General election: Five things we have all discovered this week

1. Nigel Farage gave a textbook example of how to lose an audience during Thursday's live opposition leaders' debate.

He grumpily snapped at the assembled crowd during the live broadcast on BBC1, claiming it was "a remarkable audience even by the left-wing standards of the BBC", and was met with a chorus of boos. Labour leader Ed Miliband chipped in: "It's never a good idea to attack the audience, Nigel."

The real audience is at home, the Ukip leader said, to more groans.

And the public at large responded in kind – with a huge spike in the number of Tweets being sent in the land of social media.

It also left Ukip voter Mike Cripps, a member of the 200-strong audience, wondering where to place his cross on May 7.

2. At least Richard Desmond is still a fan.

The Express owner announced shortly before the election debate that he was to hand over another £1 million to Ukip's election fighting fund.

Mr Desmond, who donated £300,000 to the party last year, said he believed the party would "stand up for people who are struggling".

"I firmly believe in Ukip. It's a party for good, ordinary British people. It is not run by elitists," Mr Desmond was quoted as saying on the Express website.

"They are struggling to have a voice. They do not have a massive party machine or highly paid public relations people.

Mr Farage said: "Richard Desmond is a self-made man, who has done a brave thing in coming out for Ukip. I hope that many others will now follow suit."

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3. Hillary Clinton may be ready to join her husband in holding the official title of 'world leader', but Nick Clegg's wife won't be following the same path.

Miriam Gonzalez Durantez has insisted she has no political aspirations as she hit the campaign trail for the Lib Dems in a key marginal seat.

She visited a children's cafe in Cardiff with local MP Jenny Willott – who was championing the Lib Dems' parental leave plans.

High flying lawyer Ms Gonzalez Durantez said she was using the visit to illustrate her campaign to get more women in top jobs. The Spanish citizen, who is not able to vote in the General Election, said: "The more representative politics is of society, the better it is."

4. One Liberal Democrat who may be in a spot more bother at home is Maajid Nawaz.

The anti-extremism campaigner, who is standing in the marginal Hampstead and Kilburn seat, has apologised to the Lib Dems for the "distraction" caused by footage of a visit to the Charlie's Angels strip club in east London on his stag night last summer.

Nick Clegg has insisted it is "ludicrous" to question whether Mr Nawaz was fit to be an MP.

Asked about the incident, Mr Clegg said: "I'm the leader of a political party, not the thought police.

"He has not broken a law; he has done something which people might not approve of."

Speaking to reporters following his election campaign he added: "What's next, that someone goes on a hen night and sees the Chippendales and I start disqualifying them?

5. While Labour has received nearly four times more money in donations than the Conservatives in the first week of the formal election campaign, the figures also reveal differences in the hairdressing world.

In the blue corner is John Frieda after giving £20,000 to the Tories while Toni & Guy is in the red corner after contributing £10,000 to the Labour fund.

A difference in approaches on how to make cuts if ever there was one.

Depending on who gets elected on May 7, one might think their donation a snip, while the other may be left thinking it's time to let their hair grow longer.

Or will it be a hair-raising experience for both facing another coalition government?

In other news, a Michael Tory donated £75,000 – to the Tories.

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