This is to address some of the utter crap being peddled by the right-wing (ie - dominant, just as it is there) British media and a few of their friends in big business and the Conservative (ie - Cunt) party.
As you all know VERY WELL, the right wing shout really fucking loudly. That's why I find some of the comments here disappointing "fuck the Brits blah blah limeys blah blah bad teeth" etcetera, etcetera. Moronic statements, as moronic as those who would take one look at a bus full of Sarah Palin fanatics and say "Yep...that's the real face of America. Fucking retards". Or me deciding to go all jihad on the USA because Americans have destroyed my favourite football team. Yet I do understand, firstly because I make more moronic statements than most people on this planet when I'm angry and secondly because, well, this disaster is an exceptional case. So I really cannot blame people for reacting in a volatile manner.
Here are, as Rafa Benitez would say, some 'Facts' :
1) BP is a global company. It's registered in Britain and it started as so, but nowadays it's essentially as American as it is British. Here's a short article pointing out just how preposterous the "patriotic" right-wing bullshit is:
http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2010/06/11/just-how-british-is-bp/2) Obama has erred in calling the company, from time to time, "British Petroleum". That's the only way I can fault his response with regards to Britain. There has been no "Britain must pay this!" because that would clearly be illogical. I don't demand that the United States government pays for my iPhone is it breaks when I'm on holiday over there, I'll send it back to Apple. As I said, it's not "British Petroleum". Any reference to that is either Bush style dog-whistling designed to dupe the uninformed or an honest mistake. As one who has great respect for President Obama, I hope it's the latter. Other than that, can't blame him.
3) The right-wing press is as dominant here as it is in the United States, but only in print. As far as television goes, we have the BBC to offer sanity. Here's an article from Mark Mardell, the corporation's North America Editor on the "ANTI-BRITISH SENTIMENT" the right-wing press have concocted out of rusty exhaust pipes, broken lightbulbs and frantic masturbation:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2010/06/no_wellspring_of_britbashing_i.html4) Keep this in mind: The British right-wing press ALWAYS want a Republican President. Always. Anti-Obama sniping has been going on for the last couple of years now. His popularity with the general British public scares them for some reason. They serve the Conservative Party, and the Conservative Party heart the Republican Party. See: Arnold and McCain coming over to speak at their conferences in recent years.
5) Any sane person must clearly see the priority as plugging the fucking leak and helping to repair the lives shattered by this catastrophe. The more I think about the people suffering, let alone the beautiful wildlife and natural resources, the more my absolute fury at the media's politicking (on both sides of the Atlantic) grows. How can the trivialisation of beauty having a stake rammed through its heart not lead to anger, regardless of what part of the world you're from?
6) Obama was, last time I checked, elected President of the United States of America, he didn't seek to combine the role with that of British Prime Minister on a part-time basis. Therefore, who would anyone expect anything but for him to look out exclusively for his own country's best interests in this very difficult situation? Other than, you guessed it, our beloved and oh so consistent media.
Now, if I may speak personally - I have incredible fondness for the United States and have spent plenty of time there in recent years and hopefully a lot more in future. If someone dropped 500k at my door, I think I'd swap permanently. I've seen your preposterous itwouldbefunnyifitwerenotsodepressing media, I've seen my atrocious media. I'm ready for whatever they throw at me but I guess I just wanted to help cut through the utter bullshit you've almost certainly been hearing. Don't ever think that you're alone in having a media full, mainly, of right-wing bastards. You might be surprised at how bad it gets elsewhere...the only difference is that you'll have to find most of ours in print... :)