For months, Jeremy Corbyn has been braying for an election in the mistaken belief that the UK is crying out for socialism. Today, he is using the Fixed-Term Parliament Act to prevent one, at least until after October 31. Does that make sense?
From a tactical perspective, absolutely. Having pushed through legislation requiring the government to seek another Brexit extension, the opposition/majority has put BoJo in a terrible bind. He must either: (a) blatantly defy the law, impose a truly chaotic Brexit over the will of Parliament, and then face an election; (b) relinquish power; or (c) alienate his hard line supporters and lose votes to the Brexit Party by doing what the law requires.
But what about the cost to the nation? Is it wise to put the UK in this position? Lord, no.
It made no sense to have an election when the two parties were both split on Brexit. BoJo has changed that by purging the Tories of the rump of Remainers; as a result, a general election prior to the deadline could operate as an imperfect version of the second referendum, which is better than no version at all. For the sake of the country, Corbyn should let that happen.
He won’t, of course. BoJo is likely to ignore the law, and the UK is going to tear itself apart in the next 60 days.