Your Election 15

UK General Election Coverage from Bournemouth University

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • News
    • National
    • Snippets
  • Dorset
  • Features
  • Opinions
  • Analysis
  • Multimedia
  • Live
    • Your Election 15 rehearsal – Live blog
    • BBC leaders’ Question Time – Live blog
    • idebate – Live blog
    • BU Politics society Question Time – Live blog
    • Opposition leaders’ debate – Live blog
    • Leaders’ debate – Live blog
    • Official election 2015 campaign launches – Live Blog
  • Editors Blog
  • How to vote

Farage flounders as women shine in Leaders’ Debate

April 2, 2015 by Tom Beasley Leave a Comment

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon shone in ITV's seven-way leaders' debate

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon shone in ITV’s seven-way leaders’ debate

The leading women of British politics cast a shadow over their male counterparts in tonight’s seven-way debate between party leaders, as Nigel Farage found himself exposed.

Nicola Sturgeon (SNP), Leanne Wood (Plaid Cymru) and Natalie Bennett (Green Party) all emerged as strong leaders, stealing the spotlight from the squabbling leaders of the three major parties. There was certainly a very female edge to proceedings, with the #EverydaySexism hashtag trending during the debate.

Meanwhile, UKIP leader Nigel Farage found himself on the receiving end of robust criticism, particularly when he suggested that foreign nationals diagnosed with HIV were putting undue strain on our NHS. This assertion was met with a sharp response from Wood.

This was an unusually weak performance from Farage, who floundered when robbed of the opportunity to set the agenda. His attempts to frame unrelated issues as manifestations of the immigration problem were met largely with dismissal from the men, but it was Sturgeon, Bennett and Wood who quietly deconstructed the kind of UKIP bluster that has gone largely unchallenged in recent months.

Without the ability to set the agenda, Farage’s policy weaknesses were thrown into the kind of sharp focus that could put the brakes on UKIP’s rise.

Sturgeon, in particular, looked strong throughout the debate. Her principled stance won over Twitter users, particularly as she spoke about austerity and repeatedly brought the debate away from ideology and back to real people.

This is the night Sturgeon emerged from shadow of Salmond, and impressed English, interesting given possibility of Lab/SNP pact

— Glenn Moore (@GlennMoore7) April 2, 2015

It is interesting that it’s Sturgeon who has emerged from the debate so strongly, given that her party is one which many viewers will be unable to vote for. Her success south of Hadrian’s Wall certainly won’t hurt the chances of the SNP working as a key member of an electoral pact or coalition after May 7th.

It remains to be seen whether this debate will have any effect on future polling or on the election itself. However, based on the evidence of tonight’s debate, there’s a clear appetite for strong, female voices in the political arena.

It’s the perfect antidote to the pint-glass politics of Nigel Farage.

Filed Under: Opinions Tagged With: Debate, green party, leaders debate, Leanne Wood, Natalie Bennett, Nicola Sturgeon, Nigel Farage, Plaid Cymru, SNP, TV, TV debate, ukip

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Watch our TV highlights

Listen to our radio highlights

Play
Popout
X

The UKIP leader is expected to step down following his failure to win Thanet South.

Published on Thursday, April 2nd, 2015 at 8:51 pm

Last modified: Thursday, April 2nd, 2015 at 9:37 pm

Category: Opinions.

Share

Share

About

Image of Bournemouth University logo

Your Election 15 a website run by students of Bournemouth University

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Popular

  • Jeremy Paxman Jeremy Paxman’s top 5 interviews
  • SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon shone in ITV's seven-way leaders' debate No clear debate winner but Sturgeon tops YouGov poll
  • Bournemouth East hustings descends into chaos
  • Sturgeon criticises Miliband in Question Time Q&A
  • Cameron comes out on top in leaders’ Question Time according to poll

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in