Sometimes in life you need a stroke of luck. In politics, a somewhat inexact science, success requires quite a lot of luck.

Councillor John Ennis, Labour’s new Lead Councillor for Children’s Services, is clearly a lucky man. Having moved from his housing brief to pick up the high-risk area of Children’s Services he finds within a couple of weeks his Conservative shadow, the fearsome Isobel Ballsdon, removed from her role. Councillor Ennis would undoubtedly say that he doesn’t care who shadows his post but when taking on a new brief it is a definite advantage if your opponent is having to do the same, more so if he is new to the Council.

The Conservatives’ decision defies political logic. Councillor Ballsdon had shown a reasonable command of her brief coupled as well as her messianic zeal and she has the still dripping scalp of Councillor Ruhemann hanging from her cardigan. She had clearly played a key role in landing a major blow for the Council’s Tory Group. Every indication she had given was that she was relishing the prospect of continuing her role, yet days later she finds herself effectively demoted.

While most politicians usually find it possible when ‘off camera’ to be at least civil with even their most tenacious opponents.  Not so with Councillor Ballsdon for whom there is deep, sometimes irrational loathing on the Labour benches. There are times in politics when if your opponents are not seething with anger you are not doing you job properly, but 24/7 loathing is a rare achievement.

Ironically, had Labour better handled the issue of ‘now out of catchment siblings’ that so exercised Mrs Ballsdon some years ago she may never have emerged as a Conservative activist.

So what are the Conservatives playing at? Their leader, Andrew Cumpsty contends that he wanted to “add even more breadth and depth to the Conservative team”. I’m sure he did, but why do something so illogical to achieve it? This is far from the complete picture.

Although she denies having been sacked, rumours persist that Councillor Ballsdon’s move wasn’t entirely voluntary. Indeed when asked whether she had asked to be moved from her Children’s services role, Councillor Cumpsty gave the standard politician’s non-answer. Neither did he deny, despite repeatedly being given the opportunity to do so, that there had been a disciplinary issue within the Conservative Group.

When politicians are given the opportunity to deny something that has no truth in it they do so vehemently. If instead they repeat their pre-prepared mantra it is to avoid the truth without telling a direct lie.

Councillor Cumpsty did, however, confirm that Councillor Willis, despite his onerous new duties as a ‘deputy whip’ – a role which amounts to occasionally chasing your people out of the toilets to vote – continues to shadow the strategic planning function held by Tony Page rather than those responsibilities transferring to Councillor Ballsdon. She has essentially been put on conservatory watch as shadow to the Planning Applications Committee Chair. To keep her sweet the Conservatives have made the post a ‘front bench’ role – that may or may not mean that she will keep whatever special responsibility allowances she receives.

Only an extremely generous commentator would see Councillor Ballsdon’s new role as anything other than a demotion.

Councillor Cumpsty is keen to deny that splits or divisions exist. But every political group has its factions whether personal, ideological or founded on shared ambition. So every Leader has to keep the troops in line – and there are no more difficult troops than the relentless and the impatient. When you can’t sack you restructure.