At what point does "creative tension" turn into something more destructive? It's a question that Gordon Brown should ask himself. While differences between the chancellor and Tony Blair are not exactly new, Mr Brown has recently become bolder in advertising their extent and nature. He may not quite have done so yet, but he is getting perilously close to stepping over the line where legitimate argument ends and direct challenge to the prime minister's authority begins. When the Blair-Brown relationship is going through one of its bad patches, their proxies let the world know. These people have been as active as usual during this round, insisting things between the two men have "never been worse" and that there have been "blazing rows" after which they are "not speaking". But this time, there is an important difference. Over-enthusiastic subordinates, even if they are only doing their master's bidding, can be disowned. But when the chancellor appears to be declaring his opposition to the prime minister directly and more or less publicly, the game has changed―and become more dangerous.
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