2 Big stories

Afghanistan set for run-off ballot:

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, will bow to international pressure today and concede that he did not win a clear ­majority in Afghanistan’s bitterly contested election, and also accept there should be a second round of voting.

Top brass take on BNP:

The Armed Forces are in danger of being hijacked by far-right extremists “for their own dubious ends”, a group of former generals warn today.

The British National Party is tarnishing the Forces’ reputation by associating itself with the sacrifices of servicemen, they write. They highlight fears within military circles that the party is exploiting their public standing.

2 Must-read Posts

Jennie Rigg wondered where all the women bloggers are:

To take an example closer to home, Lib Dem Voice has a daily feature where they link to two notable news stories and two blog posts they feel are worth recommending. The two blog posts are nearly always both by male posters. The people who write the feature are nearly all male. Men link to men.

I think Lib Dem Voice simply links to self-registered Lib Dem blogs and there is a bigger problem about macho tribalist party politics being dominated by men…

Meanwhile, fresh from his public recognition, Giles Wilkes offered the CBI some economic advice:

This is a DEMAND recession. More credit for the credit constrained would be nice. Particulary for the poor who normally lack the ability to smooth consumption, and therefore cut back the msot. But it is not the only problem.

And what have the CBI proposed? Cutting demand.