Houston “I think we have a big problem”
As I have often written about in the past, the oil industry is all about risk and reward. At some stage it has to lure large scale investors to bet large amounts of money that it has found large reserves...
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2026
2026
The Norwegian Murderer, Climate Denial and Watermelons
Sixteen years ago I wrote a book called Green Backlash, that looked at the growing backlash against the environmental movement worldwide. One chapter, called "Culture Wars and Conspiracy tales", looked at the warped view of many of the conspiracies of...
To the Victors go the Spoils
Was the western intervention in Libya primarily driven by oil? The answer depends on who you ask, but as usual, in the volatile mix of international politics, oil is never far from the surface. It certainly helps the case of...
Oil and Coal-Backed Politicians Attack the EPA
It is widely accepted that people give money to politicians to curry favour and buy influence. So there will be no surprises that there are smug smiles on the faces of the oil and coal barons this week as the...
“Unacceptable Consequences” of Arctic Oil Drilling
Following on from an earlier blog this week, we know now from Tony Hayward that BP was woefully unprepared for the Deepwater oil spill. So if BP was not prepared in the warm accessable waters of the Gulf of Mexico,...
Oil and gas industry dollars fuel Gulf Coast politics
According to a report recently released by the National Institute on Money in State Politics, politicians in the Gulf of Mexico are awash in oil and gas industry contributions. Oil and gas companies, along with their owners and employees, gave...
Senators Accuse BP of “Blood Money” Handouts
For many in America, BP has been public enemy number one since the Deepwater disaster started on April 20th. It’s not only the disaster itself, but the way BP has handled itself before and since then that has added to...
The Special Relationship Stops at the Pump
Maybe it’s just the media, but Britain is obsessed over the strength of the so-called special relationship between the US and UK. In times of war and peace, through different Presidents and Prime Ministers, the bond is deemed to be...
“Probably the most notorious branding crisis in memory”
First Greenpeace ran a competition to help BP redesign its logo, and now the Washington Post is running a competition for the public to suggest slogans to help BP repair its battered image. The competition is running until tomorrow noon,...
If only BP had stayed true to Beyond Petroleum….
“If BP had stayed true to its ‘Beyond Petroleum positioning, it is likely that a disaster of this magnitude would not have occurred.” So says the global brand consultancy, Interbrand, in its annual branding report that shows that BP has...