Six of the Best 229

Living on Words Alone is not impressed by a Liberal Democrat letter than raises the spectre of the BNP in an attempt to win votes. Certainly, things have rarely ended happily when Labour has tried this tactic.

Joe Paxton writes on Comment is Free about the experience of being unemployed in Britain today: "The Jobcentre has done nothing but hinder me in my search. When I was asked what qualifications I had, and I told them about my degree, Btecs, A-levels, AS-levels and GCSEs, they responded with "Are you sure? Have you got certificates to prove that?"

"Meanwhile my youngest (5) is being urged by the school to log into the computer at home to hear somebody reading a story to him. Clearly it is considered too much to ask us actually to read to our children ourselves." The Real Blog on the grooming our children to be online drones.

New Public Thinking has been set up in recognition of the fact that (pace the BBC) there are many interesting thinkers to be found outside the walls of the academy.

We Chelsea fans have come round to the idea that the team plays better when Fernando Torres is not in the team, but Alrick Brown has the figures to prove it.

Taking of the beautiful game, The Great Wen reprints a 1972 article about London's football gangs. It casts an unexpected light on the bookies' favourite to be England's next manager.