Surging Sturgeon: First Minister wipes the floor with Westminster's old boys' network

Well, if the debate of the seven party leaders did not break the old boys network, it certainly dented it a little.

This was a new format for new politics. The SNP leader proved popular, with snap polls putting her way out on top. Straight after the poll, Yougov gave the First Minister 28%, a clear eight-point lead over Nigel Farage on 20%.

Cameron scored better than Miliband on 15% and Clegg on 10%. Natalie Bennett, the Green Party leader, scored 5%, just one point more than Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood.

A separate poll for ComRes/ITV gave the debate to Cameron, Miliband and Farage. The Guardian’s ICM poll gave it to Miliband. Sturgeon polled well in both of those which meant that she had the best average poll rating from all three. In a satisfaction poll for the Telegraph, the three women polled best.

And if the debate and the polls after indicate anything, it is that a coalition of some sort still seems the most likely election result.

By the end of the two hours, the SNP said that they gained an extra 1,200 members.

Although dented, it was the old boys network that tried to dominate. At times Cameron, Miliband and Clegg had their own debate. Farage took centre stage by shouting, and by being controversial. He argued that the NHS should refuse to treat people with HIV who had come to Britain from a different country.

The remark brought immediate condemnation from Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood who was speaking next. “You should be ashamed of yourself,” she said, to the first applause of the night.

“This kind of scaremongering rhetoric is dangerous. It divides communities and it creates stigma to people who are ill.”

Nicola Sturgeon, who followed next and drew much agreement from the rest of panel, said that the politicians should see the person, not the nationality.

Farage continued to attack British levels of international development and immigrants using the NHS.

Sturgeon said: “There’s nothing that Nigel Farage won’t blame on foreigners.”

The UKIP leader attacked Scotland for spending England’s money on free prescriptions and free education – but, as Sturgeon pointed out, Scotland more than pays its own way.

His remarks were roundly criticised by charities who deal with people suffering from HIV.

The debate format was busy. There were seven leaders, four questions and one moderator. After each of the four questions, each leader was given a short amount of time before they were able to address each other. It was messy and the host, Julie Etchingham, seemed to lose control more than once. Her handling of a difficult situation was, though, much praised later on.

As far as a strategy for the debaters, all apart from Sturgeon seemed to be playing to their core vote. The strategic approach seemed to be for Cameron, Miliband, and Clegg to avoid talking about Scotland and Wales. And it was clear that Ed Miliband’s core vote was not Scotland.

When the question of the EU referendum was brought up,

Sturgeon asked Cameron, Miliband and Clegg if they would guarantee that none of the individual nations that make up the UK will be forced out of Europe if they voted against leaving.

With the exception of Ed Miliband, who said that he did not want an in-out referendum, none of them answered the question.

Nick Clegg was asked about tuition fees. It was the question he had prepared for. He answered it by blaming Labour.

Sturgeon won a round of applause when she argued that the ability to learn was much more important than an ability to pay.

At one point Cameron was heckled. He valiantly attempted to answer, but the cameras cut away and he answered as the heckler was thrown out.

When the leaders had to sum up, Farage, the white, middle aged man who used to work in the city, and went to a school that charged annual fees of £17,500 and paints himself as the outsider, said: “I told you they were the same.”

But if the debate proved one thing, it is this – there is now, finally, an alternative.