Tony Hayward is stepping down from his position as BP's CEO with a $17 million golden parachute, freeing up loads of time for sailing and living the good life. He talked to the Guardian newspaper and shared this gem of corporate tone deafness: "I think BP's response to this tragedy has been a model of good social corporate responsibility. It has mounted an unprecedented response." (This sums up my frustration: /facepalm)

 

Tony Hayward made terrible decisions and refused to lead during an unprecedented crisis. BP's response to the tragedy it created was "unprecedented" only because we've never had a leak this large and this deep. The company's response to the spill was just unprecedentedly terrible — they had no equipment or plan in place in the event of a spill, and when they did find themselves having to respond to a large spill, they moved ahead with slow-moving incompetence driven by concerns for their stock price. The only value that can be pulled from this situation is to do the exact opposite of what BP has done.

 

As far as Hayward's comment that BP's response to the leak "has been a model of good social corporate responsibility", can I be first in line to punch him in the stomach? Anyone saying something as stupid as that needs a good punch in the gut. BP's spill killed and is killing untold numbers of animals, has decimated large sections of the ocean's food web, destroyed local fisheries, and depressed the economies of nearly every town ringing the Gulf of Mexico. In what world is a corporation that does that a "model of good social corporate responsibility"!?

 

I'm glad I won't have to look at any more pictures of his doughy face, but I'm happy that he gets to retire to his big expensive houses and fancy boats. The guy deserves to be tossed in the deepest, darkest, dungeon cell that can be found.