The myth of "global capital" stands busted once again. There obtains a gulf of difference in the (elite) attitudes towards the BP in the context of Gulf oil spill. No prize for guessing who's on which side. Obama was even charged of racism. He publicly pronounced that he was looking for an ass to kick. (You know whose.) David Cameron had to pick up the phone.
Despite emergence a large number of transnational/multinational giant corporations, the "national" stamp on capital - strong links with the national governments, remains too important even today. Unmistakably so, when the chips are down. *Exemplars from the UK*: < http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/willheaven/100042672/will-david-cameron-ever-kick-barack-obamas-ass/ > 'Will David Cameron ever kick Barack Obama's ass?' Yes! That's the caption here. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/cartoon/2010/jun/ 17/bpoil-spill-tony-hayward-congress>. This is a cartoon, from no less than the redoubtable Guardian, showing the embattled BP chief as Gullver tied down by the Liliputs. [image: Kipper cartoon BP Tony Hayward 18/06/10] <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-12 87396/BP-OIL-SPILL-Tony-Hayward-treated-like-Public- Enemy-No-1-US-politicians.html#comments>. The caption: 'Sliced and diced on Capitol Hill: BP boss treated like Public Enemy No 1 by American politicians'. <http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jamesrquinn/100 006315/bp-chief-tony-hayward-is-grilled-by-the-us-congressmen-live/>. "Tony Hayward, BP’s chief executive, has been branded America’s ‘most hated and clueless’ man, as he struggles to contain the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico." That's the opening line. <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bp- chiefs-face-grilling-at-us-congress-2002829.html>. "BP chief Tony Hayward heckled by protester at US hearing" is the remarkably softer caption here. *A starkly different note emanates from the US*: http://politicalbulletin.bulletinnews.com/usnb/default.aspx *TODAY'S POLITICAL NEWS* *DATE: FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2010 - 8:00 AM* INSIDE *Washington News*<http://politicalbulletin.bulletinnews.com/usnb/default.aspx#SECTIONWashington_New> *Campaign News*<http://politicalbulletin.bulletinnews.com/usnb/default.aspx#SECTIONCampaign_News> *Political Humor*<http://politicalbulletin.bulletinnews.com/usnb/default.aspx#SECTIONPolitical_Humo> *Washington News* *Haywood Faces House Outrage Over BP's Role In Gulf Spill* BP CEO Tony Hayward's appearance before a House panel generated a large volume of negative media coverage. The *CBS Evening News* reported Hayward "might be the most reviled CEO in America," and he "faced a barrage of criticism and questions from members of Congress who conveyed the nation's anger over that oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico." *NBC Nightly News* said, "Rather than an apology...the members wanted specific answers about what BP did or didn't do that may have caused the oil rig explosion," and "committee members of both parties accused Hayward of deliberate evasion."*USA Today*<http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-06-17-oil-hearing_N.htm> reported "the CEO in the congressional crosshairs dispensed a foggy blend of rehearsed contrition and self-defense while striving to say nothing that could be litigated or was at all new." *ABC World News* said Hayward "infuriated" Rep. Henry Waxman "by refusing to answer specific questions about the construction of Deepwater Horizon." The *AP*<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100617/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill;_ylt=Ao3CU9ypX9tbmU1QfOWbT39p24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTJuMTVmNmJzBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNjE3L3VzX2d1bGZfb2lsX3NwaWxsBHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3NoYW1lb255b3VicA-->reports Hayward "said he was out of the loop on decisions at the well and coolly asserted, 'I'm not stonewalling.' That infuriated members of Congress even more, Democrats and Republicans alike." The *New York Times*<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/us/politics/18spill.html?hp> says the panel "failed to elicit much explanation from Mr. Hayward about his own role in the disaster." *Bloomberg News*<http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=ato9epKGrQ14> reports, "Hayward said he 'had no prior knowledge of the drilling of this well,' and 'I wasn't part of the decision-making process on this well. I am not a cement engineer.'" *NBC Nightly News* reported, "Watching his performance and tracking the fate of England's largest company, TV viewers in great Britain saw all of this on their nightly news," where he was referred to as "the most hated man in America." *Senators Suggest BP Intentionally Underestimated Spill's Extent* * McClatchy*<http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/06/17/96071/bps-oil-recovery-stats-show-how.html>reports BP "recovered 18,600 barrels of oil from its gushing Deepwater Horizon well on Wednesday, the most so far," which "underscores how wrong early estimates of the spill's size were and serves as a reminder of the weeks-long reluctance of both BP and the Obama administration to recognize the full extent of the disaster." A group of senators "asked Attorney General Holder "to open a criminal investigation into whether BP intentionally underestimated the size of the spill to avoid hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in fines." -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
