(New Orleans Mayor) Mitch Landrieu lashes out at London mayor's BP comments

[Ed Barrow]

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu took aim Friday at his counterpart across the pond when he berated London's mayor for his comments on British radio about the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mayor Boris Johnson told BBC Radio's Today program Thursday that the constant tongue-lashing of BP, formerly British Petroleum, in the international news media could have dire repercussions for investments in his country.

...

"Quite frankly, I would suggest that London Mayor Boris Johnson park his anger at the waters' edge and redirect it towards BP," Landrieu said. "This is not America vs. Great Britain. It's people, families and their livelihoods versus a negligent corporation that is responsible for the loss of 11 lives and an oil spill that threatens our coast, our environment, and our economy.

"In fact, our entire way of life is at risk. So we are going to hold BP accountable for the damage done," he said. "While Mayor Johnson is concerned about their pension funds, we're concerned about the lives and livelihoods of our people."


Read more: http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/mitch_landrieu_lashes_out_at_l.html

[BeatleBoot]

1. K&R

:kick:

:thumbsup:

[lordcommander]

2. Maybe he should lash out on to his sister too, Mary nt.

[DRoseDARs]

3. When the oil reachs across the pond, it'll be interesting to hear the Irish and Scottish weigh in...

...since that's where the current will take some of the mess once it enters the Atlantic.

[Dappleganger]

4. At least he gets it.

I can't help but LOL at people whining about the BP "tongue-lashing". Do these folks even have a remote idea of exactly what BP has done to our ocean and our environment???

[Owl]

9. I agree.

[wordpix]

12. +1 Mary should get a clue from him

[bluedigger]

5. That is way better than any of the sound bites Ray-Ray ever gave.

There may be hope for Mitch yet.

[bluesmail]

6. Politics are incestual. Always have been.

:tinfoilhat: Couldn't quite help myself. I am so fatigued reading all that I've read and trying to balance my life. It Doesn't work.

[bluestateguy]

7. The British are getting even for the thrashing Andrew Jackson gave them in New Orleans in 1815

nt

[Mimosa]

8. Mitch is a great guy

I am so sad this has come to hurt all the people on the Gulf Coast.

I talked with a Brit friend who told me that pension funds in the UK often aren't as diversified as funds here.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

10. Boris Johnson couldn't care less about anything except himself

he speak with forked tongue

[JDPriestly]

11. Does BP = United Kingdom?

I don't know, but from a financial point of view, that equation may reflect the reality. BP is certainly one of the most important businesses in the UK. I would like to see how its revenues stack up with other British companies and how much of Britain's wealth comes from BP. I bet it would be pretty shocking. The impoverishment or destruction of BP would really hurt the British.

If BP pays for the damages from the "spill," the British suffer. If Americans pay for it, we suffer. The end of a beautiful ocean -- and a beautiful international alliance. Let's hope this does not happen.

[woo me with science]

13. I think we may just need to let each other vent.

This is a disaster on all sides.

[Buddyblazon]

14. I had a ten minute conversation with Mitch...

on my stage at the venue I work at back during the DNC. It was a Friends of the Wetlands concert, and everybody famous from New Orleans was there (except Harry Connick). The Landrieu's, George Porter Jr., Randy Newman, James Carville, Harry Shearer, Donna Brazile. Mitch was very nice and wanted to know about my job as a stage manager. He told me he knew a bit about stage as he was a child actor. But I showed him around the stage (as much as I could with the function going on). Told me he was jealous of my job (he was pouring it on). But he was really nice and fun to talk to.

We had a chair waiting off stage for Mary. She came on stage, sat in the chair until it was her turn, and left. Oh...and everyone fawned after her. It was an odd night.

That whole week was like that. Crazy insane busy. Different decor for the entire venue every day. A different show every night. Melissa Ethridge and Cyndi Lauper, and The Black Eyed Peas were a couple of bands from that week.

[Dover]

15. Indeed. It's not GB vs. US. ANY oil company responsible for this would get the same response.

Exxon certainly did. If BP had been more conscientious in the past and had maintained a good safety record or even had quickly stepped up to the plate when this happened to take responsibility, then perhaps the reaction would have been toned down a bit. But instead they have fueled the flames by being the quintessential ugly corporate elite. This is the corporate culture that is being revealed by their own employees, so it's not just some image problem created by the media.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[New Dawn]

17. Boris Johnson is just a typical dumbfuck Tory.