Don't single out BP over oil damages, David Cameron warns US

[True_Blue]

David Cameron yesterday warned US legislators not to pass laws designed to make BP uniquely responsible for the Gulf oil spill, so pushing compensation demands and fines up to levels that the oil giant could not absorb.

Insisting he did not want "a war of words" with America over BP, he said there had been speculation that compensation and fines could rise to as much as $40bn (£26bn).

Speaking on ABC television, he said: "We need to be clear about what BP's responsibility is: cap the well, yes, clear up the mess, yes, make compensation, yes absolutely – but would it be right to have legislation that independently targets BP rather than other companies? I don't think that would be right.

"Would it be right to say that BP has to pay compensation for damages that were nothing to do directly with the spill? I don't think that would be right."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jul/20/david-cameron-megrahi-papers-reviewed

[DCBob]

1. Sorry mate. BP should be held accountable for all costs of the damages..

direct or indirect.

[Hannah Bell]

2. i actually don't see anything wrong with that. the other two companies, halliburton

& transocean, seem to have escaped most of the flak & scrutiny.

transocean = swiss, halliburton = us

but transocean's origins = us. looks like it just moved its HQ to switzerland in 2008.

[canetoad]

4. Agree

The investigation into the roles of all three companies must be intensive. Right now, Halliburton and Transocean will have phalanxes of lawyers working on ways to minimise their own liability.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Don't look at me in that tone of voice...............

I find it very odd that the Guardian should express this using the word "warn" which exacerbates the situation. I doubt very much that Cameron actually used that tone.

[notadmblnd]

3. The board should be arrested and tried for the criminal negligence.

[blindpig]

6. While BP is clearly guilty of a trainload of crimes......

those others involved need take any lumps they've earned too.

More importantly, scapegoating BP as a 'rogue' actor misdirects blame from the ultimate culprit, capitalism. BP did what they did because within the logic of capitalism, which is restricted to increasing shareholder value, they were doing the right thing. It is the same with Monsanto, a prominent scumbag among a community of scumbags. Punishing these marque scumbags will be satisfying but others will replace them as long as the incentive is there, and it will be, as long as we tolerate the capitalist method.

By all means, screw BP into the dirt, but that should be a beginning, not an end.

[dipsydoodle]

7. self delete

.

[ladjf]

8. Why the hell not? nt

[spanone]

9. sounds like a brit protecting brits