The most interesting shift in the aftermath of Glasgow East has not been the renewed likelihood of Brown's fall; nor has it been the apparently open challenge by Miliband. No, the most interesting shift has been that the Tories are now rooting - sometimes quite desperately - for Mr. Brown to survive: the Daily Telegraph, from this point of view, makes an illuminating read. For months have the Conservatives been pushing Brown; but now that he's on the edge, they all of a sudden look very frightened at the prospect of having to defeat a Labour Leader who is NOT unelectable.

It really has happened: John Mason (SNP), Mr. I'm against "experiments with babies" (he meant embryos - only he didn't), has been returned by Glasgow East as their MP; where Labour had won, in one way or another, since 1922 - some things only Gordon Brown can achieve. Gordon has pushed the boundaries of conceptual possibility past Alpha Centauri: only He could deliver 63 consecutive quarters of economic growth during 43 quarters in government (Dougie Alexander dixit). Only he could lose the east end of Glasga to the Nats. What now? Brown ain't gonna resign – that’s for sure. But now an open challenge at the next conference in September looks ever more likely.
Something else: Labour's Curran lost by 365 votes. Given that the Scottish Socialists' Curran got 555 votes, 'Curran' actually beat Mason by 190 votes. Just another sign of how desperate Labour selection process had got: you don't select a candidate whose name is already on the ballot for another party. It confuses voters (especially in Glasgow East, one might add). And such confusion can prove decisive in a close contest.