Bad for BP but good for jobs

IT STRIKES me that the intervention in the independence debate by Bob Dudley of BP is not the ringing endorsement of the Union that the media and Alistair Darling make it out to be.

I know he is supposed to look after the interests of his company and shareholders, but “Stay with the Union 
because it is better for BP’s balance sheet” probably won’t convince many voters.

On the other hand, his admission that BP would have to open a head office in Scotland suggests new job opportunities. Jobs in various companies that were moved south or lost completely by “rationalisation” and “maximising shareholder value” could return.

Bob Dudley may not want to see Scotland “drifting away” from the UK because his company will suffer, but if it means jobs returning it sounds like a price worth paying.

T MacInnes, via email