Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 494th 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 (22-28 October, 2017), together with a hand-picked seven 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. No mates MP and her Italian Job by Jonathan Wallace on Jonathan Wallace.
The MP who slagged off a Tory for missing a debate – and then jetted off to Venice while Parliament was sitting.

2. Could the Liberal Democrats win a Sheffield Hallam by-election? by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England.
Well, there might be a chance.

3. On O’Mara, social media and being invited onto Newsnight by Andrew Brown on The Widow’s World.
Could social media scrutiny damage diversity in Parliament?

4. More council seats than wards up for election this week by Mark Pack on Mark Pack.
One ward has a double vacancy – and the Lib Dems almost manage a full slate across the country.

5. Why I didn’t apply to Oxbridge by Maelo Manning on Lib Dem Child aged 17.
Not exactly a bastion of diversity in their outlook or the courses they offer.

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. Today’s transphobia by Helen Belcher  on Challenging Journeys (Phase 2).
Let’s hope the BBC learns from Helen’s feedback.

7. Guido Fawkes was 46 when he used the word “Mong” by Jane Chelliah on Feminist Mama
A reminder, as if we needed it, that Guido is no champion of marginalised groups..

8. I’d like to talk about Michael Gove and Humpty and Kinnock on the Today Programme by Jennie Rigg on I spend ages hanging around the Rue Morgue in a Gorilla Suit and what do I get?.
Gove is taking the flack, but the others are just as bad. An insight into why women don’t report sexual assault.

9. Cicero Redux by Cicero on Cicero’s Songs.
A comparison between the bright future of Estonia and the political and economic darkness here.

10. Twitter’s confusion over what Asian means by Jane Chelliah on Feminist Mamas.
Jane gets more than she bargained for when trying to find the right Twitter audience.

11. Wales’ growing homelessness crisis  by Peter Black on Peter Black
Peter looks at the reasons Wales is experiencing such a surge in homelessness.

12. Someone on Twitter asked “What would happen if Brexit were cancelled?” by Jennie Rigg on I spend ages outside the Rue Morgue in a gorilla suit and what do I get?.
Jennie feels some existential terror about what some angry Leavers might do.

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