Britblog Roundup 223: The one you can claim on expenses

There is no doubt over the topic of the week, but as I am beginning to suffer from indignation fatigue I am leaving MPs' expenses until last.

Good things

First a sad, beautifully written posting from fretmarks:

The bird loves the boy because he is entirely full of joyous, manifest amazement at the bird. The boy just loves the bird because he is a bird. And the birdoole does that chops-fluffed-little-flirting twitch of the head, and the boy does it back. And soon the bird and the boy are both swaying sideways backwards and forwards dancing at each other, although the boy has to shift his grip on the plastic sea lions to cover both ears with his palms, because the bird is so delighted he’s screeching at the top of his lungs.

And:

I tell him that I like his sea lions very much.
He frowns as if he’s assuming upon himself the responsibility of my being one of the elect, and says, ‘lots of people think they are…’ he pauses contemptuously ‘…seals’.
But of course they are sea lions! I say.
Yes, he says.
We glory in the importance of accurate classification.

Day to Day Life of a Very Lazy Gardener considers another good thing: boutique wines from Hungary.

Elsewhere Rod Duncan looks at book launches, Nee Naw at Percy Pigs, and Conservengland celebrates Frankimass.

Diamond Geezer dares to hope that the Euston Arch my be rebuilt one day.

And if you think double entendres are a good thing then you will love Little Frigging in the Wold (Fnarr! Fnarr! Warf! Warf! K-Woo! K-Woo!)


Bad things

Jennie Rigg gets cross about all sorts of wrongs.

More specifically, The (Daily) Maybe reports doubts about the Libertas list for the Euro elections and Penny Red looks at the BNP's attitudes towards women. Brian Barder thinks a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty would be a bad idea.

Ros Scott exposed some housing problems in the House of Lords.

Cruella-Blog takes aim at sexism in the word of work ("We're not victims of biology - we're victims of misogyny.") and, on the f word, Amy Clare replies to "a particularly infuriating article in the Daily Mail about women without children".

Lavengro in Spain looks at attitudes towards homosexuality and finds Britain a not particularly liberal place, with British Muslims less tolerant than their coreligionists in France and Germany.

While 853 takes on something really bad: National Express train services.


Fight of the Week

Craig Murray slams Charles Crawford.

Charles Crawford slams Craig Murray.


Expenses

Having done my best to put it off, here goes.

Pajamas Media offers a view of the scandal from across the Atlantic and Two Doctors add their own analysis from Scotland.

Writing on Liberal Conspiracy, Alan Thomas wants an immediate general election. Paul Evans (also on Liberal Conspiracy) and Amused Cynicism look at ways out of this crisis, and Charles Crawford examines the impact of information technology on the political system.

Amused Cynicism has some proposals too.

Quaequam Blog! thinks one MP has been unfairly treated, while Mr Eugenides thinks that Nadine Dorries has been the author of her own misfortunes.

Peter Black is transfixed by the saga of Peter Hain's aga.


Next week

Next week's Roundup will be in the care of Suz Blog.

Please send your nominations, as ever, to britblog [at] gmail [dot] com.