JONATHAN Beddall, 21, president of the University of Exeter's Politics Society, said: "Tory sleaze is back. And how Cameron must be regretting it.

"With the gap in the polls narrowing close to two per cent, revelations about Lord Ashcroft could scarcely come at a worse time.

"Momentum is king in British politics and with just weeks to go until the inevitable May 6 general election, all bets are off.

"But the Ashcroft affair is not merely academic. Important question marks now lie over the judgement of leader Cameron and his shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague, responsible for mismanaging this whole sorry affair.

"Yet I doubt the Conservatives will even suffer that much from Ashcroft's non-dom revelations.

"The greatest loser is the British public, desperate for a debate over policy but increasingly left to witness schoolboy sleaze and petty mud slinging.

"We can't tell who'll walk into Number 10 in May, but we do know whoever it may be faces the worst financial conditions of any British government.

"If we are to believe in that government, and their mandate to take tough, unpopular economic measures, we need an open debate about policy, and we need it now."

Fellow University of Exeter student Nicola Nelson, 20, said: "Towards the end of February, allegations came to the public attention which portrayed Gordon Brown as a bully.

"The National Bullying Helpline has allegedly been contacted on multiple occasions by staff in Brown's office.

"These claims may have serious repercussions for the Prime Minister's chances in the imminent election in May despite some of Brown's closest allies, such as Alan Johnson, publicly declaring their support for the Prime Minister following these allegations.

"However, whether or not he is a bully is irrelevant in terms of his electoral chances as the claims will affect his already tarnished record for some voters. The economic downturn, the MPs' expenses scandal, the attempted coup are just some of the things Brown has had to contend with."

Exeter School pupil Alex Althorp-Bellchambers, 18, said: "Looking at recent polls it is fair to say Cameron's Conservatives are in a good position.

"Although most do in fact predict Conservative victory, the party would need more than a nine per cent lead to ensure a majority.

"The general election of 2010 may indeed turn out to be a momentous event in British politics; with possibly the first hung parliament since the 70s as well as the chance of a true three-party system should the Liberal Democrats become a force to be reckoned with.

"While some argue that a hung parliament would be an ideal way to restrict the power of government, financial markets worry that it could be destructive for the economy"

Fellow Exeter School pupil Ollie Wannell, 18, said: "Previous columns have made little mention of the Liberal Democrats.

"It always strikes me as slightly worrying when, in a pluralistic political system that is supposed to promote choice and diversity, two main parties constantly dominate the rest.

"One can understand why the majority of the public would reject the idea of UKIP, the BNP or the Respect Party forming a government; but with the Lib Dems being such a large party within UK politics and the former opposition to the Tories, I see no reason why they should not be taken more seriously.

"Being pushed to the corner of Westminster for 94 years has forced the Lib Dems to realise that Britain needs a strong party to form a strong government, hence appointing Nick Clegg as leader enabled the party to free itself from its former 'on-the-fence' policies and produce a first-rate manifesto — and this is coming from an avid Tory!

"With voter apathy at a high, many people have made no secret of the fact that they will be voting Conservative, not because they want a Conservative government but because they don't want another Labour one."

Exeter College student Jack Dickinson, 19, from Chulmleigh, said: "When I watched BBC3's First Time Voters' Question Time, the most common questions were along the lines of 'What are you going to do for us?'

"The majority of the audience seemed oblivious to Labour's attempts to meet their vague demands, to possess a vestigial distrust of Conservatives, and to make the same parroted joke 'Who is Nick Clegg?'

"Good points were made about Westminster culture and language being exclusive to the uninitiated.

"But aside from moral obligation, why should politicians come after young non-voters? Politicians care about the people who always vote, who read newspapers, who try to understand the consequences of the indecipherable babble that emanates from the Parliament channel.

"Why should the opposition spend campaign money on someone who may not vote, rather than the reliable middle class?

"If young people can't put the work into their democracy, they can't expect to be considered as a political entity and get anything out of it."

Exeter College student Ryan Franklin, 17, from St Leonard's, Exeter, said: "With the battle lines officially laid out for the election, the fight for Number 10 has stepped up a notch.

"Recent polls put the Conservative Party as the current leaders, but also indicate that David Cameron would at present be eight seats short of a majority.

"The prospect of a hung parliament is perhaps the most interesting and the three main parties have started to respond to this.

"With the Liberal Democrats officially denouncing a coalition with the Labour Party in the case of a hung parliament, there are currently no foreseeable coalitions among the three main parties.

"Consequently, what roles will the smaller parties play? The nationalist parties, Scotland's SNP, Northern Ireland's Sinn Fein and Wales' Plaid Cymru, have all enjoyed increased electoral success recently and may be the only chance for a party that wins with a minority — as the Conservatives currently stand to do — to unite with in order to govern successfully.

"If not, for the first time since 1974, a hung parliament and a likely fresh general election will occur."