UK - US could it be divorce ?

[Captain Oates 910]

At the end of the day I want BP to be responsible for what they have done, whether they are British, American, Antartican, Martian, or whatever....the same of they were Exxon, Standord Oil, Shell....whoever! The damage they have done to human life and the environment is deplorable...the same with any company (I don't care where they are from!) that cuts costs to the detriment of human life and the environment

I find it interesting that you think the precious CEO of BP, Tony Hayward, is somehow beyond reproach and should be handles with kid globes because of his degree and years experience is curious, to say the least. Are corporations more important than democratically elected governments? Than the people whose livelihoods and way of life they destroy?

You say 'corporations' rather than BP so I take it you are not a supporter of corporations in general.

In many cases corporations give people their very livelihoods. They sure gave me mine and I hated my time in local government.

I don't approve of slavery or sweat shops or no unions etc, but organised publicly owned corporations have been enormously beneficial to the people who work for them including huge numbers of people in the gulf..

The American rigs have now up-anchored and sailed off to Brazil so sometimes whacking corporations can leave people worse off.

There has to be a balance and it is always swaying back and forth

I though Tony Hayward gave a quiet, factual, responsible performance today. He wasn't told to commit suicide like the CEO of BP America was (by a congressman) but he handled some mischievous statements very well

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I work for one of the biggest corporations in the world so I support corporations and business and also hated my time in the public sector. It doesn't mean I think corporations shouldn't be accountable when they screw up.

I also invest in the stock market and have a pension fund - I accept the risk that comes with such investments. Do you?

When Toyota went to congress earlier this year, they apologized....prefusely.... Is a British company (or not a British company depending on how you want to spin it) "better" than a Japanese company that they should not do the same when they screw up?