Records and revelatiosn

SO. Time to take this seriously. Which means researching. I start off by declining Harriet's email asking me to take part in a q&a as it is at 2.30pm on a Monday in the School Holidays when most women, Harriet, are either at work or in a park/museum/play area wearily refusing a request for yet more sweets and wondering if 4am is too early for the first glass of wine....(no is obviously the answer, not in school holidays). My plan involves reading each candidates website in depth and watching some hustings on the labour website but severe lack of time means all I have managed so far is sending friend requests to the Milibands on Facebook. Ed has agreed, David, at this moment, has not. This could prove costly DM.
Instead I have taken a short cut and have used "They work for you" drawing up a nice little grid of voting histories and expenses. Ed wins the expenses race hands down coming in at 578 narrowly beating big brother at 569. Diane and Andy are also respectable but I was surprised to see Ed Balls was 199th. Could do better Mr Balls. Voting records are a bit of a shock and a wake up call that passionate as they all say they are about change they are all part of an establishment that made some pretty big mistakes. They attack the Con-Dems on education and health but both Eds voted to give schools more autonomy with only Diane disagreeing and David and Andy were both for Foundation hospitals with Diane again the only one to vote against. None of them voted for climate reform bills, all the men want to replace Trident and none wanted a more transparent Parliament or an enquiry into Iraq. On the plus side they were all pro smoking and hunting bans and Lords reform and strongly for Gay Rights.
Most disappointingly for me none of them were out right against ID cards and only Diane (again) was against the anti terrorism legislation. Not one of them openly rebelled against any party decision in the last Parliament. This does make their claims of change, new thinking and a new way slightly unbelievable.
Meanwhile the return to the eighties vibe I get whenever I switch on the news was reinforced with a trip to see Pet Shop Boys in Newcastle and a reminder that at least the last Tory government inspired some great music. My Twitter fear is intensifying with new followers to replace those that have dumped me and even some retweeting of my words of wisdom which is far far too stressful for this particular novice. Apparently most Tweeters aim for 500 followers - are they mad? My phone buzzes continuously with new tweets so I can wish Bon Voyage to Ed M as he travels to Cornwall and Ed B (flying to Boston), I am sure the others have equally nice holidays planned and will be twittering them to me soon. Better than a postcard - bring me back some maple syrup will you Ed B?
Finally the supporters of Ed M have set up a phone bank here in my own little dot of red. I am tempted to join in just to be involved even though I still have to decide. One tweeter suggested I volunteer for each campaign to help me decide which if I wasn't a hideously overstretched working mother would be a great plan. Other ideas on a postcard please!