David Cameron and Ed Miliband opened their respective parties’ campaigns with the message that the May 2015 elections will be the most important in a generation. This talk is par for the course, particularly given it could be the last election either of them face as a party leader. I imagine this statement gave them a warm sensation of realisation as they proclaimed it, rather like a ray of sunlight bursting through the cloud of politico speak. Or wetting yourself.

These elections are likely to see the main parties win fewer votes than ever before. And Ofcom’s ruling that UKIP and the Green party may not get major party status removes a massive thorn from their sides.

The reasons for the major parties’ unpopularity are so numerous that even Buzzfeed would shy away from the amount of gifs required to explain. But you could probably sum everything up under the umbrella term ‘dissatisfaction’. Like in 2010, the response of many people has been to back alternative parties. Since the Liberal Democrats have so spectacularly torpedoed and sunk their reputation, the alternatives for the English are now UKIP or the Greens.

Membership of the three main political parties has declined to an historic low. Meanwhile, membership of UKIP and the Greens has surged to highs of 39,000 and 29,000 respectively. Both have sitting MPs in the House of Commons, both have beaten the Liberal Democrats in the European elections (UKIP won) and in recent polling. Equally, neither is predicted to take the country by storm in the next elections. The two parties are in a similar position – looming on the horizon – future major players in a fast-changing political landscape.

So it’s a problem that Ofcom is so short-sighted. On Thursday the independent regulator lent some solid support to the shaky status quo by ruling that UKIP ‘may’ qualify for major party status, but that the Greens definitely will not.  Nigel Farage probably isn’t too concerned. This may even help his campaign. Not being a major party allows UKIP to retain their outsider status. Achieve it, and he’s in with the big boys. Either way, UKIP create, barge or stumble into enough headlines.

However, the news is particularly troubling for the Greens, who have now had the rug pulled from underneath them as they try to secure more national coverage and gain a place in the national televised leadership debates.  

Ofcom’s reasoning is that the Greens have ‘not demonstrated significant past electoral support in General Elections.’ Although their European election results are recognised, they are not enough to tip the scales, having one MP and just 29,000 members.

But Ofcom has drawn a vicious little circle: you cannot gain support without publicity, and yet you can’t gain publicity without significant support. Even with economic crisis, spiralling debt, fears about the NHS, stagnant or falling wages, rising inflation, worries about immigration, a referendum on the break-up of the nation, and huge frustration with the country’s political leadership, the old boys’ club still finds its way to keep you out.  

Political apathy is particularly high among first-time and younger voters. In order to try and stir up some interest, Bite the Ballot teamed up with ITV to invite the five leaders to debate, one at a time, with Youtubers. The format had its problems, but the results were quite impressive. The Youtube videos reached well over 100,000 people. Given that the leaders’ debates are likely to be watched by far more younger people, it seems remiss simply to include the political leaders mired in the apathy.

The majority of the Greens’ support comes from young people, and Cambridge is one of their primary targets in the run-up to the general election. It should really matter to students that apathy among their peers is so great, and that a potential remedy is being shelved. The website Vote for Policies shows that in a blind survey of policies the Greens have an 11 point lead in Cambridge. They also lead nationally.

General elections tend to throw up fewer surprises than the hype surrounding them often suggests, but it could be that Cambridge is cheated out of the MP it may want because of our independent TV regulator. Dave and Ed might even survive until the next most important elections of a generation in five years’ time.