Tony Hayward, Former BP CEO, Addresses Cambridge Union, Says More Dumb Things

Last night, former BP CEO Tony Hayward addressed the students of Cambridge University at the Cambridge Union Society, about that whole "destroying the Gulf Of Mexico" thingy that happened all last summer. Did he take the opportunity to launch his much-needed, 2010 "I've Decided To Just Stop Talking" Tour? Sadly, no. Once again, Hayward fretted about being unprepared for the "alarmist media reporting" and "strident media" tone, which, as I noted earlier, was a strange contention, given that the one thing BP really, really, really seemed prepared to do was combat the media.

Apparently, at least one member of the venerable debating society was willing to get alarmist and strident:

According to Hayward, the damage to the Gulf of Mexico has turned out to be much less than it was feared and reported in the press. At one point he said, "All of the oil is now gone."

When pressed by a student to explain his assertion that the oil had disappeared, Hayward launched into a technical discussion about the abundance of bacteria in the Gulf of Mexcio, which combined with chemical dispersants, had caused the oil to break up very quickly.

As it turns out, Hayward's contention really depends on what your definition of "gone" is.

Hayward also spoke about his personal role in the crisis, particularly regarding the coverage he has received in the United States. According to him, he became a "target of universal hate" and "the most hated man in America."

However, Hayward appears to have brushed off the criticism, saying "Life doesn't always work out the way you planned it."

Then again, when you're racking up the safety violations at BP's brisk clip, sometimes the way life works out is a direct result of your planning. Still, Hayward seems pretty sanguine about the whole thing, saying, "The biggest lesson I learned was how to manage expectations." I guess that narrowly beat out the lessons he learned on how to calculatedly obfuscate the amount of oil your company belched into the Gulf of Mexico.

RELATED:
Former BP CEO criticises "strident" media at Cambridge Union appearance [Varsity]

PREVIOUSLY, on the HUFFINGTON POST:
Hayward: BP Was Unprepared For 'Media Scrutiny'

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Comments

[rfstevens]

05:35 AM on 12/04/2010

Oh, he thinks the news media is the reason I will not be inviting him over to dinner anytime soon.

[Balensiefen progressive]

08:21 PM on 11/17/2010

I'm glad it was a growth experience for you Hayward, you narcissistic dbag!

[sallu]

01:09 AM on 11/16/2010

Liar.

[Genders]

08:02 PM on 11/14/2010

All your creditability is long gone.

[Lisa Troup]

12:06 PM on 11/12/2010

I DEMAND A CITIZENS ARREST,ON THE GROUNDS THAT THIS MAN COMMITTED CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY...HE IS AN ECO-TERRORIST(Thru his negligance,,and inneptitude)...and needs to stand trial...He is the most hated man in America....and will never be pardoned BY the PEOPLE..He may have bought our President, with his $77,501 Campaign Finance "contribution"(Read;BRIBE)...but he will forever more be a criminal in our eyes..He ,AND BP.....O;(

[Leviathan21]

04:18 PM on 11/12/2010

I didn't know that foreign citizens could donate money in elections here.

[Congo Line]

12:09 AM on 11/13/2010

They can't. This is a lie.

[ThatsTheTheWayItIs]

10:53 AM on 11/12/2010

Haywood has free-speech rights like anyone else. He was an employee of BP, he worked there. Stockholders own corporations, elect the Board. The CEO works for the Board, reports to stockholders.

I assume he and the other BP employees are sick of being excoriated for the work they did, while the majority of the profit they made went to stockholders who did nothing for it, and took no blame.

Stockholders must enjoy the public focus on Haywood, he makes a good scapegoat. We can blame it on him, not BP, just what the rich want us to do. I'm surprised HuffPost chooses to indulge them.

[Binro the Heretic]

11:44 AM on 11/12/2010

Perhaps you could provide a list of stockholders names? I would LOVE to focus on them.

[ThatsTheTheWayItIs]

12:20 PM on 11/12/2010

Here's the best part: you don't have to, they already got hit where it hurts. BP stock is now worth half what it was before the spill. Stockholders lost half their money. The bigger the stockholder, the more they lost. Capitalism does have some justice in it.

[rtb61]

02:28 AM on 11/14/2010

Corporate CEOs are universally running their companies into the ground to run up bonuses and increase this quarters profits regardless of the consequences. Clearly it is insane to penalise share holders for getting ripped off by corrupt corporate executives.
The reality is until corrupt corporate executives start going to prison for the crimes their decisions perpetrate, including the death of customers and employees, as well a harmfully medical conditions across the broader community and of course destruction of the environment, you will see no change.
You want to target influential personal investors, don't worry a corporate executive looking at life imprisonment will soon enough drop a dime on them for a reduced sentences.

[FabulousAt52]

10:37 AM on 11/12/2010

Just to be perfectly clear, Tony... I still hate you (and BP)

[kareemachan]

01:55 PM on 11/15/2010

And the oil IS still here.

[calhar]

03:17 PM on 11/15/2010

I tend to agree with you.This clown is either trying his best to minimize the damage cover it up, a lier or don't know if s**t rolls down hill.I have very serious doubts that all of the oil has been cleaned up.Barrels and barrels of oil leaked from that well before it was closed and for some reason it was supposedly cleaned up awfully fast..Personally i think these so called dispersments only mixed with the oil and settled at the bottom of the gulf.Where are these tar balls coming from that keep washing up on the beach.

[SimJack]

09:54 AM on 11/12/2010

And the rest of the story. The promoter of 'The Summer of Sludge' is pregnant and will give a virgin birth in a Santa suit on live TV to PetroJesus on Dec. 25.

[Cannabag]

09:32 AM on 11/12/2010

Have another Tony!

[seabelly]

09:26 AM on 11/12/2010

Oh yes, now I see it - HE'S the victim here. I have been blind, but now the scales have dropped from my eyes. I'm going out right now to send Mr. Hayward a muffin basket with a note of apology. I know, I know - it's not much, but it's a start. Later, I'll see about whipping up a Free Bernie Madoff campaign. After all, if Tony Hayward's a victim, then Bernie Madoff's a martyr.

[Vivian Alicia Evans]

10:28 PM on 11/12/2010

I love "if Tony Hayward's a victim, then Bernie Madoff's a martyr." I wish I had been in the audience when he tried to spin his yarn.

[den1953]

09:17 AM on 11/12/2010

Don't be to hard on poor Tony Hayward he spent at least 5 days in the Gulf during that disaster and sniffing those fumes from all those chemicals and that oil itself, has him a wee bit punch drunk yet, not to worry he will only suffer from minor bouts of BP amnesia for a few more years!

[RedneckSamurai]

09:15 AM on 11/12/2010

We're sorry, we're really sorry

[MohammedAbbasi]

09:02 AM on 11/12/2010

I think most of these energy company bosses, bankers and assorted money worshipping maniacs need to be shunned publically by all people around the globe - there needs to be a peaceful 'resistance' against such people so they can be made to realise they are effecting others negatively

[Binro the Heretic]

11:42 AM on 11/12/2010

HEAR, HEAR!

[fwwest]

08:53 AM on 11/12/2010

All the oil in the gulf is gone and the sun rises in the South and sets in the north!

[MNKen]

10:52 AM on 11/12/2010

Yep. As soon as the republicans gained seats in the mid-terms, they did just what they said they would do...they turned the country around.

[sycodon]

08:43 AM on 11/12/2010

From deep within the WaPo:

"White House edits stain its reliance on science"

"...the White House edited a drilling safety report in a way that made it falsely appear that scientists and experts supported the administration's six-month ban on new deep-water drilling. "

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101110/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill