MORRIS IEMMA was beaming as he entered the caucus room at 12.40pm yesterday, flanked by his departing deputy, John Watkins.
"Someone's gotta tell him," quipped a member of the 80-strong media pack that was swarming around the caucus room doors waiting for someone in authority to confirm what everyone knew: Mr Iemma had been abandoned by his right-wing colleagues and his reign was over.
The former premier knew he was a dead man walking before he arrived at Parliament early yesterday. At 6am a furious Reba Meagher had called Mr Iemma to say she would not resign from the front bench.
The night before, the premier had spent hours on the phone seeking support for his planned change, which included the dumping of five ministers to make way for fresh blood.
The treasurer, Michael Costa, had agreed to his request but the others, who found out yesterday morning, refused tobudge.
At 10am Mr Costa held a bizarre news conference, saying that the state economy was heading for a train wreck and only a straight shooter such as him, who did not care about popularity, could save the day.
His grenade-throwing about the parlous economic affairs besetting the State Government was briefly interrupted when a photographer's mobile phone rang. Once the Only The Lonely ringtone ended, Mr Costa picked up where he had left off.
Meanwhile, the Right caucus was meeting in the historic, book-lined Jubilee Room on the ground floor of Parliament. It had been due to convene at 9am, but due to all the comings and goings and changes of allegiances, the time kept getting pushed back.
The premier announced that with the departure of Mr Watkins it was time to bring fresh impetus to the front bench and he wanted new faces, including Steve Whan, Tanya Gadiel and Michael Daley.
However, the Right powerbrokers Eddie Obeid and Joe Tripodi, normally allies of Mr Iemma, were not having a bar of it, claiming there had to be a formal process of spilling all ministerial positions.
The Right's meeting opened with a tortuous debate over this plan. The premier put his job on the line, saying that unless the five - Tony Kelly, Graham West, Kevin Greene, Mr Costa and Ms Meagher - went, he would.
A Right source said: "People were saying, 'We want to keep you, Morris, but can't you compromise?' He said, 'No, take it or leave it, I'm the leader and I have to do this. If you don't agree, I will go'."
The meeting adjourned for 15 minutes to try to resolve the deadlock. "If he had just chopped Costa, they [Mr Obeid and Mr Tripodi] would have worn it," said one right-winger.
During the break, some sources said Mr Obeid told Mr West and Mr Kelly, who are not close to Mr Obeid's clique, to stick to their guns and not resign. It was then the room knew Mr Iemma's fate was sealed. "That is the killer fact that shows they were planning to execute Morris," a source said.
However, Mr Obeid denied this happened: "All caucus wanted him to stay. We are totally supportive of Morris.
"We had tried to talk him into not going, for about an hour, maybe an hour and half. It wasn't a debate, it was about telling him that this has got to be done by a proper process, having a spill. He said he didn't want to put the party through that," Mr Obeid said.
The premier was holding back tears as he stared at defeat. But as one frontbencher said: "It was as though Iemma had said to himself, 'You know what? I'm over all this."'
At 11.26am Mr Iemma walked out of the room, with the Police Minister, David Campbell. When asked if he had survived as premier, Mr Iemma looked straight ahead and said nothing.
After his departure Mr Tripodi proposed that the faction endorse Nathan Rees.
John Della Bosca did not want the faction locked in. Frank Sartor then suggested there might be other candidates, including himself, if the matter was put off for a few days to allow caucus members time to consider.
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