Big media seems to be getting quite excited about the fact that Obama used his first Oval Office address to get cross at BP. And rightly so: it’s taken eighteen months for Mr President to get into the egg-shaped room, and now he’s used the opportunity as the perfect platform to get his “battle plan” (his words) across.
And it seems only right that those affected should be compensated, doesn’t it? So why has Barack’s handling of the situation caused such as stir? I would hazard a guess that even the unpopular George W would’ve reacted with a few harsh words. Maybe it’s because Barack has made some comparisons that haven’t gone down too well. Or maybe it’s because in the weeks since the spill his administration has been accused of a ‘tepid response’ to the event.
The thing I have been most surprised about, since first hearing of the explosion on the rig, was that there weren’t measures – in the form of a serious emergency response action plan – in place to stem the leak earlier on. It is one thing to criticise BP for not doing enough to sort the problem out; it is another to support a system in which fat cat CEOs don’t have to worry about worst case scenarios until they actually occur. And sadly while oil remains such an important commodity, and the massive corporations who control it are so buddy-buddy with politicians, that system doesn’t seem likely to change. So lives lost? Check! Damaged coastlines and ruined livelihoods? Check! UK taxpayers money being spent on police protection for the family of BP’s CEO? Check!
Elsewhere in the world, China has a friend in Bill Gates. This we know. But now Gates has clarified his previous remarks on China’s web censorship. Or has he? You be the judge.
And in LA [Note: acronym-phobics look away now] Nintendo unveils its new DS: taking E3 into 3D. And not a dodgy-looking pair of specs in sight.
Finally then: The Time’s up for free content! Or it nearly is, as News International ‘turns off’ The Times’ old website, in preparation for the paywall at the end of this month.
The corned beef hash of global media 