Brownout (noun): A reduction or cutback in power, often resulting from a shortfall or failure.

Financial Times - Contest marks critical test for prime minister: Tony Blair has been assailed on numerous fronts in 2006. The Tessa Jowell affair, the allegations over "cash for coronets", perceptions of disarray in the health service, the deterioration in his relations with Gordon Brown - all this has intensified questions over how long the prime minister can stay at Number 10. Next week's local elections in England are therefore critical for Mr Blair, revealing how much he has become a liability for Lab-our. A truly bad performance next Thursday would intensify demands from Labour rebels that he must go now. A reasonable outcome would probably give him the momentum to go into 2007... Arguably, Labour would have a bad night if it suffered a net loss of more than 200 council seats. Labour currently has about 6,500 councillors in the UK, the lowest it has had since 1978. To go even lower would smack of humiliation. In the battle for London, Labour is likely to lose control of established strongholds like Brent, Bexley and Hammersmith. But the bellwether will be its flagship in Camden. Labour has solid majority control here. Losing Camden is unthinkable, but a serious bloodying here would do damage to the government. It would also be an embarrassment for Labour to lose Tower Hamlets - where the party is in a three-way fight with Respect and the Lib Dems - or to do very badly in Haringey.

Meanwhile, in the La-La land of Neo-Labour...

NOTW - Blair: I'm here until 2009
The Times - Euan Blair tells Tories daddy isn’t quitting

We stopped holding any dim hope of Gordon Brown presenting any kind of viable leadership solution well over a year ago... and the longer this goes on the more gutless he looks to more voters. Brownites should get used to hearing this kind of thing more often...

Blair Watch: Brown of course lacks the balls to stick the knife in, preferring to sneer from the sidelines via his minions. Gordon has wimped out of several golden opportunities to inherit the throne and I think he'll be the David Davis of New Labour. When his challenge came it was too little, too late.

Guido: Euan Blair telling George Osborne at the Washington Embassy that his father was going to stay until the end, is as close to the horse's mouth as it gets. Guido reckons Gordon hasn't got the balls to take Blair head on.