Don’t Boycott BP – Buy BP – Evolution, not Revolution – Editorial by Jamie Gilcig – Cornwall Ontario – June 14, 2010

Cornwall ON – Boycott BP is the buzz word on Facebook and across many minds as the flow of oil continues and the impact on the US coastline is starting to increase.

I spoke at a rally this weekend and what I said is that we need an “Evolution, not Revolution.”   I think that instead of boycotting BP we need to BUY BP, and any company that isn’t a good corporate citizen.

It can be as painless as simply changing your RRSP’s a bit.   I’m hoping that one day in the not too distant future there will be funds exactly built on the premise of having environmentally minded people take over, or have a say in companies by buying up their shares.

Protests only go so far; after all they are only words.  Blowing up things, as was recently done to an RBC branch in Ottawa doesn’t send a message, or at least one that will result in the type of reactions that people with a political goal can really hope to achieve.

BP right now is spending millions on Google and other search engines trying to cover the agenda on the spill.   They are talking about still giving out over $7 BILLION dollars in dividends this week while still not responding the the Obama administration’s demands of funding for a victim’s compensation fund.

BP needs to pay for this crisis.  All of it.   Because they chose and still continue to choose to not drill relief wells at the same time as the major well this crisis is going to forever change our world.   We need to learn from this lesson and frankly whomever made these choices at BP needs to be removed from their position.

We need to make sure that companies like BP do their drilling and activities in the safest way possible.  In the end we pay for it no matter what so we may as well call the shots.

If you really care about this tragedy you do have options.   Your voice is important, and your vote really does count.

BP shares are down over half their price from when their rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.  IF you really want to send them a message buy some BP shares and become an owner and work from within.

Evolution, not Revolution.

Jamie Gilcig – Editor – The Cornwall Free News

What do you think Canada?  You can post your comments below.

5 Comments

  1. Individual share owners have and wil have no impact on BP. Most of the shares are owned by large funds and private investors. This will not change. Boycott BP if you can ever find one of their stations.

  2. Gerry you’re quite right when you suggest large funds own shares, but large funds can be coalesced to have the same impact large funds already do. Also, as a share owner you’re allowed to attend shareholder meetings, get reports and information and work from the inside of the Corporation.

    There are benefits and you have to take the first step and each step when you want to climb a mountain.

    What’s going on the world won’t change quickly. It’s going to take a lot of people a lot of time to make changes a reality.

  3. Some of those large funds have many individual investors who rely on the dividends to suppliment their pensions.

    Boycotts may not last long, people are creatures of habit.

  4. You would love the Venus project

  5. I really hope know-one feels sorry for these bums (BP). They profit like 6 billion per quarter and honestly I hope this spill bankrupts them. But if the cost to BP is to high I suspect they’ll just claim bankruptcy and open under a new name……awww free enterprise.

    As for buying stock in them and thinking you’ll have a say…..I hope you have like a billion dollars kicking around just so you can go to the meetings and say”hey, this is bad”….lol

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