I just can’t quite figure it out.

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Conservative leader condemns equipment for troops in Afghanistan as poll reveals public backs conflict

So reads the subtext below the headline on the front page of the Guardian on-line.

For me this is stunning news. The public ‘back’ the conflict. This reads as if most people (and I define ‘most’ as being the largest group) agree with the war in Afghanistan. Well, don’t you?

But, then, when you get to the article, this part appears:

>Opposition to the war, at 47%, is just ahead of support, at 46%, according to the ICM poll for the Guardian and the BBC’s Newsnight.

Hmm. So, in this poll, it seems most people were opposed to the war. I suppose the 7 percent missing were ‘undecided’ but I’m not sure this counts as support, does it? Certainly, the people actually supporting it were only slightly less than those opposing it and, if you add on the 7 percent of missing persons, then you get over half – but supporting it?

It just doesn’t read quite right to me.

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