The leaders debate.

We've had the "leaders debate" and it all went along in a civilised fashion. We didn't learn much except how the individual leaders performed, perhaps that's what it was all about and therefore had some value.

The polls, which I am always somewhat sceptical about seemed to place the labour leader marginally ahead as a whole but the minor parties did very well with the three women, Scottish SNP Nicola Sturgeon, the Welsh, Leanne Wood of Plaid Cymru and the Greens Natalie Bennett, who all did very well in explaining their positions. As the established parties bashed the same old, same old back and forth, these female leaders were prepared to grasp other issues or at least challenge the establishment on its tired centrist viewpoint. 

Of course the "........ In the wood pile" was Nigel Farage who is something of a one trick pony and talks continually of pulling out of the EU. His approach is, on the one hand, the cost of membership (without mentioning the payback in terms of the market and the subsidies we receive especially for the poor areas in this country) and the genuine problem of immigration.
It's strange and very revealing that all the other party leaders went out of their way to demonise Farage when he tried to make the case for limiting immigration and pointing out, being in the EU deny . Immigration like race, sexuality, size, gender, and a growing list of subjects, is off piste. When he questioned the cost of 'health tourism' as we struggle to afford the NHS he risked drawing attention to the people who have AIDS and who come into the country to avail themselves of the expensive treatment. He was roundly criticised for daring to suggest that we shouldn't offer free treatment to these non domiciled people.
It's again, one of those 'no go' areas, a mind set of the Metropolitan Political Class having a turn of the vapours a political class which is firmly anchored in a time when we could afford to have a conscience and provide for all and sundry and haven't woken up yet to accepting our precarious financial position.
The Greens and Natalie Bennett were our old fashioned conscience worrying about global warming and wishing to see our economy open to all and sundry in terms of immigration. She had a social wish list without a costing and made one realise how far we have slipped economically since we simply can't afford many of her ideals.
Plaid Cymru's  Leanne Wood sang the cause of Wales and was very clear she had great poise as she delivered a pretty constant diatribe against the Welsh Labour Party which was a bit of a problem for Ed Miliband since she was arguing parochial politics whilst he was concentrating on the wider cause.
Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP came out as a feisty combatant who's platform was based on the need to reappraise the plight of the ordinary man in the street. In the UK, the thrust of the Conservatives has been based on cutting the benefit bill (with all the attendant social issues) ,in an attempt to bring down the financial deficit as they have presided over developing a low pay, low skilled workforce to ease the labour costs and maintain margins whilst massaging the unemployment figures. Sturgeon's social awareness is to my mind a breath of fresh air and one is drawn to the Scottish attitude, withdrawn as it is from the Westminster bubble and the predefined interests of the City of London.