'We disagree on the colour of our ties'

Prospective parliamentary candidates on the trail tend to quietly bemoan the lack of sleep. Naturally Fred Mackintosh the Liberal Democrat candidate and Ian Murray of Labour were grateful for the opportunity to sit down, with a coffee, and discuss the issues affecting the students at the heart of their patch.

Mr Mackintosh should be used to this by now. Although a lawyer by trade, he's spent much of his free time over the last four years trying to overturn Labour's 2005 majority of 405 votes. The tabloid scandals of the incumbent Nigel Griffiths were a blessing to the Lib Dems', at least until earlier this year when Griffiths announced he would not be standing again—presumably fearing he wouldn't win—to be replaced by a fresh, young face.

“It's between us and Labour,” he explains, animated albeit visibly tired. Canvassing the electorate is a relentless business and there are suggestions that Mr Mackintosh is worried about the very real prospect that he might not win, that he could be pipped to the post by an enthusiastic Labour whipper-snapper.

Although Labour's candidate for only a four weeks, Mr Murray has been a councillor since 2003. Originally representing the Alnwickhall ward in 2003, he was re-elected in 2007 in the newly created Liberton/Gilmerton ward and is the party's finance spokesperson at the city chambers. Nonetheless, He looks more school boy than political bruiser, despite having spent almost a deacade in local politcs.

As the pair perch awkwardly side by side on the fashionable but dreadfully uncomfortable wooden furniture of the Black Medicine coffee shop, the commonality between them makes it hard to believe that they are involved in one of the most intense electoral in Scotland.

Mr Murray's eyes float around the room as Mr Mackintosh begins an explanation of the Lib Dem's proposals for higher education funding. “We are planning to get rid of top up fees gradually over the next six years." Despite the long-term nature of their commitment to getting rid of fees, the party's aim of free education is one that they are keen to emphasise.

The Labour man is slightly more conscious of providing the shorter soundbite. His party are supportive of fees: something potentially damaging in a constituency with so many student voters. He agrees that “fees shouldn't be wasted” but is unsure if they can be scrapped altogether in the current economic climate - the Lib Dem policy has been costed at £7.5 billion.

The 'vote for students' campaign has clearly alterted both of their need to court the issues concerning students. HMO quotas—which could see the areas that students live in restricted—are up next. Mr Murray is keen to take a dig at his rivals position, pointing to the Lib Dems' "record on HMOs on the council." Mr Mackintosh's party colleagues have been accused of trying to introduce restrictions on HMO licenses to prevent areas being overun by students, but he is adamant that this is not a position he has taken: “I have never voted against HMOs.”

Both seem to believe they offer the best choice for their university based constituents. Indeed, they seem to share fairly similar principles (not disimilar to Gordon Brown's "I agree with Nick [Clegg]" sentiments on last weeks leaders deabte) - when Mr Mackintosh discusses his opposition to both the government’s identity card scheme and Trident nuclear programme, Mr Murray nods in agreement.

Unlike the Conservative candidate Neil Hudson–unable to attend our round table–who seems to be happiest when firmly sticking to his party's pronouncement, the Labour candidate claims he's pretty independent.

Is his opposition to ID cards and renewal of Trident is contradictory to party policy? “People don't want to elect politicians who just tow the party line”.

Both seem to have thicker skins than Hudson interviewed by The Journal earlier in the week. Unlike his Labour and Lib Dem challengers, he has no experience in local government and only started to dip his toe into politics in 2001. But curiously neither Mr Mackintosh nor Mr Murray are tempted to attack him - they are only aggressive in their relentless restraint. At one point Mr Murray mentions he has got hold of some Tories' local polling data, leading Mr Mackintosh to quip that they seem to have a comfortable relationship. But there is none of the bitter snapping seen elsewhere in the country.

The only irritant unearthed is a weariness to high profile stage managed visits from party grandees. The Lib Dem's shadow Chancellor Vince Cable was supposed to be visiting the constituency but had to cancel after the Icelandic volcanic ash thwarted his plans for air travel. “I spent half a day just discussing plans for his visit” said Mr Mackintosh, before Mr Murray again chipps in to agree with his rival: “I don't want any high profile guests. It takes up far too much time and voters just don't care.”

Although all Edinburgh South's parties claim to have had great reception on the doorstep, any display of confidence must be hiding an urgent sense of uncertainity on such a key marginal seat. Betting odds are constantly changing and commentators are contradicting each other in their predictions, in part due to the constituency being a microcosm of the wider national political environment - home to grand townhouses of millionaires such as the vilified former RBS boss Fred Goodwin, student-heavy streets in Marchmont and Newington, as well as the estates of Inch and Moredun.

Despite being rivals, the pair obvisouly agree on a lot and their closeness is only clarified as we parted company - they left together and continued the discussion we had been having. Things might not be so friendly when they come to the results, but whoever wins it's not unthinkable that they'll sit down for coffee many times in the future.