Free Republic

The proposed $60bn flotation of Glencore was plunged into a sexism row after the chairman of the world's largest commodities trader claimed young women were a risk to hire because they get married and become pregnant. Vince Cable criticised the remarks by septuagenarian Simon Murray as "unbelievably primitive" and indicated that they could be used to justify any affirmative action in British boardrooms. Murray, who is based in Hong Kong and was only appointed as chairman this month to facilitate the flotation, was forced into a humbling apology after saying that there should not be quotas for women in boardrooms.

Republicans hope a fresh crop of business executives-turned-political candidates can bolster the party’s fortunes in November. In races from California to Ohio, Democrats are targeting several leading GOP candidates who boast long corporate and Wall Street résumés. The Republican campaign committees recruited these candidates because they’re not subject to anti-incumbent anger and many can self-fund their races. Democrats are hoping the anxiety about the economy and the financial bailout will be directed at these corporate executives now seeking office. Two prominent GOP recruits from the business world are California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina (R), who was CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co....

Hewlett-Packard Co. may be the world's largest technology company, but the superlative that better suits it these days is Provider of the World's Strangest Corporate Drama. For two weeks, almost every day has brought revelations of questionable tactics that HP investigators used this year and last to root out who had been describing boardroom deliberations to the media. Corporate intelligence is an old and frequently practiced art, but HP's efforts feel more Watergate than Wall Street. Not only did investigators impersonate board members, employees and journalists to obtain their phone records, but according to multiple reports, they also surveilled an...