Dealing with men

Jackie is no stranger to dealing with men, working in male-dominated local government as well as having a brother, a husband and three sons, aged 36, 35 and 30. ‘I certainly feel more comfortable being around men: they’re not as complicated as women; they’re a lot simpler, much more direct, kind and without guile,’ she says.

Jackie laughs loudly, swears here and there, and clearly enjoys asking questions as well as answering them. ‘I don’t take life too seriously,’ she says. ‘I like to greet it with a wry smile. People assume I am always calm and well spoken and they would never expect me to swear, so when I do, people listen. There’s a shock value, which is helpful. If you’re not known for raising your voice, people stop and take notice when you do. If you’re always shouting and bawling, people stop noticing you.’

Asserting yourself isn’t always the right strategy, according to Jackie, who says we need to tailor our approach for the result we want. ‘The way to gain authority is by gauging the cleverest way to get what you need from a situation,’ she explains. ‘So, if the plumber comes round to fix a leaking pipe and you feel you’re being patronised, is there any gain in taking him on? If what you want is to get the pipe fixed, then tell him how grateful you are and, yes, of course you’ll make him another cup of tea. We’re right

I’ve reached an age where I don’t mind making a fool of myself

back to the wisdom of picking your battles.’

Jackie is honest about her own shortcomings: ‘I’m not good at coping with others’ feelings, and I’m not interested in nature, history, geography or the lives of people I don’t know.’

She adds that she rarely takes holidays and works full time. Relaxing at home sees her engaged in intricate nail art, watching horror films (‘I love anything with zombies and an apocalypse’), knitting, crocheting and playing solitaire. ‘I don’t like playing games with anybody else,’ she confides. ‘I’m horribly competitive, can’t cope with losing and have been known to cry in frustration, particularly during a game of Monopoly or Cluedo. And I can’t relax unless I feel I’ve earned it by doing what I need to do for work first.’

Jackie’s husband, Stuart, retired from his job as a design engineer six years ago and runs the domestic side of life at home in rural Shropshire. ‘I don’t want to sound big-headed but my husband thinks I’m fabulous!’ she smiles. ‘His role now is very much a supportive one. He likes to get involved in what’s going on if the opportunity is there, for example, if I’m filming something. He knows I’ve spent 25 years of my life working with parish councils and he’s pleased for me that they are now getting more recognition because of this.’

As for the future, Jackie says: ‘I don’t believe in bucket lists, but I’ve reached an age when I don’t mind making a fool of myself. I’d like to be a contestant on Tipping Point with Ben Shephard and I would love to present Have I Got News For You. I recently jumped at the chance to appear in a promotional video to publicise the new series of The Walking Dead. It was for a competition in which entrants could win the chance to have an actor dressed as a zombie stand in for them on a video conference call.’ It’s something Jackie says she’d have loved to have used in that infamous Handforth Parish Council meeting…

You Do Have The Authority Here! #What Would Jackie Weaver Do? (Constable) by Jackie Weaver is out now