It’s probably one of the worst kept secrets that the General Election is likely to be called for May 6, and it is also likely to be one of the most interesting for many years, being so close to call.

But what do you know about the people seeking to represent you? Those who already do? And even how you find out?

Clifton People is committed to bringing you everything you need to know about the upcoming election, and hopefully some things you never knew you wanted to know.

We also want to have a bit of fun and some good debate along the way, so as ever, please join in and let us know what you think.

Some of the basics

I’m sure most of you know this, but for anybody new to the area Clifton sits in the Bristol West constituency, which has been keenly fought over in the past few elections and has also been subject to boundary changes.

The seat is no 16 on Labour’s target list as the current incumbent is Liberal Democrat Stephen Williams.

Mr Williams has been MP for Bristol West since 2005 when he beat Labour’s Val Davey and holds a majority of more than 5000.

Mrs Davey was first elected in 1997, on the tide of the Labour landslide which saw her defeat one-time cabinet minister William Waldegrave. Before 1997 the seat had been a Tory stronghold since 1945.

Some say it’s a straight fight between the Lib Dems and Labour, but others obviously have different opinions and hope to restore it to the Conservative Party. Also the Green Party polled have polled strongly in local elections in the area.

The candidates

All the major parties now have their people in place and some have been campaigning locally for years, others are less well known.

In no particular order:

Stephen Williams MP, Lib Dem.

Before becoming MP, Mr Williams (who went to Bristol University and is a chartered tax advisor), was a city councillor and contested the seat at the 2001 Election.

In January 09 he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and before that represented the Lib Dems on education and health.

His last Facebook status said he was back in Westminster, juggling news and emotions.

For more, go to his website here.

Paul Smith, Labour.

Paul Smith was born in, educated and continues to work in Bristol.

A former city councillor and alderman, the qualified maths and physics teacher also describes himself as a Socialist, environmentalist and social liberal, oh and astrophysicist.

His last Facebook status says he is buzzing from drinking too much coffee.

For more, go to his website here.

Nick Yarker, Conservative.

Mr Yarker is Westcountry born and bred. He grew up near Dorchester, before going to Clifton College and then onto Oxford.

Mr Yarker, who works in an advertising agency, says he has never had a job in politics but campaigns in his spare time, and has also been a Westminster councillor since 2006.

For more go to his website here.

Ricky Knight, Green Party.

The Green Party have high hopes of polling well in this election as the boundary changes to Bristol West have hived off some traditionally Tory wards to Bristol North West, and brought in areas such as Lawrence Hill and Easton which are thought to be more Green leaning.

Mr Knight is a modern languages teacher who also Contested North Devon 2005 and the South West region in 2009 European elections.

For more go to this link.

Other candidates that we are aware of include Chris Lees for the UK Independence Party and John Baker for the English Democrat Party.

Here at Clifton People we of course have no official political bias, so we will be treating all the candidates even handly, asking all of the same questions and hoping to engage them all in debate around their policies and plans for government.

But of course there’s nothing stopping any of you having your say, so feel free to chip in at any time with your own stories from the campaign trail.