Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 496th 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 (19-25 November, 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. Darren Grimes, Liberator and Liberal Democrat Voice by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England.
So we published an article from a then party member supporting Norman Lamb’s leadership campaign in 2015. How were we supposed to know he was going to become a Brexiteer embroiled at the centre of an Electoral Commission probe? It’s worth noting that most of the LDV team supported Tim Farron in the leadership election but the site remained neutral.

2. Shouldn’t “no deal” brexiteers by celebrating the Irish obstructing the next round of negotiations? by Nick Tyrone on NickTyrone.com.
It should play into their hands but they don’t seem too chuffed.

3. Electoral Commission re-opens investigation into Vote Leave spending by Mark Pack on Mark Pack.
There are a lot of questions over Brexiteers’ spending.

4. Budget: the liberal dog that hasn’t barked by Iain Brodie-Browne on Birkdale Focus.
Why does nobody talk about employee ownership any more?

5. I had thought that by the time I reached my 50s the bullying would stop by Helen Belcher on Challenging Journeys, Phase 2.
A heartbreaking post and essential reading to understand the harmful impact of the anti-transgender nonsense that has such free rein in the national press.

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.  Attention any Lib Dems thinking of submitting motions for Spring Conference by Jennie Rigg on I spend ages hanging around the Rue Morgue in a gorilla suit and what do I get?
Jennie giving you lots of notice to get your act together.

7. So, Kezia’s going on a tv show. Why all the fuss? by Andrew Page on A Scottish Liberal.
It’s fine to have a debate about it, but can we stop with all the vile abuse, says Andrew.

8. Mums, you are your child’s foremost storytellers, not Sleeping Beauty by Jane Challiah on Feminist Mama.
It’s great to highlight hte issues with the Sleeping Beauty story, but our kids are always going to hear things that conflict with our values and we can deal with that by what we teach them.

9. Period poverty on trans day of remembrance by Jen Yockney on Either/And.
Why it’s important to watch our language around this sensitive issue.

10. Twitter: Sometimes you learn the hard way by Mark Valladares on Liberal Bureaucracy.
An unpleasant experience causes Mark to reflect on the nature of debate in this country

11. In praise of offshore tax havens by Cicero on Cicero’s Songs.
Food for thought on some blatant hypocrisy in this debate.

12. Labour front bench unites with Tories in pro-Brexit vote by Peter Black on Peter Black.
Reminding people that Labour are as responsible for the Tories for the disastrous situation we are now in.

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