IN just over a week the US public will elect a new president and 'leader of the free world'.

It has been one of the most talked-about campaigns in recent political history due to the vigorous polarisation of views over its two main candidates - Hillary Clinton for the Democrats and Donald Trump for the Republicans - and for some it has highlighted the worst aspects of American democracy.

We spoke with Shelley Thompson, programme leader for the politics degree at Bournemouth University, to get her predictions for the outcome of the election, and its impact on the world at large.

"All the polls at this point predict a Hillary Clinton win," said Dr Thompson, a former journalist who was born in Massachusetts and brought up in New Hampshire.

"It is broadly what I was expecting, but during the Democratic Primary there was some momentum behind Bernie Sanders, and there has been a huge amount of momentum behind Donald Trump.

"But the more we have had a discussion around some of Donald Trump's past life experiences the more road blocks have been put in the way of his campaign."

She said Trump's campaign would likely have a "significant impact" on the image of the US abroad.

"Do I think Donald Trump has somewhat tarnished the image of the United States abroad, I would have to say yes.

"A lot of what he has said has been offensive.

"The New York Times today ran a spread cataloguing his offensive statements. I have never seen anything like that before."

Some commentators have compared the 'Trump phenomenon' with the UK's own vote for Brexit in June, claiming support for both is derived from a general anti-establishment sentiment.

Dr Thompson said: "Donald Trump really appeals to an anti-establishment political segment of the US population who feel that their voices aren't being heard within traditional forms of government.

"He has compared himself with Brexit, has said he will be the next Brexit. Only time will tell.

"There is definitely something happening in the US and the UK where people want to feel like their voices are heard in a more direct way in their government, with a candidate they trust to run that government."

Much criticism has been aimed at the campaigns run by both candidates, with claims a serious contest has been reduced to the status of reality television.

"Personality politics is something the United States has been accused of for decades," said Dr Thompson.

"The TV campaign style has been like that since Kennedy.

"It is a series of 50 different elections over a short space of time, so it can tend to focus on who is winning and who is losing rather than a discussion of the issues."

However, she said the contest had resulted in good journalism - such as NPR's live fact-checking coverage of the presidential debates - often not seen by casual observers.

Dr Thompson also pointed out that whichever candidate is elected, their ability to enact policies will depend enormously on the make-up of Congress.

"One of the reasons we have seen a slow down in what Barack Obama wanted to do is he hit a Republican Congress," she said.

"If Trump had a Republic Congress things could move more smoothly, although there is a lot of opposition to him from within the party."