She says she fears being put in a difficult position if the governing body has to vote on a contentious issue. I assure her that we never vote, beyond the occasional show of hands to approve the annual report, the budget intention and, of course, my re-election as chair.

I would see it as a failure on my part if we had to resolve issues by voting. My job, when there is not a consensus, is to review and reiterate the arguments in an impartial way until everyone is unanimous.

Would the head be happy to see a decision she opposed passed by a narrow margin? Perhaps, she suggested, under those circumstances she could opt to become an instant ex-officio governor. The words “cake” and “eat it” suggest themselves. We agree that this would not be well received.

We also agree to try it her way. And I may yet find reasons why she should be “one of us”. What do other governors think?