Six of the Best 255

On The Libertine Andrew Emmerson addresses the elephant in Liberal Youth's room: "When our Chair wins with only 56 votes and some regional positions only had 3 votes, then it is clear that we have a problem. It is not an insurmountable problem, but one nonetheless that must be addressed. It is obvious that we have lost members since the formation of the coalition, and this will form a part of the low turnout, but, I think more pressingly, is the sheer lack of engagement from the members that we actually have, amongst other things."

"In the past there were up to 19 mills in Bedford Borough along the River Great Ouse. I'm pleased we are reintroducing the good sense of the past and are benefiting from the natural power of the river once again here in Bedford Borough." So says Lib Dem Dave Hodgson - Mayor of Bedford.

I enjoyed the first part of the BBC's "Secret History of Our Streets, which dealt with the redevelopment of Deptford. It was an effective piece of television, calculated to make its viewers angry, but Deptford Misc suggests it told something less than the whole truth.

Life has a telling selection of photographs taken in South Carolina in 1956, when colour segregation was still enforced.

"How can we build the movement to make neighbourhoods, towns and cities more child-friendly? " asks Tim Gill on Rethinking Childhood.

Development of brownfield sites is usually seen as an uncomplicatedly good thing, but BBC Nature reminds us that they are often vital habitats for wildlife. "The diversity arises because only hardy plants can grow in such poor soil. These "tough" wild flowers - such as rosebay willowherb, prickly lettuce and dandelions - thrive precisely because they are not pushed out by swathes of more common weeds that need a more nutrient-rich landscape."