Stepping away from all things debate-related for a moment, Baroness D'Souza, the Speaker of the House of Lords, has penned an article for the Telegraph, external in which she says peers shouldn't be reluctant to resign.

It's only recently been the case that members of the Lords have been able to retire, and so far just 20 have chosen to do so; most recently high-profile Conservative peer-turned pollster Lord Ashcroft.

Lady D'Souza says retirement should be seen as "a condition of membership...a duty as well as a right".

The BBC Archive has some revealing insight into the thoughts of prominent thinkers during past elections. It's fair to say playwright George Bernard Shaw wasn't over-enthused by the 1931 campaign. A clip published via Twitter, external has him declaring: "There being a general election on, what is happening is that you are all being fooled in every possible manner by every possible sort of candidate."

Adam Sutherland:

Nigel Crebbin from Manchester sent us this photo of leadership-themed eggs, created by his son Thomas. Those puns might suggest a newspaper sub-editor in the making...

Image source, Nigel Crebbin

Tweets: , external

Politicians from Scotland's five main parties clashed over the causes of - and possible solutions to - poverty, during last night's BBC Scotland election debate in front of a specially invited studio audience. Catch up on this story here.

BBC News Channel

It doesn't get any better than this for people that follow politics closely, the BBC's chief political correspondent Vicki Young says of tonight's debate. While a lot of people won't be watching the programme, given that it's on the eve of the Easter holidays, it could nonetheless be very important to the election, she adds.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage told the BBC earlier today that he would like to see the number of immigrants to the UK "below 50,000 a year" but that an overall cap on net migration would be "ludicrous". Here's our story.

Leaders' body language in tonight's debate will be all important, according to expert Robert Phipps. It will influence the undecided voters most, he says, as those who have already made their minds up will stick with their choice "unless their leader gives a particularly bad performance".

"The more they can use their bodies to get their message across the more powerful it is, the more emphasis it has."

Ex-steel worker, North East:

It is obvious that the SNP is intent on sabotaging our parliament. May I suggest that another referendum is held on Scottish independence and this time give the English a vote. The outcome would give the Scots' independence wishes a certain vote to their dreams. It could also lighten the tax bill of the English.

Justin Stone, Leicester:

The Daily Telegraph

David Cameron's wife, Samantha, made her first solo campaign outing yesterday. And it's provided the Telegraph's parliamentary sketchwriter with some material for his latest tongue-in-cheek piece.

The Conservatives took an "important step on the road to victory by sending Samantha Cameron to a school in a blouse", Michael Deacon writes, external. "The press weren’t invited, but fortunately photographers were, so reporters were able to use their investigative skills to establish that the blouse was raspberry pink and came from Cos."

Gareth, Isle of Wight

Sheila Rantle:

Barry Collier, Wisbech, Cambs:

Until England gets full devolution, as has been granted to the three other countries with smaller populations, the UK will forever remain ungoovernable. Failure to recognise this will have meant a wasted election.

Reality Check

Nigel Farage says he wants net migration to return to "normality". Was migration ever "normal"?

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) keeps annual data on long term international migration, external going back to the 1960s. The data shows there’s no “normal” level of migration, although there was clearly a big change in migration since the late 1990s - some might even argue that has become the new “normal”.

The immigration statistic politicians and the media tend to talk about most is net migration - that’s the difference between people moving into the UK (immigration) and people moving out of the UK (emigration).

From the mid 1960s to the late 1990s, net migration varied but stayed under 100,000. During the 1960s and 1970s it was negative because there were more people emigrating from the UK than coming to live here.

In the 1980s and early 1990s net migration moved into positive low levels and rose sharply after 1997. Since the mid-2000s, annual net migration has fluctuated between 150,000 and 300,000. Although the level of emigration has increased since the 1990s, this has been out-stripped by immigration, with many more people coming to the UK rather than leaving.

Labour is claiming more than 1,000 centres to help parents with young children face closure, if the Conservatives get back into power.

The Tories say the claims about Surestart centres are not true.

Labour's Education spokesman Tristram Hunt said the service has already suffered significant cutbacks under the coalition.

"Before the last election David Cameron said he wouldn't close any Surestart children's centres.

"As soon as they are in office they attack those who need support, the most disadvantaged."