Does the ITV leaders debate offer something new?

ALL ABOUT THE WOMEN?

I write this an hour or so before the seven way party leaders debate takes place, to be shown on ITV.  It's the only time this will happen, before this General Election, and very different from anything ever seen before in the UK (although relatively commonplace in Scandanavia).  Will it have any influence over the outcome of the voting process?  With such a close result forecast, and indications that this will be a very different looking Westminster assembly to those gone by, I think the answer has to be a resounding Maybe.

Back in 2010, when the first televised leaders debates took place, there were only three men involved.  And one quite clearly showed he had a stronger TV personality than the others.  The 'I agree with Nick' movement which followed gave the Liberal Democrats their largest number of seats in decades and propelled them into the current coalition.  There was a lot more to it than that of course, but most commentators reckoned that the success of Clegg on the screen was a significant factor.

So who is most likely to be the new 'Nick'?  Well, not Clegg himself, because his stint as Deputy PM has lost him all credibility.  He'll still come across well, no doubt, but his record of the past five years will throw a damp towel over any fireworks he tries to launch tonight.

And the same can be said of the other men standing alongside him.  The four posh boys have been in the media incessantly and are largely known quantities.  Although there are some differences between their parties, there are more similarities.  All wish to continue to pursue the austerity agenda, to one degree or other.  All are happy to waste billions of pounds on a Trident replacement.  Labour will offer a little more social justice than will Torykip, and the LibDems will offer.... I don't really know and I'm not sure many people care.  Farage will bang on about the non issues of immigration and the EU because that's all he knows.  None of them will offer us anything new, imaginative or visionary.  Just more of the same.  And see where that's got us.  This is Daily Fail politics.

So we have to look to the three women to offer something new, something which will get people talking and create a buzz of expectation.  Do any of them have that ability?

The Greens do offer a genuine alternative to the same old same old.  They do show imagination in wanting to tackle the problems, not just the symptoms.  They recognise that the capitalism we have is broken and does not serve us, the citizens of the UK, well.  But.  Natalie Bennett has not proved to be a strong performer in front of the cameras.  She's certainly intelligent and on top of her brief, but lacks the spark required to shine on screen.  If only the wonderful Caroline Lucas or Patrick Harvie were there in her stead.

Nicola Sturgeon leads the party which all recent polling has indicated could hold the balance of power on May 8th.  Although long established as a leading force in Scottish politics she was largely unknown in England.  Recent media attention, and her own decision to make some speeches down south, both situations which have emerged in response to those polls, have made her a bit better known to the English.  But I think some will still be surprised by her skills.  She comes across extremely well on TV and will know exactly what it is she wants to achieve from this appearance.  The message that the SNP, if allied to a Labour government, will push the latter towards a more left wing agenda, will be well received by Labour supporters, and some of their MPs, who feel the party has drifted too far to the right.  There are a lot of red rose backbenchers who'd happily vote against Trident, or in favour of higher taxes.

Which leaves me with one contender.  Leanne Wood remains almost unknown outside Wales.  From what I've seen of her she comes across extremely well, and has a number of similarities Sturgeon - a confident speaker who will come into this knowing exactly what she wants to get out of it.  She will have the element of surprise on her side, coming into this as an unfamiliar face and voice.  My money's on Leanne to be the new 'Nick' (but without the subsequent acts of betrayal....)

All three of these women are the antithesis of the four dull lookalikes they'll be standing up to tonight.  Different backgrounds, different policies, different world views.  Far more in touch with reality beyond the Westminster bubble and the London centric focus that weighs us down.  I look forward to seeing them do their stuff.