Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 206th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere … Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (23rd -29th January, 2011), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed.

Don’t forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging.

As ever, let’s start with the most popular post, and work our way down:

1. Telegraph exclusive: NICK CLEGG DEFECTS by Sara Bedford on Always win when you’re singing.
The Telegraph reads something into @Nick_Clegg’s tweets.

2. Instead of paper candidate, Tories put up poster candidate in Wales by Charlotte Henry on Virtually Naked.
“I’ve never voted Tory before…”

3. Daily Mail Fail of the Day – as they expose wife beating ways of their pet gay basher by Caron Lindsay on Caron’s Musings.
Who’s the “guardian of the nation’s morality” now?

4. Who did Mike Moore describe as “annoying as Hell” at Dunfermline dinner? by Caron Lindsay on Caron’s Musings.
Caron gives the inside track from Dunfermline Lib Dems’ Annual Dinner.

5. Nick Clegg on Andrew Marr – gorging bankers, Ed’s dinosaurs, Coulson, VAT and disproving prophets of doom by Caron Lindsay on Caron’s Musings.
Caron’s commentary – sofaside, in her pyjamas…

6. The sad case of Lord Taylor of Warwick by Paul Walter on Liberal Burblings.
On Lord Taylor’s conviction for expenses fraud.

7. Paint and the Alternative Vote on Mark Thompson’s blog.
Auf Wiedersehen First Past the Post?

And now to the five blog-posts that come highly recommended, regardless of the number of Aggregator click-throughs they attracted. These are normally chosen using the LibDig bookmarking website for party members, the site where you can highlight blog-posts you want to share with your fellow Lib Dems. Remember, though, you’re still more than welcome to nominate for the Golden Dozen a Lib Dem blog article published in the past seven days – your own, or someone else’s – using the steam-powered method of e-mail … all you have to do is drop a line to [email protected].

8. Children and the surveillance state: Will the Coalition keep its word? by Terri Dowty on Liberal England.
“A guest post on Jonathan Calder’s blog. While progress has been made at hacking them back, it seems the tentacles of the database state are still creeping outwards under the Coalition.” (Submitted by Niklas Smith via LibDig.)

9. Surely it’s too early to tell on the economy? on Mark Thompson’s blog.
“A measured response to the Q4 GDP figures.” (Submitted by oneexwidow via LibDig.)

10. Why I’m getting married today! on Andrew Reeves’ Running Blog.
A touching and personal post by Andrew – congratulations to the happy couple.

11. Katie Hopkins doesn’t speak for women everywhere. Feminists recoil in terror at her Question Time ramblings. on The Rambles of Neil Monnery.
“We are all allowed opinions folks but one person never speaks for another unless you ask them to.”

12. Alliance Party Conference 2011 by Keith McGrellis on “in Keith’s mind…”
Keith reports back from the party’s 41st conference.

And that’s it for another week. Happy blogging ‘n’ reading ‘n’ nominating.

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