Truth – 0, Lawyers – 1
I can’t possibly add anything of substance to the hours and millions of words spoken about this tragic event.
All I felt as I watched the Congressional Hearing live on CNN was both embarrassment and sadness as a fellow Englishman demonstrated how the lawyers have won.
Hayward, from the couple of hours that I saw, said nothing of substance, nothing of real value and nothing that recognised how the American people, and the world in general, deserved openness and in-depth answers.
Very poorly advised, in my opinion.
Tragic.
By Paul Handover
Learning from Dogs 
This “hearing” was a disgrace. We do not yet know exactly what happened or why. Serious mistakes have been made by many, BP, US regulators, otehr US companies (THE MAJORITY involved in this rig) and the President himself.
Were the Wall Street bankers who have brought the world to its financial knees subject to this disgusting witch-hunt?
The US is in decline, financial and moral; that is clear. Have they even APOLOGISED to the world for the banking fiasco? All based on utter greed and most of those responsible unpunished?
No.
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Couple of items to show that I was not far off the mark in my post above.
First, BP has stood down CEO Tony Hayward from the role of chief spokesman in this affair, as this article in the Financial Times reveals – http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a088e02c-7b0e-11df-8935-00144feabdc0.html
See extract:
“Bob Dudley, a US citizen who is BP’s managing director for the Americas and Asia, was last month given responsibility for the long-term response to the spill, and will take over from Mr Hayward in leading the effort in the US. Both Mr Hayward and Mr Svanberg have been strongly criticised for their response to the spill, the largest ever in US waters, exceeding many times over the Exxon Valdez tanker disaster of 1989.”
Secondly, there was a cutting article in the UK’s Daily Telegraph, URL is http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/7836649/BP-chief-Tony-Haywards-communication-skills-didnt-rival-those-of-a-tax-inspector.html
from which I quote:
“Accused of stonewalling, he stonewalled. He couldn’t, or wouldn’t, answer most of the questions. In fact, he looked like a tired undertaker who was rather bored with having to look mournful. Given that a woman held up proceedings earlier on by shouting protests him, it would have been advisable to show some regret rather than say he felt “a great deal” of responsibility for the oil spill and that it was “a tragedy” with all the emphasis and enthusiasm of an autistic sloth. It’s impossible to make a hearse driver a F1 champ and so it is with Tony Hayward.
The man has the communication skills of a tax inspector; dry and arrogant. Its incredible that one of the most important corporate jobs in the world has been entrusted to him. This crisis is a game-changer.”
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