"There's no one who wants this over more than I do. I would love my life back."
Well it it IS over for beleagured BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward and he will have his life back because he'll be leaving his post in October. He'll be replaced by Bob Dudley, another BP executive who is also American.
The 53 year old BP "lifer" hasn't had the best of times of late - apart from the leak at the Deepwater Horizon rig causing a monumental environmental disaster- there were the gaffes - the yachting race when the oil was still pouring into the sea for example (see pic) and this quote from an interview with the Guardian.. The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume.
He's now about to fall on his sword - or be pushed out - depending on your view.
So is that an end to the matter ? Have BP and Tony Hayward done the right and decent thing ? Or should he have stayed to clean up the mess he presided over ?
hudsonette in New York thinks so, tweeting: Why are they letting Tony Hayward leave? They should put him to work cleaning up the mess he made-scrubbing birds, picking up tarballs.
According to James Herron at Dow Jones, analysts think sacrificing Hayward and choosing Dudley means BP's top priority is restoring the company's reputation in the US.
But activists from campaign group Greenpeace have shut down BP petrol stations in London because they want the company to be more environmentally responsible. Executive director John Sauven says:
We've shut down all of BP's stations in London to give the new boss a chance to come up with a better plan. They're desperate for us to believe they're going 'beyond petroleum'. Well now's the time to prove it.
And writing in Dallas Jacquielynn Floyd thinks:
we have more important work to do than smirk over Hayward's pending dismissal. We need to make sure that our regulatory apparatus is awake and functioning and that the oil industry can prove it's prepared to deal with disaster before the fact, not three months after.
Does BP need to make more radical changes or is replacing its chief executive enough?
John Monks: As a fellow 53 year-old geologist, I would like to congratulate Mr. Hayward on a successful career (punctuated by an unfortunate accident at the end) and thank him for all of the wonderful and convenient petroleum products that I have enjoyed and that he and BP have produced.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:42
113631290
Owiro Chris: The boss of Bp was always going to take the heat much like he would have taken the credit if Bp was in the verge of making a massive profit or a big oil deposit discovery.i think what is happening is fair albeit the media are blowing everything out of proportion as they do to make the story interesting.Americans cannot take a stand against Bp which employs Americans and produces a product that single handedly drives their economy, they should help bp not criticize it!
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:42
113631290
Adesina from Houston Texas:
Once again we are witnessing the world's hypocrisy and lack of care for the third world countries like Nigeria where this kind of disaster happens on daily basis. Where is the world outcry for the Delta region of Nigeria?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:41
113631290
I'm Sue in California: As a "news junkie" I have understood from almost the beginning that BP was willing to take "responsibility" for fixing the leak and cleaning the environment. This did not mean BP was admitting culpability, only acting in line with its contractual obligations and in good faith. Tony Hayward failed to show sensitivity, but he also failed to convey the difference between the "responsibility," which he assured from the start, and culpability. Even in the Senate hearings he could not do that, so he looked evasive. He was not a good CEO in this sense, and it is good for him to go.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
18:41
113631290
WN in WI
What your one guest, who is defending BP, is saying is laughable. Of course, BP was not the victim. This guest does not seem to know what happened on the Deepwater Horizon. Not that I know everything that happened but it is generally accepted that BP wanted to get this well done as soon as possible. Even the rig operator, Trans Ocean, protested at the plan of action but BP said that it was supremely in charge since it was paying the bills. Even Halliburton was hesitant about the cementing. Furthermore, the well services' companies, were told to pack up and leave, which was premature. Clearly, BP was in charge. There is no doubt that it bears the majority of the liability. What BP did was to prevaricate with the information about the oil seepage. That is what annoyed the American people.
To be fair, this failure was not the doing of CEO Hayward. However, the buck stops with the CEO. In any case, Hayward seemed like a dope and carried himself poorly. Frankly, I don't know how BP could have chosen him as CEO.
Comment sent via Twitter
18:40
114096490
@大象传媒_WHYS thank you so much for having me on! I promise to have more time for you next time! Thanks, Danielle
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18:39
113631290
Fred:
The rest of us in the world quit, resign, are fired or forced out. But the wealthy and powerful, like Tony Hayward, just "step down." Manuela used this locution TWICE in her introduction. When you adopt and use the 'spin' rhetoric of powerful people and institutions, you are essentially promoting their values, their worldview, and doing their propaganda for them. More than that, because this "step down" trope is so commonly used by the newsmedia, it shows just how sycophantic they are in relation to the powerful.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:38
113631290
Qudratullah Khan:
Natural catastraphhes should not be totally blamed on humans. They very much differ in stature. We can only try. Results rest with the mother nature.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:37
113631290
Stephanie K. Frieze: All of the executives at all of the oil companies are greedy and raping the Earth. We let them because of our obsession with the car. Hayward behaved badly, but I thought rats..er captains went down with the ship. Well, now he will have more time for boating and doing what he likes. Good for him.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:37
113631290
Lawrence Amevor: I'm sick n tired of being sick n tired of of lies and corruption
Comment sent via SMS
18:37
112502948
Why is no one talking about oil leak in the Niger Delta. This has been there for many years and ruined many lives of very poor desperate people who haveno compensation. Will the gulf crises now help draw attention to the plight of others! Temi in London
Comment sent via SMS
18:36
112509818
RICK in TRINIDAD... Money is a ticket 2 freedom worldwide.
Comment sent via Twitter
18:29
114422605
Heck yes! RT @大象传媒_WHYS @theglorialoring Today's show topic - Have BP Done the Right Thing? What do u think
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18:18
113631290
Godspower (SIVWETE): What the Heck with Tony's departure? He deserves his pay off, he did not blow the well! Why should he suffer for a collective irresponsibility? The contractual terms of his severance should hold and be fully implemented. But with BP, it is a different story!
Has BP done the right thing?
| Tuesday, 7 July 2010 | 18:05 - 19:00 GMT
"There's no one who wants this over more than I do. I would love my life back."
Well it it IS over for beleagured BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward and he will have his life back because he'll be leaving his post in October. He'll be replaced by Bob Dudley, another BP executive who is also American.
The 53 year old BP "lifer" hasn't had the best of times of late - apart from the leak at the Deepwater Horizon rig causing a monumental environmental disaster- there were the gaffes - the yachting race when the oil was still pouring into the sea for example (see pic) and this quote from an interview with the Guardian..
The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume.
He's now about to fall on his sword - or be pushed out - depending on your view.
So is that an end to the matter ? Have BP and Tony Hayward done the right and decent thing ? Or should he have stayed to clean up the mess he presided over ?
hudsonette in New York thinks so, tweeting: Why are they letting Tony Hayward leave? They should put him to work cleaning up the mess he made-scrubbing birds, picking up tarballs.
According to James Herron at Dow Jones, analysts think sacrificing Hayward and choosing Dudley means BP's top priority is restoring the company's reputation in the US.
But activists from campaign group Greenpeace have shut down BP petrol stations in London because they want the company to be more environmentally responsible. Executive director John Sauven says:
We've shut down all of BP's stations in London to give the new boss a chance to come up with a better plan. They're desperate for us to believe they're going 'beyond petroleum'. Well now's the time to prove it.
And writing in Dallas Jacquielynn Floyd thinks:
we have more important work to do than smirk over Hayward's pending dismissal. We need to make sure that our regulatory apparatus is awake and functioning and that the oil industry can prove it's prepared to deal with disaster before the fact, not three months after.
Does BP need to make more radical changes or is replacing its chief executive enough?
Your comments
Comment sent via Facebook
John Monks: As a fellow 53 year-old geologist, I would like to congratulate Mr. Hayward on a successful career (punctuated by an unfortunate accident at the end) and thank him for all of the wonderful and convenient petroleum products that I have enjoyed and that he and BP have produced.
Comment sent via Facebook
Owiro Chris: The boss of Bp was always going to take the heat much like he would have taken the credit if Bp was in the verge of making a massive profit or a big oil deposit discovery.i think what is happening is fair albeit the media are blowing everything out of proportion as they do to make the story interesting.Americans cannot take a stand against Bp which employs Americans and produces a product that single handedly drives their economy, they should help bp not criticize it!
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Adesina from Houston Texas: Once again we are witnessing the world's hypocrisy and lack of care for the third world countries like Nigeria where this kind of disaster happens on daily basis. Where is the world outcry for the Delta region of Nigeria?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
I'm Sue in California: As a "news junkie" I have understood from almost the beginning that BP was willing to take "responsibility" for fixing the leak and cleaning the environment. This did not mean BP was admitting culpability, only acting in line with its contractual obligations and in good faith. Tony Hayward failed to show sensitivity, but he also failed to convey the difference between the "responsibility," which he assured from the start, and culpability. Even in the Senate hearings he could not do that, so he looked evasive. He was not a good CEO in this sense, and it is good for him to go.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
WN in WI What your one guest, who is defending BP, is saying is laughable. Of course, BP was not the victim. This guest does not seem to know what happened on the Deepwater Horizon. Not that I know everything that happened but it is generally accepted that BP wanted to get this well done as soon as possible. Even the rig operator, Trans Ocean, protested at the plan of action but BP said that it was supremely in charge since it was paying the bills. Even Halliburton was hesitant about the cementing. Furthermore, the well services' companies, were told to pack up and leave, which was premature. Clearly, BP was in charge. There is no doubt that it bears the majority of the liability. What BP did was to prevaricate with the information about the oil seepage. That is what annoyed the American people. To be fair, this failure was not the doing of CEO Hayward. However, the buck stops with the CEO. In any case, Hayward seemed like a dope and carried himself poorly. Frankly, I don't know how BP could have chosen him as CEO.
Comment sent via Twitter
@大象传媒_WHYS thank you so much for having me on! I promise to have more time for you next time! Thanks, Danielle
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Fred: The rest of us in the world quit, resign, are fired or forced out. But the wealthy and powerful, like Tony Hayward, just "step down." Manuela used this locution TWICE in her introduction. When you adopt and use the 'spin' rhetoric of powerful people and institutions, you are essentially promoting their values, their worldview, and doing their propaganda for them. More than that, because this "step down" trope is so commonly used by the newsmedia, it shows just how sycophantic they are in relation to the powerful.
Comment sent via Facebook
Qudratullah Khan: Natural catastraphhes should not be totally blamed on humans. They very much differ in stature. We can only try. Results rest with the mother nature.
Comment sent via Facebook
Stephanie K. Frieze: All of the executives at all of the oil companies are greedy and raping the Earth. We let them because of our obsession with the car. Hayward behaved badly, but I thought rats..er captains went down with the ship. Well, now he will have more time for boating and doing what he likes. Good for him.
Comment sent via Facebook
Lawrence Amevor: I'm sick n tired of being sick n tired of of lies and corruption
Comment sent via SMS
Why is no one talking about oil leak in the Niger Delta. This has been there for many years and ruined many lives of very poor desperate people who haveno compensation. Will the gulf crises now help draw attention to the plight of others! Temi in London
Comment sent via SMS
RICK in TRINIDAD... Money is a ticket 2 freedom worldwide.
Comment sent via Twitter
Heck yes! RT @大象传媒_WHYS @theglorialoring Today's show topic - Have BP Done the Right Thing? What do u think
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Godspower (SIVWETE): What the Heck with Tony's departure? He deserves his pay off, he did not blow the well! Why should he suffer for a collective irresponsibility? The contractual terms of his severance should hold and be fully implemented. But with BP, it is a different story!
Comment sent via YOURSAY
John in Cleveland: BP is the criminal.