Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 528th 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 (5-11 August, 2018), together with a hand-picked seven you might otherwise have missed. The Golden Dozen will be taking its Summer break for the next two weeks, but will be back with a bumper edition on 2 September.
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 lose Council by-election to the Conservatives in Cornwall by Mark Pack on Mark Pack.
Bad news from the south west.
2. Lib Dems regain control of South Somerset Council by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England.
Thanks to another Conservative joining us.
3. Liberal Democrat General Election review published – and the party habit I disagree with by Mark Pack on Mark Pack.
Mark thinks we should look beyond LDHQ for solutions to our problems.
4. United for change: The latest (and richest) new centre party surfaces by Mark Pack on Mark Pack.
It’s not offering much in the way of philosophy, or leadership, apparently.
5. My Liberator review of “A Very English Scandal” by Jonathan Calder on Liberal England.
What was missing from the portrayal of Jeremy Thorpe?
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. Organ donation and going through the unimaginable by Stace Williams on Stackee
Probably the best thing you will read this week. Stace’s heartbreaking account of her family’s emotions when her younger sister Claire died suddenly and their decision to donate her organs in accordance with her wishes.
7. Why I left the Conservative Party by Sophie Tyrrill on Medium.com.
Welcome to one of our newest members.
8. Have the Liberal Democrats started scapegoating immigrants too? by Jane Chelliah on Feminist Mama.
The controversial migration paper to be debated at Conference sets off alarm bells for Jane.
9. Amid the noise about no deal, a blind Brexit is being put in place by Matthew Green on Thinking Liberal.
If we leave, we won’t have the first clue about what the final trade deal looks like.
10. George Cunningham showed the way by Peter Wrigley on Keynesian Liberal.
Peter looks at the legacy of the former SDP MP who died that month. He got the provision written into the 1979 Scottish Assembly referendum that a Yes vote must be supported by 40% of those entitled to vote.by on .
11. Blogging from New York Part 1 by Jane Chelliah on Feminist Mama.
Jane highlights poverty and homelessness in Trump’s America.
12. Have UKIP in Wales pressed the self destruct button? by Peter Black on Peter Black.
They just get worse and worse.
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