Tony Hayward's parting shot: 'I'm too busy to attend Senate hearing'

[CHIMO]

Source: The Guardian

BP's attempt to draw a line under its troubles in the US by axing its chief executive has been blunted after Tony Hayward said he would be "too busy" to attend a Senate hearing on Thursday.

The oil company risked further inflaming a delicate trans-Atlantic relationship when its directors described BP as a "model of corporate social responsibility" despite being at the centre of the worst oil spill in American history.

Speaking to journalists at the company's London headquarters, Hayward claimed that he had been unfairly "demonised and vilified" in the US, where Barack Obama and other politicians have been severely critical of BP's actions and taken exception to some of Hayward's public comments.

The Senate foreign relations committee has asked Hayward to appear in Washington to explain BP's alleged role in influencing the release of the Lockerbie bomber in order to win drilling rights in Libya.



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jul/27/tony-hayward-bp-social-corporate-responsibility

[Curmudgeoness]

1. He is such a dumb shit. I cannot believe they didn't fire him...

and in the way we would be fired. Just thrown out on his ass. Arrogant son of a bitch.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Psephos]

3. That attitude is common among "elites."

These days, it doesn't matter much if they hail from corporate or government quarters.

The only solution to the concentration of power is to spread it around, dilute it, democratize it.

[SpiralHawk]

17. That attitude is typical Republicon Family Values

Check with Rush DraftDodger Limbaugh (R)

[SydneyDundee]

7. ..not sure about this...

what are we against here, that he weas removed form his role, without some form of public villification (fired) or that he's had the "audacity" to refuse the senate another bite at his a**? ...or indeed both. I think you will find that publicly firing him would have cost a heck of a lot more than the 18m usd he'll likely be getting.....

His refusal to attend the Senate is wholly consistent with others, including the new CEO of BP and UK politicians, called to the senate inquiry..can't see what the problem is - perhaps the senators just don't get it....these "show trials" do or prove nothing other than to fuel their own self-importance.

I feel another Gorgeous George session might be necessary to remind them.

[Psephos]

11. lol - Yep, Galloway did show them a thing or two. n/t

[SydneyDundee]

13. Yep...I cheer myself up from time to time with a viewing of the performance on the day from GG!

[Curmudgeoness]

30. What am I against here? For starters, when you screw up royally

on your job, you should be fired. And this doesn't mean giving him another job in Russia, or a huge "bonus" for stepping down. I could care less about whether he is paraded in front of our governing bodies. And I don't see why it should cost more to fire him than it would cost to fire me, or you. This double standard is what I am against. It isn't right, and I will not be convinced that there is anything right about it.

[SydneyDundee]

31. I'd be the last person to defend this lot...but am not sure we will ever see

...anyone in a top job being fired like the lowest or most ordinary of workers.....sadly? I/m also not convinced sacking someone for a catastrophe like this is the answer...particularly as the aftermath has had so much political inetrference - and not all of at at all helpful....

[woodsprite]

19. Couldn't do it that way since he knows where all the 'bodies' are buried. n/t

[davidinalameda]

4. dude definitely doesn't know how to make friends and influence people

whiny little bastard isn't he

[metapunditedgy]

5. He's not in prison yet? n/t

[melm00se]

20. heard on the radio

that he is headed to Siberia...literally...to head up a joint BP and Russian oil venture

[dipsydoodle]

26. You may find that was a joke

After Dudley was run out of town by the Russians he operated wholly from another country. Hayward will probably just do occasional commutes from the UK in his role as a non operational director with the joint venture.

[24601]

6. If some foreign government tried to get me to testify to anything,

I'd tell them I was too busy watching TV, drinking Yuengling and washing my hair. They would be welcome to come visit me for a chat in my country (the US). If they felt that strongly about it, they could take the matter up with the State Department and duke it out with Hillary.

I don't see Bill Clinton running over to Serbia to discuss the Belgrade bombings (over Kosovo) with them.

[SydneyDundee]

10. ...excellent point.....

[alp227]

8. Too busy what? Yachting? Wanting your life back? n/t

[Brother Buzz]

9. Too busy choosing luxury furniture for his palatial Spanish villa...

overlooking a coastline unspoilt by oil.

[JDPriestly]

12. Do you want to know my theory on why he received so much money upon leaving

BP US and going to BP Russia? They wanted to get him as far away from our courts as possible, and the money was intended to shut his mouth.

The lawyers will take care of the rest. They will make sure that he gets to provide only written responses to questions. And guess who will be writing the responses?

We need to start recalling and reviewing all of BP's licenses to drill in the U.S. -- all of them and asap.

Other countries could take over.

[CountAllVotes]

14. out of sight

out of mind.

However Tony Hayward, you criminal, we will not forget you here in America.

We'd like to hang you out to dry for good. Then you'd have your life back eh? :puke:

[Ross K]

18. Maybe leave the drying part out of it.

And he wouldn't. :evilgrin:

[CountAllVotes]

25. I didn't want to be too graphic

however, I will add that my thoughts are with you! :evilgrin:

:dem:

[dipsydoodle]

15. so much money upon leaving ?

Most of what has been quoted is in fact the pension under the terms of his contract. Payment @ £600k pa doesn't start for 2 years - when he is 55. So much for shutting his mouth. So far away ? He can probably work from home aside from board meetings. The postion with the Russian joint venture is considered by our news media to be a two fingers job - you wanna take the piss by calling them British Petroleum then expect them to act in kind. In addition you've now got the guy the Russians kicked out - good luck. The Senate hearing is a farce and doesn't merit attendance. Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was released on medical grounds by the Scottish government. Had that not occured his trial would inevitably have been declared a mistrial due to the US witholding evidence and he'd probably have got off on appeal. It was not considered to be in the interest of either of our governments for an appeal to proceed and as such the release on medical grounds was a get out for them. If the Senate hearing wants to do something constructive they should get hold of the missing evidence - don't hold your breath.

[JDPriestly]

29. They pay all their top guys off because they are buying confidentiality.

That's the way these things work. The fact that it is written into the contract doesn't change anything. A confidentiality clause is probably also written into the contract.

[aquart]

16. Nah. They give that to CEOs out of habit.

It's CEO pocket change.

[wordpix]

23. you're right, plus they want to pay him for doing such a great job hiding the oil with Corexit

:grr:

Where did the oil go? It's hiding below the surface in tiny droplets mixed with Corexit.

[Odin2005]

21. Fuck him!

[wordpix]

22. wow, such a model with their 721 egregious violations in the Gulf alone

other oil corp's studied had up to 4 violations but BP's "model" went way beyond. :puke:

[mike r]

24. Too busy polluting, he meant

[librechik]

27. for somebody who allegedly doesn't have a life anymore...Too Busy?

what a douche

[Zorra]

28. He's fah, fah, too wealthy and important as corporate royalty to attend to such trivialities.

Trivialities like laws are only for filthy impoverished peasants.

[ProudDad]

32. An amusing parting shot

from one of the major participants...

In the latest distraction to get the sheeple's attention away from real problems like...

Resource Depletion, Overpopulation, Catastrophic Global Climate Destabilization and end-stage Capitalism...