Welcome to this edition of the Roundup (which should have been out last Sunday – apologies) – you can contribute to the next by emailing nominations to britblog AT gmail DOT com.

A big week for the students, and blogging about students. Jim on The Daily (Maybe) did a roundup of coverage, and was there himself, there’s academic solidarity on An Open Letter by a Feminist,
while Harpy Marx is frustrated with Ed Miliband, and Richard Osley has picked out a young leader.

Elsewhere on the political side, Ed Miliband is in trouble again, this time for the promotion of baby formula, Jeff on Better Nation suggests Scotland may need an austerity plan (on which Molly on Gaian Economics has a view.)

The week also saw UN International Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls day.
On Sian and the Crooked Rib, there’s disgust at the reaction of Bristol Council worthies to an exhibition by women survivors of violence.

Elsewhere, The Magistrate comments on a tragic court case, and Charles Crawford has a salutory warning for public speakers.

It’s pleasing that the strength of local (and hyper-local) blogs is growing all of the time, providing a quality of coverage that many local newspapers probably never did, and certainly don’t do now. Diamond Geezer has a warning of Olympic travel difficulties, 853 is wondering who should run Greenwich Park, West Hampstead Life is concerned his locality has missed out on a typeface,

On The F-Word, a powerful demonstration of the power of stereotypes. On Random Acts of Reality, an explanation of why health workers may get sick a lot.

On the arts side, Camden Kiwi has seen A Dog’s Heart.

That’s all for this week – the next host, possibly quite soon! – is The Wardman Wire.

Yes, it is the political conference season, but before I get into all of that, something different – an interview by Cath Redfern on The F Word with blogger/writer Zoe Margolis, on her new book about her experience of being a reluctant celebrity.

But back to those politics – for the Green Party conference I’ve only got to point to one post, Jim’s pretty well comprehensive blog roundup. Although he did write it before I’d had the chance to record our excellent fringe with a speaker from the English Collective of Prostitutes and a Manchester street worker, so I’m going to take the host’s privilege to point to that post now.

Ongoing now is of course what an independent observer would consider a fascinating if uncomfortable conference, that of the Lib Dems. Jonathan on Liberal England, sometime host of this roundup, is, I’m surprised to find, in New York, but he’s got some thoughts on Labour’s claim to be scooping up Lib Dem members. (And before conference blogging MP Lynne Featherstone followed through the unlamented end of ID cards.)

There’s a promise you might want to note about the universal postal service, on Caron’s Musings, and David blogging at Disgruntled Radical has thoughts on the emergency motion process, and a plea for the Trident motion.

More no doubt on next week’s roundup…

Looking back, Brian Barder has been reading the chapter on Kosovo in Tony Blair’s autobiography. He says “not to allow the perversely distorted and self-serving account offered by Mr Blair to become the accepted wisdom.” There are lessons for the future. And looking forward Jeff on Better Nation wonders what “Labour leader Ed Milliband” would mean for Scotland.

You might have also noted that a religious leader, and head of a minor little statelet, has been visiting Britain this week. Onionbagblog has an eyewitness account, with copious pics, of a little covered part of the visit. Stroppyblog has been “taking a pop at the Pope” (and those who can’t understand why he’s an issue). While Cruella is questioning the BBC’s news priorities.

Back to women’s issues, fairy godfather of the roundup, Tim Worstall, offers his views on maternity pay mandated by the European Union. Regular readers of this blog are likely to be well aware of my likely reaction – but that’s one of the pleasures of this roundup – everyone’s welcome (and if you want to nominate something you read this week the email address is britblog AT gmail DOT com.)

And All that Chas, who I suspect might have a good debate with Tim, has been watching The Wright Stuff (which I gather from Google is a TV show, although curiously the website doesn’t seem to say which channel) and getting (I’d judge rightly) very, very annoyed.

For more great blogging like that, Cath Elliott has compiled The Missing List, a great collection of feminist bloggers who somehow always seem to get left of lists of political blogs.

Away from the political world, Sharon on Early Modern Notes has been revelling in the pleasures of Twitter, not just for historians, and Earthwitch has been ruminating on the trouble with perfectionism.

And on the science side, John Hawks isn’t writing from the UK, but I’m going to use this post on the UK debate over cousin marriage as an excuse to point to his excellent blog, a must-read if you’re at all interested in human evolution, and lots of other genetics issues.

For an entirely defensible form of vigilantism, I rather think the Stroud “catch a plonker” campaign, as documented by Ruscombe Green, might catch on.

But we might worry about how the probation service might treat offenders, after reading the excellent newish On Probation blog, by a self-billed “ordinary probation officer”. Also from inside the justice system, The Magistrate explains George Michael’s sentence.

And finally on the lighter side, as the news bulletins say, Richard Osley has an account of north London’s most important sporting encounter last week, the Camden New Journal versus Camden Labour – Alastair Campbell looms large in more ways than one…

If that sounds too hard to stomach, you might enjoy a short visit to Jubilee Market Hall in Covent Garden with Ornamental Passions instead.

That’s all for this week – don’t forget those nominations (britblog AT gmail DOT com) for Matt Wardman next week.

I can make a claim to fame for this edition of the roundup unlikely, I suspect, to be repeated soon: it is being written by a parliamentary candidate three days before the general election (oh, and I’ve got an important council election to worry about too).

But I can at least make the claim to not be the sort of political candidate who just takes up blogging for the election…

You’ll forgive me, I hope, if I’m on the brief side. But I’m following the usual rule of taking all nominations, whether than I agree with them or not, as I’m sure you’ll see.

So I suppose, given the date, I have to start with politics – and a very fine post from Brian Barder. You’ll see a lot of notes on a well-hung parliament over the next few days, but once you’ve read this you won’t need any others.

For something different, Mary Beard has been looking at ancient Roman political gaffes, and Chicken Yoghurt has been looking inside David Cameron’s head, and Sunny on Pickled Politics has been looking into the religion of Phillipa Stroud.

Considering the issues, Jim on The Daily (Maybe) explores immigration, Gaian Economics offers some alternative thoughts on debt, and on practical politics Two Doctors look at a Scottish attempt to raise the minimum wage.

Then proving I’m doing this impartially, I go to the Britblog founder Tim Worstall for his defence of markets (which might have something to do with Tory education policy, and Heresy Corner explores the strengths of Gordon Brown.

Not really a lot of nominations this week; I suspect it might have something to do with lots of our regular participants doing politics rather than reading or writing about it.

In the not quite politics category comes this report from Waking Hereward on a poll on the anthem to be played for English victories at the next Commonwealth Games. It’s a call for action.

And more seriously, on the F Word Sarah Jackson blogs about Education for Choice an organisation that looks likely to be even more necessary in the new parliament.

And Neil Craig is concerned about the killing power of Chinese submarines.

But for something completely different, you could go cycling in Bahrain. You might think flat desert – easy. But you’d have forgotten about the headwinds…

And you might think of the Middle Ages as all muck and mud – that’s until you read Elizabeth Chadwick’s account of the Empress Matilda’s bling. You might think MPs expenses are bad, but royalty’s were a great deal worse…

So that’s it for the Britblog until after the election. Odds on its being filled with debate out how to untangle a hanged parliament? Ladbroke’s it would appear, has closed the book on that.

Welcome to this weekly roundup – you might have noticed there’s an election almost on, so to start this week, a look at some of the events you might not have read about in a weekend one-story deluge…

Plaid Cymru had its pre-election conference. Welsh Ramblings was focusing on the coverage of the public sector, particularly pay, while the Monmouth Blog has been celebrating some excellent media coverage for its MPs.

The Green Party has also had its conference over the weekend (declaration of interest, I was heavily involved) and on Green Despatches you can find a roundup of the blogging action. It was backing the “Robin Hood tax” – something that A Very British Dude has strong feelings about, as does the Britblog’s founder, Tim Worstall.

The Devil’s Kitchen is less than impressed with the Pirate Party and its view of copyright issues.

Now I suppose there are some other parties that I should cover, so let’s start cheerfully, with the way James Purnell didn’t resign, although how a guest blogger on The Socialist Way thought he should have.

Turning on the Tories, on Mark Reckons there’s an account of the woes of the soon-to-be ex-MP Andrew Mackay. And Cath Elliot on Too Much To Say for Myself has some scathing thoughts about a slightly misplaced – one spot only – decimal point in the Conservative figures on teen pregnancy.

Also related to politics, Mr Eugenides is less than impressed by Scottish rail workers, on The Melangerie, Phil is concerned about the definition of Hooverite economics, and Jonathan Calder on Liberal England mixed nostalgia, a damp suit and a bit of politics to pleasant effects as he reflects on the Market Harborough swimming pool.

Neil on A Place to Stand looks a little further afield, towards the former Irish Tiger, suggesting the economics may not be as bad as suggested, and Laura on The F-Word has been contemplating a government move to allow faith schools to opt out of effective sex education.

Now there’ll be plenty more where that came from for the next ten weeks, so let’s get right away from politics to explore the weird and wonderful range of British blogging topics.

Starting with something completely different, Airminded, subtitled “Airpower and British society, 1908-1941 (mostly)”, hosts the military history carnival. And Elizabeth Chadwick has been revisiting the surprisingly short siege of Framlingham Castle – in 1216, in case you were wondering…

Penny Red is reflecting on what you need to do now to get into journalism, while Greener Leith is reflecting on what you need to do to get a phone box removed (and maybe one day the bin too!)

Barkingside 21 is working to save access to local history and Chris on Capital Nature is counting London birds.

Diamond Geezer has been visiting the real Albert Square and the Onion Bag Blog has dropped in on the new year celebrations in China Town.

And that’s all for this week…. host next week will, I believe, be Matt Wardman.

You might be surprised by some of the links here: the way the Britblog works is that nominations are made, and the host is generally obliged to use them – and to use them without undue editorial bias.