Away from the press releases and news conferences, ‘independent’ US BP-damage payout Tsar Kenneth Feinberg has a further function formally written into his job remit: ‘to minimise lawsuits against the company’.

In his original statement, President Obama said that the $20 billion from BP “will not be controlled by either BP or by the government. It will be put in an escrow account administered by an impartial, independent third party.” But one man cannot be working for wronged clients and the perpetrator at the same time…..right? Unless of course he works for Goldman Sachs, and The Slog can categorically confirm that Feinberg is employed by himself…and the US Treasury Department on this particular mercy mission.

Rum sort of crowd, these lawyers….