Chapter 4 In which Pangloss decides that buildings and beaches should be sold for the good of all

As is often the case with things you read in newspapers, after a while people began to lose interest in the idea of a second casino. There seemed to be some dispute over who would build it, and whether the government would even allow one to be built at all. This was a shame, because it was Pangloss's heartfelt belief that whoever built the casino would also rebuild the whole of the harbour, which was falling down. Anyway, the whole debate had been a terrific experience for the people of Westphalia-on-Sea , because it had proved that Pangloss was a man of action who had big ideas, so the people didn't mind that considerable amounts of their money had been spent on the project. At the offices of the Westphalia Express the photo editor was finally told to stop superimposing Pangloss's picture onto a roulette wheel.

Pangloss's next brilliant idea was to sell off an old building which belonged to the local council. Some people still said it was part of their heritage, but Pangloss said it was falling down and selling it was the best option. At this point some of residents remembered that Pangloss was an estate agent, and that if anyone knew a thing or two about selling buildings, it was him. While the debate over the old building rumbled on, Pangloss had yet another brilliant idea.

Being built around a rocky headland, Westphalia-on-Sea did not have one great big sandy beach, but several coves at the bottom of quite steep cliffs. All these coves had a picturesque charm, but one was particularly favoured by visitors and locals alike because of the quaint pub near the little rocky beach. Sitting outside that pub on a warm summer evening and watching the fishermen on the beach that Queen Victoria had once visited was one of life's great pleasures for the ordinary folk of Westphalia-on-Sea, so it was only natural that Pangloss would bring in a rich property developer to knock everything down and build an exclusive hotel complex in its place. Some of the residents aired their concerns: the little cove would lose its quaint charm forever, locals might not have access to the area, and even if they did they wouldn't be able to afford a drink there. Pangloss was beginning to think that the ungrateful plebs of Westphalia-on-Sea didn't deserve him as mayor. 'Every time I have a brilliant idea somebody from the local awkward squad raises some piffling objection, he thought to himself. Can't these jokers see that boatloads of rich people will come to Westphalia-on-Sea because of this, and masses of menial jobs will be created?' Luckily the Westphalia Express knew that Pangloss was absolutely right, and told its readers to look to the future and stop bellyaching about a silly old pub on a crappy little beach being knocked down.