PROFESSOR Neil Carter, from the department of politics at the University of York, gives his views on the election fight which lies ahead.

The central issue, quite rightly, will be the economic recession, the financial crisis and how the country is going to get through the next few years.

One party has taken the UK through ten years of relative prosperity and three years of crisis, so it’s time for people to decide whether they want to continue with the same Government or they feel it’s time for a change. Whoever comes into power will have to make big cuts, but it’s a question of their timing and their nature, where the impact falls and which services will be most affected.

The similarities are with the 1992 election – can Gordon Brown hold off David Cameron in the way John Major held off Neil Kinnock? And while the prospect of a hung parliament may worry some people, it shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a bad thing.

Plenty of Continental countries run by coalition governments have generally been very prosperous, so the notion of single-party government equalling good government is not necessarily valid. A hung parliament may lead to more consensus and better policies down the line.

Although we will see the familiar campaigning tactics and probably be sick of the sight of the party leaders by the end of it, the televised debates during this campaign will be very interesting.

It’s a particular opportunity for Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg – if he performs well in these debates, he can really strengthen his party’s position.

But whatever happens, this will be an election which is significant, a bit different and which will affect everybody’s lives.

• Professor Neil Carter will be giving his opinions on the 2010 General Election for The Press throughout the campaign.