Britain: Yesterday fitted no one's definition of the "stable and orderly transition" that Tony Blair had promised the Labour party.
A day that began with a resignation and culminated in showdowns in Downing Street brought took New Labour into unchartered territory, with neither side preparing to give any quarter, no matter what, it seemed, the political cost. As first a junior minister quit, and then a series of parliamentary private secretaries, the tide appeared to be turning against the prime minister.
But at every stage, Mr Blair counterpunched hard, unwilling to give up and prepared to use the full power of his office to hold on.
As the day wore on, it was impossible to ignore the anxiety - verging on panic - in No 10, as the prime minister and chancellor Gordon Brown met to attempt to thrash out a deal in meetings that ended inconclusively, and to no one's satisfaction.
Whatever was being said in briefings, Mr Blair's allies were clear about how to characterise the manoeuvering: an attempted coup.
Behind it, or certainly a part of it, was Tom Watson, the defence minister, whose name was among those on a letter calling for Mr Blair to quit. No 10 had been bracing itself for the note ever since officials were contacted by London's Guardian newspaper in York late on Monday night.
The chief whip, Jacqui Smith, had told Mr Watson to withdraw his name. He did not, and his fate was sealed. He quit the government at 11.12am. His resignation statement was given to the media while most lobby journalists were in their daily briefing at No 10.
He said in his letter to the prime minister: "I have to say that I no longer believe that your remaining in office is in the interest of either the party or the country." It didn't take long for Downing Street to hit back, and brutally.
Mr Blair responded at 11.58am: "I have heard from the media that Tom Watson has resigned. I had been intending to dismiss him but wanted to extend to him the courtesy of speaking to him first. Had he come privately and expressed his view about the leadership, that would have been one thing. But to sign a round-robin letter which was then leaked to the press was disloyal, discourteous and wrong."
Though an official letter from Mr Blair was more conciliatory, the tone for the rest of the day had been set, with Downing Street more suspicious than ever that the Brown camp was behind the plot. Allies of Mr Blair spent the morning trying to quell, or at least stall, the government's civil war. John Hutton, the work and pensions secretary, went on BBC radio to deliver a "calm down" message to the rebels. It didn't work, and Mr Hutton in fact helped fan anger on the backbenches and the suspicions of the Brown camp.
Other critics of Mr Blair were telling the rebels to back off. Glenda Jackson, the former transport minister, said in a statement that she felt reassured by the Sun newspaper's front page naming May 31st next year as the day Mr Blair would stand down as party leader. This belated conciliation went unheeded elsewhere.
John McDonnell, the left-wing MP who is the only confirmed challenger to Mr Brown for the Labour leadership, captured the mood. "Most of us have looked on aghast - it's almost been like an episode of the Sopranos, what has been going on over the last couple of weeks," he told BBC radio. By lunchtime it was clear that all six PPSs from the 2001 intake had quit, including the PPS to Mr Hutton. Shortly after 2pm, a source close to the rebel MPs was prepared to consign Mr Blair to political oblivion. "He's got hours left. He was given a chance this morning to confirm the Sun story or set a clear date for his departure, and nothing has come back. He has been very foolish and arrogant. Plans for the delegation are being made. The calls are being made. Tony is going to be told it is moving time."
The returning fire from inside government started to intensify. One cabinet aide was beside himself: "This is a military organised coup. The Brownites and their supporters could do terrible damage by all this, not just of themselves, but the party."
Around that time, the letter sent to Mr Blair on Tuesday night by Mr Watson and the other PPSs was published in full. It offered a velvet glove - "we believe that you have been an exceptional Labour prime minister. The party and the nation owes you an incalculable debt of gratitude" - with an iron fist: "It is clear to us - as it is to almost the entire party and the entire country - that without an urgent change in the leadership of the party it becomes less likely that we will win that [ next] election."
At 2pm yesterday Mr Blair and Mr Brown - invisible since the current leadership crisis began - met in Downing Street for 90 minutes. This came after an earlier two-hour meeting at 7.30am. Both meetings ended without any kind of agreement over what should happen next. Neither man was, it seems, prepared to blink first.
According to a well-placed source, they had not had a single meaningful discussion about "transition" since before this May's local elections. They had spoken plenty of times on other issues, but not on this particular elephant in the room. The chancellor later left Downing Street via a back entrance, speeding away in his ministerial limousine.
Jack Straw, leader of the Commons, who had been moved from foreign secretary against his will, was the next minister to meet Mr Blair, again in Downing Street.
According to one source, he told Mr Blair that support for him was dwindling. He left smiling.
- Guardian service