The politics of personality is often bemoaned in Britain. A focus on personalities instead of policies ill-suits the world’s oldest parliamentary democracy, where, unless you live in Doncaster North or Witney, you won’t actually be able to cast your ballot for Ed Miliband or David Cameron on 7th May.

Yet the election has been framed in these terms, as it has been since the end of the last century, characterised by straightforward battles between Thatcher and Kinnock, Major and Blair and Brown and Cameron. And the electoral armaments of focus groups, sound bites and photo ops have been deployed in force: from a “coalition of chaos” to suckling lambs and awkward selfies, the typical fare of election season appears to be very much in evidence. And with parties trading blows on tax, Trident and the NHS, this all seems to be very familiar territory.

But shock polls and startling happenings reveal the truly unique aspect of this election: the normal rules of politics no longer apply. For the last four years, Ed Miliband has been the Tories’ greatest electoral asset. The awkward North London geek, who clambered over his brother’s bloodied corpse to retrieve the knife in his back and claim the Labour leadership – with trade union support, no less – could neither be embraced by his party nor trusted by the public. As his approval ratings sank to an all-time low in November last year, the “wrong Miliband” seemed to be a mistake not to be suffered much longer.

But all this seems distant now. Just a few days ago, Labour released their latest party political broadcast, Ed Miliband: A Portrait. In it, the Labour leader declares himself “ready” to offer himself as prime minister, and the video, helmed by Captain Phillips director Paul Greengrass, portrays a capable yet compassionate leader, who has thought long and hard about how Britain needs to change. But how, in such a short space of time, have people warmed to the prospect of Prime Minister Miliband?

It began with the seven-way leaders’ debate last month: Miliband entered with low expectations, but exceeded them dramatically. His stock then rose with his performance in the five-way 'challengers’ debate two weeks later. In both instances, he looked and sounded the part of a PM in waiting.

And the public responded. For the first time, Ed Miliband’s approval ratings exceeded those of David Cameron. It seemed the more people saw of “Red Ed”, the more the press caricature of the incompetent buffoon disintegrated. All of which has been greatly helped by social media. Who would have thought a seventeen-year-old armed with a mobile phone could derail Australian Tory election guru Lynton Crosby’s master plan to destroy Ed Miliband?

Yet that’s what’s happened. A wave of #Milifandom has swept Twitter, transforming “Red Ed” into an unlikely teenage heartthrob. Memes showcasing his “sass” while listening to Nigel Farage, and the creation of a @cooledmiliband Twitter account, featuring his face photoshopped onto those of Led Zeppelin and Muhammad Ali, have brought an unlikely and invigorating dose of the unexpected into an election predicted to end in a dead heat.

Russell Brand’s interview with Miliband, released this week, has been branded a “joke” by David Cameron, but it demonstrates a prospective prime minister willing to reach out to people disaffected by politics. That kind of courage has been rare in an election where parties have generally tended to play it safe.

The politics of personality were supposed to work against Ed Miliband. In the end, they worked in his favour. He has been able to overcome significant media adversity and present himself to the public, who have liked what they’ve seen. Rupert Murdoch even ranted at Sun journalists for not doing enough to attack him. The power of social media has derailed the plans of Crosby – paid half a million pounds a year by the Conservative party –, to destroy Labour leader's image.

The irony is that the Conservatives’ attempt to focus the upcoming General Election on personalities and leadership has backfired spectacularly. David Cameron’s failure to debate with Ed Miliband one-on-one was costly for the prime minister, and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon’s comments on Miliband being ready to stab Britain in the back over Trident were near-universally lampooned. No wonder Boris Johnson was reduced to incoherent rage on the Andrew Marr sofa on Sunday, in the face of Ed “Happy Warrior” Miliband.

@JPRobbo