Technical BP question, or ‘lazy crowdsourcing’

So, on BP, let's assume that it gets so busted by compo claims that its entire US business gets liquidated and sold to Exxon (as seems to be the current, insane narrative: "we'll pretend BP are evil rather than the same as everyone else, so we don't have to stop the drilling and the oil … Continue reading Technical BP question, or ‘lazy crowdsourcing’

Shorter US public response to Deepwater Horizon

"Dear Big Oil. Yes, we know this sort of thing is inherent to oil extraction, and we do still want cheap oil extracted - but please can you do it in places where instead of oiling up a few American pelicans and ruining American banjo-playing yokels' weekends by making them kill land animals instead of … Continue reading Shorter US public response to Deepwater Horizon

When Good Contrarianism Goes Bad

So, I come up with a contrarian view on the BP issue that I don't 100% hold, but which is a genuine aspect of the story and which has been completely neglected in any of the coverage I've seen. I mention it on Twitter, I spend a couple of days thinking about it, and then … Continue reading When Good Contrarianism Goes Bad

On helping Americans to steal your pension

Let's assume that, like most UK workers, you have a pension fund with a substantial part of its investment in FTSE companies, usually weighted by value. What should you care more about: 1) the fact that the US government is attempting to steal a sizeable proportion of your money? 2) some fucking cormorants? Clue: if … Continue reading On helping Americans to steal your pension