Tony Hayward's Silver Tongue

Tony Hayward, you may remember, was the CEO of BP until today. Following the sterling work of Lord Browne (abandoning renewables, tightening the financial ship by cutting back on safety and investing in disgusting shale recovery, before being forced out for committing perjury in a bid to hide his sex life - now hired by the Tory Scum to sack thousands of civil servants), Hayward oversaw BPs forays into outsourcing, negligence, safety violations and explosions, before triumphing with his conversion of the Gulf of Mexico into a greasy, dead pit.

Early on in the unfolding drama, he muttered 'I want my life back', which coincidentally may have been the last thoughts of several million fish, birds and other lifeforms. Then he was photographed out yachting while local fishermen were confined to port.



Finally, he resigned.
Not, one should add, with good grace, but with a quite incredible degree of chutzpah - or brazen cheek, supported by his successor (qualification: American):

I think BP's response to this tragedy has been a model of good social corporate responsibility.

His exit was in the best interests of BP because he had been demonised by the Gulf accident, he explained, adding that he might be "too busy" to attend future US hearings into the disastrous Gulf oil spill.

Too busy, we gather, spending the £11 million he's walking away with. 

Well, that about wraps it up for the Republicans

I thought that the Republicans were rebounding in the US, on the back of racism, paranoia, greed and fear: the usual ingredients for rightwing success. Obama and the Democrats seemed to be struggling to make the political weather, despite their huge success in the last elections.

That's all changed, thanks to BP, and to Joe Barton, the Republican Congressman who apologised to the oil company for Obama's 'shakedown'. Never mind the legal status of the compensation fund Obama made BP hand over: Barton must be insane if he thinks that defending a British company which has poisoned the oceans is politically clever.

The surprise at Barton's remarks was heightened after it was revealed the Texas congressman – who once worked as an oilfield engineer – has has received nearly $150,000 in donations from an oil company, Anadarko Petroleum, which is a partner with BP in the Gulf oilfield.

His party isn't impressed either: they made him apologise for his apology - twice!

This clip will feature in every Democrat's election campaign for years:

Next Stop: Cuba

BP's oil spill is about to devastate Cuba's beaches, unspoiled havens for many rare species (including Communists).

Will BP be sending booms, rescue teams, dispersants and millions of dollars?

I doubt it. After all, what counts isn't moral responsibility, but how big a stick is being waved in your direction. Obama has several big sticks. Cuba has none.

BP claims another victim

Poor Aquaman:

Another catastrophic BP spill