Post here if you love and/or appreciate the British People but hate what BP has done.

[Uncle Joe]

I for one deeply appreciate our relationship, but that can't affect my resolve in regards to the issue of BP and the Gulf.

I wish the British People well during these trying times and will always hold them dear to my heart as family, but our nation has been deeply wounded by this catastrophe.

[Hosnon]

1. +1. But they'll start to lose my support if they start putting $$$ over the existence

of the Gulf Coast (as a community and an environment).

[supernova]

2. I love Britain

I love the British people, the history, the literature, and other arts, the language from which I make my living. Well, maybe not the food. ;-)

But BP didn't cause this catastrophe because they are especially "British."

BP allowed this to happen because both countries have a culture of Laissez-Faire capitalism that says "anything big business does, especially the oil business, is automatically alright."

[Javaman]

7. Frankly, I think BP is just a name, maybe the CEO is British but the corporation

is certainly a multinational.

Which takes any onus off the word British or being British or anything relating to being British.

And just a note, my British friends, as they stated, "loath BP". They are so polite. :)

[HipChick]

18. a global corporation that is 40% US owned? Does that make it a mutt?

[Javaman]

22. Sure does.

what part of 60% is own by other entities do you not understand?

:shrug:

[HipChick]

3. +100...great post..some folks can't seperate the two issues

[pipi_k]

4. I have no problem with people from any country...

Well, except for Scotland


It's the haggis...


:7

[area51]

5. +1

I feel this talk of "criticizing BP is criticizing the British people" to be ridiculous.

[Dappleganger]

9. Agreed.

But the Brits need to also understand that we have an oil gusher in our backyards that is a global problem, now. It's beyond their pension issues. The effects of this will permeate generations of species, both human and animal.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. I love England and the British. Hate what all oil companies have done.

[Jefferson23]

8. Well said Joe. n/t

[and-justice-for-all]

10. BP does not represent the British people....

It is BPs fucking mess, not the British peoples!! it is also Shrub COs fault, for their wonderful deregulation.

[dipsydoodle]

11. If a company

was US registered but 100% UK owned , which is infact possible , would you regard it as being a UK or US company ? I'm asking that question for your view.

BP is registered in the UK for historic reasons but since they merged with Amoco have been regarded as an Anglo American company. To the best of my knowledge the majority of their staff are American too. US concerns own 39% and UK concerns 40% - almost identical and nothing to actually prevent those figures from switching.

Thank you for your thougths. :hi:

[KatyMan]

12. Agree with those who say BP isn't the British

people. My wife and I spent most of the last decade in the UK, and loved it and the people. But, if Exxon or a major perceived US company had caused something like this in the North Sea, I think the outrage toward America in general would be pretty strong, much more vitriolic than anything on this side toward the British right now. And I think any American animosity toward the British because of this is generated by the news industry; I've not seen or heard any real people talk like this.

[Uncle Joe]

21. The purpose of this thread was to alleviate any nationalistic rhetoric on either side

by unscrupulous forces be they media, business or politician.

[KatyMan]

29. Wasn't being nationalistic

And if you think America has some sort of exclusive hold on nationalistic jingoism you're wrong.
Again, we loved it there, spent 8 years outside of London and in Dublin. I pretty much take offense at the tone of your reply.

[Uncle Joe]

30. I believe you misread my intent, in fact your post is one which came closest

to nailing the motivation for my post. Like you I see some of the media; potentially, if not already stirring up a nationalistic mess, in addition to the unscrupulous business "leaders" and politicians willing to use this for their own purposes as my response post stated.

There are threads here talking about a British backlash and that's what my O.P. was addressing. I wanted for us to make a clear statement as to how the people feel.

The only quibble I have with your post is as to whether the response would be more "much more vitriolic" if this happened in the North Sea by a U.S. company. Maybe it would have been but perhaps it wouldn't and unless it happened and we could say for certain I see that kind of speculation as feeding the adverse energies of which my O.P. opposed.

I don't view you as intentionally stirring it up so much as just giving your honest opinion.

Agree with those who say BP isn't the British

people. My wife and I spent most of the last decade in the UK, and loved it and the people. But, if Exxon or a major perceived US company had caused something like this in the North Sea, I think the outrage toward America in general would be pretty strong, much more vitriolic than anything on this side toward the British right now. And I think any American animosity toward the British because of this is generated by the news industry; I've not seen or heard any real people talk like this.

Having said all that, there was no offense intended against you or your post.

Peace to you.:hi:

[KatyMan]

52. Then please accept my apologies

as a grumpy oldish man who misread your post.

Peace!

[Enrique]

13. limeys!

we saved their asses in WWII and look how they pay us back!

;-)

[DavidDvorkin]

16. They saved ours earlier, in the French and Indian War.

[Posteritatis]

45. "Yeah, well we saved *your* asses in World War III." "..That's true." (nt)

[jp11]

14. Britain is one of the countires I'm considering fleeing to.

But the Brits I caught on the Tele whining about Americans attacking BP and therefore saying we hate British people or are otherwise against them only made me think of something else.

[HipChick]

17. was that all 56M of them? or

just a few that don't represent the whole...geez luis..

[jp11]

19. Obviously they represent them all as the narrative is 'Americans Bash BP because it is British,

therefore Americans hate the British' and that is why we need to have a thread like this explaining that some Americans or other world residents only hate BP because of what they did not because they are British.

[HipChick]

26. that's like saying TeaBaggers represent all Americans..

Obviously they represent them all as the narrative...according to your logic

[jp11]

47. Sounds right, and by that I mean you didn't follow what I said from my first post

and still didn't get that I was being facetious when you made your incorrect inference about my post. You see what you want to see and I rarely care to explain what is already clear to people who put their own take on things without any proof to support their interpretation but here it goes.

My first post, spelling error included:

Britain is one of the countires I'm considering fleeing to.
But the Brits I caught on the Tele whining about Americans attacking BP and therefore saying we hate British people or are otherwise against them only made me think of something else.

Perhaps you took issue with 'therefore saying we hate British people or are otherwise against them' I don't know what brought about the leap from the people I saw whining on TV to the criticism of them being representative of all the 56M people in the UK, which I then jumped on due to your lament.

Maybe you know or suspect what I meant when I wrote 'only made me think of something else' and you don't agree in one way or another, I won't get into it as the point of being vague was to avoid what would come out of saying it out loud, if you are curious send me a PM.

The 'Americans hate British people' was how the story was skewed on CNN/MSNBC and when I saw it popup online the hook remained to draw people in.

This thread asserts that angle/hook as we are encouraged to counter the idea by joining in and asserting that the premise is false, which is silly to me as people who honestly think attacks on BP are due to hatred of the British rather than anger at BP for all they have done, didn't do, etc are in their own little world.

[Uncle Joe]

50. I agree, in that they are in their own little world, however

the corporate media seems to have an interest in expanding their world and that's what this thread was aiming to counter.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

15. I lived in Britain for two years

During that time I fell deeply in love with it and all the people there. I know that as a whole they are not responsible for the madness that is happening today.

[Sebastian Doyle]

20. Britain gave us The Beatles, The Stones, The Who

Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Queen, David Bowie, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Generation X, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and many other bands that can be found in any of our record/CD/digital download collections.

For this I'm grateful.

Not so much for Poodle Blair or BP, but I won't damn an entire nation for that, just as I wouldn't want them to damn me for the Bush Crime Family or Gold Mansacks.

[HockeyMom]

23. I've been across "the pond" a few times

and would love to go again. In fact, I didn't know until I was a teenager that my paternal Grandpa was from Norwich. I just thought he talked "weird".

No, I don't blame the British people at all for British corporate greed. We have our own USA corporate greed right here in this country too.

[krabigirl]

24. I like the people, but not BP nor their Orwellian govt lately.

Cameras everywhere, people jailed for selling goldfish to teens, etc etc. scary stuff. (we are bad too but geez the UK has changed.)

[Judi Lynn]

25. Thanks for taking time to point out the distinction, Uncle Joe.

The predators of every country don't appear to feel any allegiance to their own countries, countrymen/women, or humanity, itself, or any life forms.

The rest of us are strictly on our own! We have everything in common with the British people.

[Withywindle]

27. K & R, totally agree.

Love the UK - love its people, culture, history - even its climate!

BP is not Britain. Corporations are entities unto themselves and they only pretend to care about the people of their home countries when it suits them. I don't give a shit about BP's crocodile tears or this manufactured "anti-British sentiment" crap. Everyone I know is FURIOUS about the spill, but I've never heard a word against British people from anyone in the real world. Nobody sane blames the British people for this.

What we want to know is what BP is going to DO about it. Do the whiners not understand that an entire ecosystem has been destroyed, and that affects the whole world? The cleanup, if it's possible at all, will cost more billions of dollars than I can imagine, and fuck yes, BP needs to pay for it, and that needs to be their FIRST priority. And if that makes 'em bankrupt, too fucking bad. If it was a 100% American company (as if there is such a thing anymore) I would feel the exact same way.

[nichomachus]

28. Why is this even a question?

Does any sane person think that American Airlines is synonymous with the American people?

[City Lights]

36. +100! nt

[Posteritatis]

44. Nationalist wankfests and sanity are typically mutually exclusive. (nt)

[Uncle Joe]

46. Only because corporatist powers that be make it necessary.

They will either use nationalism or reverse nationalism to aid BP in avoiding accountability.

[NuttyFluffers]

55. because BP PR is wagging UK gov't for a divide and conquer distraction.

and looks like they are succeeding, given the length this excuse has stuck around. it should be laughed at as the PR bullshit of a desperate corporation, and UK gov't should be shamed for falling for it.

[varelse]

31. I hate what BP has done *to* the British people

Certainly, their reckless, greed-driven policies have not helped the British any more than they've helped the rest of the human race. :(

[Uncle Joe]

32. I totally agree with your answer.

:thumbsup:

[undeterred]

33. I just wish they would learn to speak English.

:hide:

just kidding!!

[Skittles]

54. my mum, when someone says to her I LOVE YOUR ACCENT

"I'm speaking English - YOU have an accent." :rofl:

[TexasObserver]

34. BP is a company whose national of origin is immaterial.

All this effort to conflate BP into a symbol of long time American and English relations is bullshit.

BP is one of the worst corporations in the world, and its passing will not be a bad thing.

[IcyPeas]

35. This could have happened to any oil company's rig... even ours

Shell, Exxon, whoever, etc. but it happens to be BP - they changed their name years ago from British Petroleum to BP.

It's stupid to blame the British people.

[Uncle Joe]

37. I agree with your post, while I also believe we can't let either

nationalism or reverse nationalism determine BP's accountability.

[dorkulon]

38. Why can't these pension funds just divest from BP?

[Uncle Joe]

39. I don't know all the intricacies of that, but I imagine some of them may have.

I also believe the problem with institutional divesting while such adverse dynamics are in play creates an untenable loss to the holder, so they're tempted to stick it out hoping things turn around in the long run.

[Turborama]

40. Initially Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) from 1909 to 1935

The Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) from 1935 to 1954

British Petroleum Company from 1954 to 1998 when it became BP Amoco plc

In 2001 the company formally renamed itself as BP plc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BP

I wonder what it will be called once it's bought for a dollar in a few months...

I agree with your OP, Joe. Nicely put.

[mitchum]

41. Hey, I'm not that crazy about those crumpetsuckers...

but maybe that's just the Frenchman in me

[Uncle Joe]

42. French bread rocks!

:yourock:

[mitchum]

43. Thanks :)

[kdmorris]

48. I am completely neutral toward the British people

I figure they have their share of complete assholes as well as complete angels.

There's a LOT of British people... to hold all of them responsible for one of their companies would be just as stupid as holding us all responsible for the actions of Wal-Mart.

Edited to add: I'm still seriously overjoyed that we didn't lose to them in the World Cup!!

[MissMarple]

49. Well, that goes without saying, doesn't it?

[Juche]

51. Why would people hate the brits

Because of BP? That is like hating the US because of Ford.

Britain is one of my favorite countries.

[Skittles]

53. me and my brother as English schoolkids

yes INDEED