The Wire

South Australian Premier Mike Rann has said that he’ll step aside after a factional deal was made by the state’s labor party to force him out of the leadership. The current education minister, Jay Weatherill, will replace him as leader. The internal spat spilled over into the public on the weekend, as Rann and his party bickered about the timing of his departure. Political observers say that although Rann’s time may have come, the party may struggle to avoid the fate of the federal and NSW Labor parties, whose leadership switches in recent times have had little effect on sliding voter support. They say that only deeper structural reforms will turn around the dwindling fortunes of the Labor party.