It looks like the U.K. has a “to big to fail” problem also, except this time it’s in the oil industry:
In that atmosphere, the stream of condemnations from Washington has stirred a protective backlash, even in this closest of American allies. Boris Johnson, the Conservative mayor of London, said Thursday that he was worried about “anti-British rhetoric” and “name-calling” from American politicians.
“When you consider the huge exposure of British pension funds to BP, it starts to become a matter of national concern if a great British company is being continually beaten up on the airwaves,” Mr. Johnson told BBC radio’s Today program.
First off, I haven’t heard any ‘anti-British rhetoric”. Anti-BP yes, but not against the country as a whole. I’m sorry, but it’s not our fault that you put all your eggs in one basket. If your conservative government don’t like it, then start using your taxpayer dollars to help out BP.
And then there’s this:
But alarms went off in Britain when President Obama said earlier this week that he would have fired Mr. Hayward, BP’s chief executive, if Mr. Hayward worked for him and that he was looking for “whose ass to kick” in connection with the disaster. The Justice Department did not help matters when it said Wednesday that it was planning to take action to force BP to withhold its next dividend payment.
Wow I guess the next thing will be Tony Hayward day in Britain.
Do the people of Britian seriously believe that they should reap the profits while BP destroys our environment? I certainly hope not, and I believe that last thing the U.K. wants is a pissing match with the U.S., which seems to be why David Cameron is trying to soften things up.