The seven main political parties came to blows last night, in the first televised debate in the run-up to this year’s General Election.

The two-hour long debate, broadcast on ITV, gave the party leaders the chance to answer a great number of issues raised by the general public, but also left us with more questions in our minds. The Southern Daily Echo even likened it to “a daytime TV quiz.

Economy

The evening began with Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg turning on Coalition partner David Cameron, slating his inability to bring fairness into the economy by putting heavier tax on the richest members of society.

Cameron responded by reminding the other participants that his ten-year-plan for the economy was on track, as evidenced by current GDP growth.

The Conservative austerity measures naturally became a topic of heated discussion. Labour Party leader Ed Miliband stated that “cuts will have to come, but we can do it in a balanced way.”

It seems clear that the Conservative plan is working for now, but as UKIP’s Nigel Farage pointed out, the UK is still at a £90bn deficit.

NHS

A focal point of this year’s General Election, the NHS came under heavy fire from all directions. Despite Prime Minister David Cameron claiming that there are 7,000 more nurses and 9,000 more doctors, Ed Miliband responded by saying that the NHS was “creaking at the seams.”

It is believed that the NHS needs an extra £8bn over the next five years; Mr Farage claimed that £3bn of this could be found by leaving the European Union.

However, the UKIP leader also stated that 60% of all people diagnosed with HIV in the UK were foreign nationals. This led to Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood accusing him of “scaremongering” much to the satisfaction of the live audience.

Immigration

This was Nigel Farage’s moment in the spotlight. As soon as this topic came up in discussion, he instantly became much more animated.

The UKIP leader demanded that David Cameron forces the issue of free movement in the European Union when renegotiating the terms of UK membership.

Ed Miliband admitted that Labour was responsible for the influx of immigrants; a bold move, but one that needed to be made so that the party can move forward with their policy.

However, it was Nick Clegg who shot Farage down in flames, reminding him that he had a German wife, and saying that the benefits of immigration should be controlled, rather than immigration itself.

Young People

In the 2010 General Election, only 44% of 18-25 year olds voted. The fact that many of them then felt cheated by the rising tuition fees is something which the politicians seemed key to address.

Ed Miliband reiterated Labour’s plan to lower tuition fees to £6,000 a year, saying that “I don’t want our young people drowning in debt when they leave university.”

The Prime Minister then explained how academies and free schools has allowed over a million children to be in OFSTED accredited ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools.

Women in Politics

All in all, it was a successful night for the female political party leaders.

Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP had a fantastic night, getting her points across in an articulated fashion and, according to a YouGov survey, was the ‘winner’ with 28% of polling votes. It was made quite clear that she will aim to form a coalition with the Labour Party, as she agreed with most of Ed Miliband’s points and supported him in arguments.

Leanne Wood of Plaid Cymru was also on top-form last night; not only did she gain a round of applause for shutting down Nigel Farage, but she seemed determined to have her party represented throughout the debate. A prime example of this was her demand for an EU in/out referendum where all four countries must agree, rather than just having a UK-wide result.

Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett didn’t seem to have too much of an input, which was reflected in the YouGov polls; perhaps this was in fear of a repeat of her interview with Nick Ferrari earlier this year. However, when she did speak, she did a stellar job as well, thus keeping the Greens relevant in an ever-intensifying election race.

Conclusion

The UK General Election battle is certainly intensifying, but it is also widening. Nobody could have possible expected so many parties to be in the running for seats in Westminster.

In response to the idea that we are facing an era of ‘rainbow politics’ where numerous political parties have authority, it would definitely seem as though the ‘two-party system’ between Labour and the Conservatives is now at an end. Whether all of the parties involved in last night’s debate actually gain influence in Westminster, remains to be seen.