Joe Otten's very funny insta-response to Ed Miliband's Labour conference speech.

Very perceptive article by the Guardian's Martin Kettle looking at the wider implications of the Tories' decision to veto Lords reform, and the Lib Dems' decision to retaliate on boundary changes.

Jonathan Calder's thoughts on Michael Gove's GCSE announcement: "Just as with health, we Liberal Democrats give the impression that we have arrived in power after 90 years in the wilderness with no higher ambition that maintaining the status quo. We need to do better than that."

An imaginary conversation. In every way possible.

"... if we are heading for electoral disaster I am still proud of our time in office" - a controversial but brave verdict on the 2012 local elections.

Nailing a myth from the Tory right.

A sound post: "The problem within the party as well as with the electorate is the uncertainty. The party activists aren’t used to having any power and when you have only a whiff of it and are unable to do everything then you feel like you are only going backwards."

Well worth reading. I don't agree with every word, but there's a lot of serious, sober analysis here.

"Labour opposed every single move towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender equality before they were for it." An unusually pithy sentence for Alex ;)

This > '... a lack of ideology is the weakness of the Liberal Democrats. When asked what we stand for we tend to talk about individual liberty, but we have tended to combine that with a fear of going against the sort of policies that receive warm words from Guardian editorials. It is now wonder that proves an awkward combination when it is put under pressure.'