Ask Agatha #4 – People Want Me To Go

Dear Aunt Agatha,

I need your advice on what to do next.  I obtained my present position because although just over half my colleagues regarded me as an odious little tyke, they knew that my elevation would really annoy the other half of my colleagues, who also think I’m an odious little tyke. 

I really object to that word “little,” because although it is technically true, I use authority to make up for the inches that I lack (in height, that is), as other great leaders have done, including Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin.  I find that if I shout and scream at people and smash the occasional phone, they soon start listening. 

My problem is that people want me to go, and I am reluctant to give up my salary, which is higher than the Prime Minister’s, or the expenses that fund my suits, my flights, my meals and my lifestyle.  Frankly, it would be an indignity to be seen in a taxi or a train, rather than a chauffeur-driven limousine.  Although I’d retain my pension pot of over £1m, I’d be eclipsed in celebrity standing by my somewhat exotic wife, whose fun-loving antics are often mistaken for vulgarity.  I’d resent the loss of status.  What do you advise?

(signed) “Mr S”

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Dear “Mr S,”

This is a difficult one.  If you stay, you risk constant attacks and exposés from opponents delving into your spending habits and intimidation episodes.  I’m told that many of your friends are suggesting that you should “quit while you’re ahead.”  On the other hand, you would have to forego much of the lavish lifestyle you so obviously enjoy.  My advice is to negotiate a retirement.  People are so desperate to get rid of you that they would probably pay anything to see the back of you.  You could almost certainly negotiate a multi-million-pound severance package.  You and your wife could continue to live in comfort, while everyone else would think they had secured a bargain, no matter what the cost.

A xxx