceived or not) overall ineffectiveness in managing this situation. He needs to get out from under that cloud, so he's talking about kicking people's asses. At the end of the day though, it's going to be just like when my government put on that big dog and pony show a couple of months ago hauling in all the bankers before the Senate and bitching at them- lots of firey rhetoric that amounts to exactly jack shit zero.

 

EDIT: As for the anti-British vibe, please keep in mind that most of my countrymen are xenophobic in the extreme and any perceived slight not committed by a resident of this country is tantamount to asking for a violent conflict.

 

I shit you not- I was reading the discussion thread at the bottom of a Yahoo! News article yesterday about a Mexican who may or may not have thrown a rock at a U.S. Border Patrol agent, who most definitely did shoot and kill this person. More than half of the comments indicated that the agent was well within his rights to end this person's existence even though the alleged rock-thrower was in Mexico and the agent was in the U.S., and by all accounts, other than allegedly throwing the rock, wasn't in violation of any laws, borders, etc.

Edited June 10, 2010 by Cid_MCDP

[Billy Castell 0]

Are those stories about people burning British flags in a protest true?

 

It wouldnn't surprise me if it was after seeing the anti-French sentiment when Chirac was deliberately mis-quoted over the Iraq war.

 

In short, I am convinced that the USA has a secret programme of strategically shaving apes and using surgery to make the walk upright.

[Guest alex]

It is the fault of the environmentalists who forced the deep exploration so far offshore it became dangerous and Dick Cheney for setting the regulatory agenda.

 

That was the view of a senior oil industry consultant i spoke to last week.

Impartial view?

Anyway, FoBO.

[Dr Gloom 22536]

i doubt the rhetoric would have been quite as agressive if the spill had been caused by one of the big us oil majors. the attack on bp is a mainly because there are midterm congressional elections coming up and he doesn't want the american public to think that this is going to turn into his hurricane katrina - bush was widely - and rightly - criticised for being too weak in his response there.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Pipe down Obama. That drilling wouldn't have been regulated anywhere else but America, the rig was being run by Americans and they were using Halliburton-made equipment.

[Guest The Three Lions]

You can tell by the look of him he hates England. Someone needs to tell him he wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for us, THREE TIMES as well.

[Guest alex]

Just bullshit popularist politics, isn't it? Change, my arse.

[WubbleUC 0]

Pipe down Obama. That drilling wouldn't have been regulated anywhere else but America, the rig was being run by Americans and they were using Halliburton-made equipment.

 

Really slick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Christmas Tree 4920]

Pipe down Obama. That drilling wouldn't have been regulated anywhere else but America, the rig was being run by Americans and they were using Halliburton-made equipment.

 

Really slick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh no, the treads come under pun attack. Cap it off before it becomes crude.

[Dr Gloom 22536]

Pipe down Obama. That drilling wouldn't have been regulated anywhere else but America, the rig was being run by Americans and they were using Halliburton-made equipment.

 

Really slick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh no, the treads come under pun attack. Cap it off before it becomes crude.

 

you're trying to drum this into something aren't you? could be a right barrel of laughs

[Rob W 0]

Lets face it - anyone would get a pounding over this accident

 

It should not have happened full stop

 

The problem is the relief wells will take months to get there and until then anything else is ...... lets say hopeful

 

If it had been Exxon (aka Standard Oil New Jersey) they would be hanging from lamposts by now

[The Fish 11080]

Pipe down Obama. That drilling wouldn't have been regulated anywhere else but America, the rig was being run by Americans and they were using Halliburton-made equipment.

 

Really slick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh no, the treads come under pun attack. Cap it off before it becomes crude.

 

you're trying to drum this into something aren't you? could be a right barrel of laughs

 

Well, well, well

[Christmas Tree 4920]

Pipe down Obama. That drilling wouldn't have been regulated anywhere else but America, the rig was being run by Americans and they were using Halliburton-made equipment.

 

Really slick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh no, the treads come under pun attack. Cap it off before it becomes crude.

 

you're trying to drum this into something aren't you? could be a right barrel of laughs

 

Well, well, well

 

 

 

(Cornish Accent)

 

Oil ave to think of another one, cant let fish win.

[The Fish 11080]

Pipe down

[Christmas Tree 4920]

Pipe down

 

 

Being done, post 15, try again