Reference :- Sky anchor Chris Smith weighed the relative merits of his newly named " greenie elite " fantasists , who would like the planet to be similar to the Garden of Eden , and the wonderful practicality of the retiring CEO of BP , Bob Dudley , who praised the importance of the fossil fuel industry .
Well done Chris . Your worship of Bob Dudley will undoubtedly secure you a place in history .
It was very interesting to hear your predictions regarding the state of the planet in the year 2040 . And how selfless of you to show concern , since you will by then , like me , be a corpse decomposing in a grave nobody visits . But hey , let's not be sad , your presentation today will ensure you a prominent place in the history books , under the heading " spectacular examples of betting the whole bloody farm on the wrong horse ".
My son , Ken junior the environmentalist , has asked me to thank you for eschewing the term "climate vulture " and running with " greenie elites " instead . He feels it has more dignity . But he was quite startled by your worship of Mr Dudley's immense wealth . I couldn't quite understand what he meant , but he laughed and said that talking about Mr Dudley's mega wealth was giving you a
semillon . Don't ask me what that means , it's some kind of wine isn't it ?
And indeed yes , Mr Dudley is worth a packet . It would have been even more , except a shareholder revolt in 2016 resulted in his pay being cut by 8 million quid that year . Apparently almost two thirds of the shareholders thought he was being a tad too greedy .
You might not know this , but Mr Dudley was in charge of BP's American operations when the Deepwater Horizon oil spill happened in 2010 . That little oopsie daysie poured 184 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico . We will never know the full cost of the disaster , and complete recovery from the damage , if it happens , will take decades . The federal court ruled that the accident was caused by gross negligence , and corner cutting to maximise profits . About 25,000 square miles of marine habitat were polluted. Countless fish and birds and sea mammals died . Thousands of fishermen and tourist operators lost their livelihoods . Mr Dudley's pay that year was several million quid .
Since big money numbers give you a thrill , hows this for a whopper ? The direct cost to just BP alone has amounted to over 60 billion quid . Imagine that spent on something useful ?
Anyway Chris , Ken junior wants to leave you with a poem . He says it's not one of his , and has no idea where he read it , but it stuck in his memory . He reckons it has something humbling to say about the worship of wealth and power , and where it gets us . Don't expect too much though Chris , unlike Mr Dudley's obscene wealth , I don't think it will give you a semillon .
A Poem Ken junior thinks he remembers from somewhere . ( Or maybe he made it up )
The jackals howl, the serpents hiss,
In what was once Persepolis .
The fleets of Nineveh and Tyre,
Are down with Davey Jones esquire .
And all the oligarchs and kings ,
And potentates who ruled these things ,
Are dead.
But cheer up, don't be sad ,
Think what a lovely time they had .
Your comrade , Ken
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