I think we are going to be jumping backwards and forwards between strategic and practical matters in this thread. But they are interrelated, so maybe not a bad thing.
For me the biggest thing is allocation of votes, and what changes there, if anything, informs some of the other debate. Back in 2015 the
Pearce Report said "While we believe a good theoretical case can be made for some sort of reform of Council" there were more pressing matters that should have been dealt with first. On the whole they have been, so think we can now legitimately consider it at the top of the Governance/ Reform agenda.
Lots of points I want to respond to, but on secret ballots first. I think generally when thinking about the ECF it useful to first decide whether it is acting like a company or a Parliament, or some hybrid which is neither. On the whole I like the idea of Council acting like the House of Commons, with voting members the equivalent of MPs except where company law forbids it.
I understand now why secret ballots were introduced, and if good relations between individuals were the only factor, I would see no reason to change. But that seems quite a lightweight reason. Directors know better than anyone else who amongst their colleagues supports them. If they really wanted to create a paper wall so no one else could tell, they could give all their other votes to friends. Malcolm Pein only had one vote in the last AGM. But if anyone believes that is the extent of his influence, I have a bridge they might like to buy.
As the MP for Berkshire - and I am pompous enough to think about myself in those terms - I think my votes should be public so I am accountable to my electorate. But more than that I think the ECF can legitimately say to organisations that if you want to exercise your votes, you need to send someone who is willing to have their votes published. The ECF has a problem that people say Council is detached and unaccountable, and can legitimately try to fix that issue.
I don't think this is particularly controversial and am seriously considering proposing it to the next Council.