Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 476th weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere … Featuring the five most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator together with a hand-picked seven you might otherwise have missed. This week’s covers the two weeks from 2 April as we had our Easter holidays last week. Or at least, I couldn’t drag myself off the beach in time to do it.

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

1. Labour is fighting only 35 out of 74 seats in Shropshire by Jonathan Calder  on Liberal England.
Further evidence of the demise of Labour in rural England.

2. Council by-elections: It’s time again for the headline that readers don’t like by Mark Pack on Mark Pack.
Two by-elections and we didn’t stand a candidate in either. Mark isn’t happy.

3. A week in the life of Labour demonstrates exactly why they are on course to lose hundreds of Council seats next month by Nick Tyrone on nicktyrone.com.
Nick looks at Labour’s policy pronouncements and doesn’t see anything sensible.

4. UKIP may be dying but could a viable opposition party emerge from the right of the Tories by Nick Tyrone on micktyrone.com.
Nick sees an unresolvable conflict between two right wing schools of thought.

5. Taking children out of school and the death of fabianism by David Boyle on The Real Blog.
Flexibility is required in this age.

And now to the seven 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

6. FCC Report from the 11th April meeting by Jennie Rigg on That’s not what you said in the Jeffries tube.
Jennie’s report from the FCC meeting with all the feedback from York and sad news for those of us who love it as a Conference venue.

7.  Political reform may be dull, but it’s vital for a fair, successful society by Dave Gorman on Liberalism5.
It’s not geekery – it’s relevant to everyone.

8.  Shropshire Tories scrap election leaflet and apologise to Oz mental health charity by Andy Boddington on Andy Boddington
Embarrassment for the Tories in Shropshire.

9. Today I am going to Manchester by Jennie Rigg on That’s not what you said in the Jeffries tube .
Jennie’s take on what Jackie Pearcey could bring to Parliament

10. Brexit – free movement of people extended – BINO by Louise Ankers on From one of the jilted generation.
Could there be some light at the end of the Brexit Tunnel?.

11. Day 5932: The Firebird and the Dragon by Richard Flowers on The very fluffy diary of Millennium Dome, Elephant.
A story of hope after rArticle 50 was triggered.

12.  Trans politicians, part 3, 2010-2016 by Zoe O’Connell  on Complicity.
Bringing the series up to date.

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