Oil Be Damned

The Department of Trade and Industry received a visit recently from a group calling themselves BP (standing for either Blairs Pals, Broken Promises, Bloody Politics) armed with a wooden cutout of Sir David Simon and an oil drill. The group soon struck sleaze (or was it oil? or was it brewers yeast?) on the steps of the DTI which resulted in a trail of sticky black footprints all over Whitehall leading from the DTI.

A large banner was then unfurled bearing the words ‘New Labour New Sleaze’ recalling the fact that within a week of taking office the unelected former Chair of BP, David Simon, had been elected minister for competitiveness in Europe. BP in Columbia has admitted to paying the army and is accused of passing intelligence about protestors to paramilitary death squads. Hundreds of trade unionists and environmentalists have been killed.

Closer to our fair isle BP is facing criticism from Shetland fishermen who have been blockading Sullom Voe with around 15 boats. The terminal is run by BP on behalf of a consortium of oil companies and the fishermen are angry that they are not getting compensation claims for the Braer disaster.