The word "fascist" was whispered by some discomforted observers at last year's Labour Party conference: so triumphalist was the mood, so impregnable seemed the new prime minister, so confident his followers of smashing the Conservatives, snuffing out David Cameron and securing near-eternal power. That was then. The Labour conference this September will be a festival of existential angst-and thus, perhaps, of regicide.rnThe political costs of deposing Gordon Brown so soon after Labour ditched Tony Blair would be huge. Almost all Labour mps endorsed Mr Brown's accession; ousting him would make them look preposterous. His remaining allies point out, menacingly but fairly, that yet another prime minister with no personal mandate would probably feel obliged to hold a general election quickly. Thus a move against Mr Brown this autumn might necessitate a vote early next year-in the middle of an economic slump, with the party almost broke and Mr Cameron's Tories, in all likelihood, still 20-odd points up in the polls. That prospect makes sparing Mr Brown, at least until next summer, seem prudent.
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