No Mark the blatant piece of election manipulation is its date. The 12th December so carefully disenfranchises hordes of university students who will have returned home where they are not registered. What is inexplicable is why Labour and the Lib Dems did not hold out for December 7 .

"Fracking lobbyist hired to draw up Tory manifesto
Rachel Wolf works on behalf of Cuadrilla as well as major tech companies"

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/30/fracking-lobbyist-hired-to-draw-up-tory-manifesto-rachel-wolf

"Climate crisis affects how majority will vote in UK election – poll
Survey also finds two-thirds of people agree climate is biggest issue facing humankind"

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/30/climate-crisis-affects-how-majority-will-vote-in-uk-election-poll

"'The climate doesn't need awards': Greta Thunberg declines environmental prize
The teen activist implored politicians and people in power to ‘listen to the best available science’ in an Instagram post"

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/29/greta-thunberg-declines-award-climate-crisis

tomo, thanks for the digging. I'm sure you're right about Leigh Day, and it follows that there must therefore be a "sugar daddy" putting up the money for them to get involved.

It's a curious thing here in Cumbria. Many people seem to be in favour of the coal mine and aren't much bothered about the climate hysteria. Rather more are bothered about a possible nuclear dump being foisted on us by the Government, despite Cumbria County Council having said no to it. It's a bit like the Brexit referendum - the Government set the terms of the process for seeing if Cumbria would accept a "nuclear repository" then, when Cumbria declined to have one, the Government has rearranged the process and we're supposed to think again. Perhaps councillors didn't know what they were voting for? Rather craftily, the Keep Cumbrian Coal in the Hole mob seem to be trying to link that campaign to an anti-nuclear campaign. Even that's risky if they want support. There's hostility to a nuclear dump, but much of West Cumbria is now heavily dependent on Sellafield jobs.

Anyway, there is a big divide between the rest of Cumbria and Tim Farron's Lib Dem constituency in Kendal and South Westmorland, which is full of the climate-alarmed. I can't explain why there's such a nest of them down there.

ianl, I don't presume to be an "astute commentator", and I don't know why Parliament suddenly rushed to have an election. By the way, I don't believe we had to have another one until 2022, not 2020.

There seems to have been a falling-out among the "People's Vote" anti-Brexit mob, which might have triggered it. The SNP seem to have calculated that they might do nicely out of an election, so they broke ranks. I haven't rationalised the Lib Dem decision, but since they've positioned themselves as the UK anti-Brexit party, I suspect they might have made a similar electoral calculation, and decided they will do nicely out of an election.

They key (possibly) to Parliament voting for an election may have been Labour's volte-face. Corbyn's claim that he did so only because "no deal" has been taken off the table, is risible. Nothing changed between Monday (when he ordered his MPs to abstain) and Tuesday (when he ordered them to vote for an election). And "no deal" could in theory be back on the table if the election returns a Brexit Parliament. I suspect he calculated that a single-line Act by-passing the Fixed Term Parliaments Act might pass with a simple majority (if Tories, SNP and LIb Dems voted for it) even if Labour opposed, so he thought he might as well be seen to support it rather than allow all the other parties to paint him as an undemocratic "election denier".

By the way, it shows what a nonsense the Fixed Term Parliaments Act is when it can (as it always could) be by-passed by a single-line Act passed by a simple majority. That is what Parliamentary sovereignty is supposed to mean - Parliament cannot bind its successors. Whatever Parliament is thrown up by the election, I hope it has the sense to repeal that stupid piece of legislation.

And unlike many remainers who refused to accept the referendum result, I here and now commit to accept the election result, whatever it throws up, and whether I like it or not. Will Lib Dems etc accept it if it produces a Brexit majority? How long until they say it wasn't fair because 16 & 17 years can't vote in it, or look for some other excuse to claim it as invalid?

"Asthma carbon footprint 'as big as eating meat'"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-50215011

"New study into climate impact on North Sea wildlife"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-50220341

"Scientists have sought to shed new light on how climate change risks disrupting the North Sea's food chain.

Marine Scotland Science researchers looked at what effect warming sea temperatures might have on sandeels.

Sandeel larvae hatch close to the start of a "bloom" in their prey, the eggs of tiny crustaceans called copepods.

But the researchers warn warmer temperatures would create a situation where the larvae hatch days after their first meal was abundantly available.

In a "worst case scenario", the scientists said the eel larvae might fail to get enough energy from their first feed and then suffer "high mortality rates".

Sandeels are a key prey species for seabirds such as puffins."

[Lots of "woulds" and "mights". It ignores the reality in the here and now of Danish over-fishing of sand eels.]

There are some astute commenters from the UK on this website.

Can someone explain why the UK Parliament suddenly caved and voted for a quick election ? I had thought the only requirement was an election by May 2020, so what caused the sudden rush to the cliff ?

From my distance in Aus, it is quite inexplicable.