Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 415th 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 April, 2015), together with a hand-picked quintet, 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. Lib Dems publish constituency poll for Jo Swinson putting her marginally ahead of SNP (but within margin of error)  by Mark Pack  on Mark Pack .
Cautiously good news for Jo, but a long way still to go.

2. For the benefit of Michael Crick – why Nick Clegg wasn’t at the Challengers’ Debate by Stephen Tall on Stephen Tall.
It’s not that he didn’t want to be, that’s for sure.

3. SNP candidate says “Politicians are a fair target for community justice and why that scares me by me on Caron’s Musings .
A glimpse of the febrile atmosphere in Scotland.

4. Former MP for Montgomeryshire is a fruitcake by  Jonathan Calder on Liberal England.
Not what you are thinking.

5. How things took an unexpected turn when Lib Dem chief exec Tim Gordon went canvassing by Mark Pack  on Mark Pack.
A case of mistaken identity.

6. Former Tory candidate in Sheffield Hallam backs Nick Clegg  by Mark Pack  on Mark Pack.
An interesting turn of events.

7. Why does our mayor think he is entitled to £4500 a year for doing nothing? by Richard Kemp on But what does Richard Kemp think?
“Immoral” and “hypocritical” are strong words. Are they justified?.

And now to the five blog-posts that come highly recommended, regardless of the number of Aggregator click-throughs they attracted. To nominate a Lib Dem blog article published in the past seven days – your own, or someone else’s, all you have to do is drop a line to [email protected]. You can also contact us via Twitter, where we’re @libdemvoice

8. Opinions I am sick of hearing: a short list by Jennie Rigg on Nothing is more important than my egomania.
I am sure we could add to Jennie’s list…

9. Far from the campaign trail: is decent politics to be drowned out by the vilest common denominator?  by Mark Valladares on The View from Creeting St Peter.
Nobody is covering the good stuff, says Mark

10. If Cameron accepts the Sun’s endorsement, he’s endorsing Katie Hopkins’ hate by Nick Barlow on What you can get away with.
Her article describing human beings in need as “feral” and “cockroaches” didn’t appear by magic – the editorial team considered it acceptable

11. Election choices by Cicero on Cicero’s Songs.
“I just want to hear the Liberal Democrats articulate their distinctive vision of freedom and fairness in a way that connects- because the consequences of the eclipse of the Liberal Democrats will be far more serious for Britain than all but the most prescient commentators now suggest.”

12. Day 5217: Church of Thatchiary Manifesto by Richard Flowers on The very fluffy diary of Millennium Dome, Elephant .
The awful ideas in the Tory manifesto show how much the Liberal Democrats have held them back.

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

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* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social