In New Zealand, we don't have caucus coups for corruption...
Fifteen months ago, the dominant right faction rolled Premier Morris Iemma over a planned Cabinet reshuffle. In his place, they installed first-term MP (but long-term party hack) Nathan Rees. Rees began a campaign to clean up New South Wales politics and remove the persistent taint of corruption, culminating in the sacking of Finance Minister (and corrupt right-wing powerbroker) Joe Tripodi and a ban on political donations from developers. This was too much for the right faction, so they rolled him and installed Planning Minister Kristina Keneally in his place.
Keneally now gets to be New South Wales' first female Premier. But she also gets to start her premiership labelled as a puppet for a "malignant" group of corrupt powerbrokers. And so New South Wales politics will continue as usual for the next few years, with the usual people making the usual deals, until the election rolls around and likely results in a new bunch of snouts at the trough...
