So, the mudslinging has begun and the babies are being buffed ready to be kissed. It must be election time. The coming events are fairly predictable, there will be some shouting, children having days off as schools are appropriated as polling stations, and there will obviously be voting and winning.

But in between the shouting and the voting what is really going on? What issues are at stake? And who is running our country?

Many, many people avoid the political circus for all manner of reasons whether it be from apathy to, well further apathy. It shouldn’t really need to be said that voting and taking an interest in one’s country is pretty much a good idea.

So here is it…a brief set of links to inform, entice and to feed the politics starved among us. Enjoy. And vote. And come back and play with www.spinon.co.uk

• BBC News - Here's the basics from the BBC
• Radio 1 Newsbeat - Radio One's yoof take on events
• BBC News - All your questions answered!
• Channel 4 Jargon Buster - Channel 4 bust that political jargon
• BBC News - Links to all the party sites