Robert Hardman | Daily Mail | 5 October 2023

Clandon House has suddenly become a fresh battlefield in a struggle for the very soul of the National Trust. On one side is the management, with plans to spend tens of millions installing suspended walkways and a viewing platform to reinterpret the charred remains. On the other is a band of traditionalist members who want the trust to use its insurance payout from the fire — estimated to be more than £60 million — to rebuild Clandon as it was.

Ahead of the AGM, the bosses are deploying tactics which, in my view, wouldn’t look out of place at a gathering of the Chinese Communist party. Most striking is the new system whereby members vote for new appointees to the trust’s ruling council. there are 37 candidates for six vacancies; each has been permitted a few paragraphs in the election handbook to make their case.

However, five names have been preselected by the management as the correct candidates. Members are directed towards the chosen five using a system called ‘quick vote’.

It enables a voter to rubber stamp the approved candidates with a single click. Much easier, certainly, than wading through 37 names. there is, of course, no ‘quick vote’ option for the opposition.

Imagine if anyone suggested this for a local or general election.

First Published in the Daily Mail