What does your MP stand for?

Now that the election campaigning has begun, it seems like a good time to let you know about a couple of websites that can help you cut through the rhetoric and spin and provide you with the facts you need to make up your mind which way to vote.

A great place to find out about your local MP is TheyWorkForYou.com, which will tell you who your MP is, what he or she has said in Parliament, how they have voted on different issues and much, much more. You can even ask to be emailed whenever an MP speaks in Parliament or a particular topic is mentioned. It's well worth a look.

In just a few short clicks I quickly discovered that Gordon Banks is my local MP for Ochil & Perthshire South and that he voted very strongly for the introduction of the smoking ban, introducing ID cards and Labour's anti-terrorism laws. He voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war and moderately against laws to stop climate change. He has a majority of 688 votes.