Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #326

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 326th 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 (12-18 May, 2013), 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. UKIP’s new councillors: the implosion begins by Simon Titley on Liberator’s Blog .
You might want to get that vetting procedure in place, Nigel.

2. Smiling assasin Gove skewers Oakeshott and Cable by Charlotte Henry on Digital Politico.
“The consummate performance certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons.” says Charlotte

3. Cornwall Council leadership will be without the Conservatives by Alex Folkes on A Lanson Boy.
Alex tells the story of how the Conservatives counted themselves out.

4. In praise of Nigel Farage by Dan Falchikov on Living on words alone.
It’s a long time since I heard the phrase “malingering Trots”.

5. Four Tory Councillors quit in Merton by Mark Pack on Mark Pack.
Because of backstabbing and duplicity apparently. So the malaise isn’t confined to Westminster, then.

6. Liberal Democrats should welcome, and call for, a referendum on Europe, not to mention the UK by Andy Crick on Andy Crick.
Our entire constitutional settlement in these island and abroad needs a full debate and choices to be made, says Andy.

7. Tory minister has to remind senior Liberal Democrat what equality is about by Jaekay on Freedom is not the problem.
Jae is frustrated by Simon Hughes’ pronouncements.

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. Send a gun boat by Cicero on Cicero’s Songs.
A worrying analysis of how conflict in Asia could destabilise international relations across the world.

9. #LibDemExercise #toptips byAndrew Brown on The Widow’s World.
Get fit the Liberal Democrat way…

10. Mad swivel-eyed loons? Think before you laugh by Simon Titley on Liberator’s Blog.
It’s not as if successive Liberal Democrat leaders have treated our activists with respect, after all, argues Simon.

11. Facebook won’t win you an election by Rebecca Tidy on Polichic .
It can be useful, but no substitute for getting out and talking to voters in the real world.

12=. Does the UK suffer by not taking part in the Eurovision semi finals? by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England and In response to Jonathan Calder by Sam Phripp on So Sam said.
I heard Eurovision described as Liberal Democrat Christmas yesterday, so it’s perhaps fitting to have a debate on the subject. Only thing is, I think Sam needs to get his crystal ball checked.

Finally, as a wee bonus, because I know how much you like trains, Jonathan Calder covers the revival of the Lynton to Barnstaple railway.

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

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