Following the coup against President-elect Ray Gardiner, ACCA has been without a Vice-President since 6th May 1999. The 'inner council' (self-elected) has been actively canvassing various candidates. ACCA members have no say in the process.

The inner council needs to be assured that the candidates will not rock the boat, will not have any proposals for reform, will not object to ballot rigging and will carry out its wishes. Additional requirements are that the candidates must be UK based and must be white. More than 50% of the ACCA membership is based outside the UK. Of the UK membership, around 50% is non-white. Despite claiming to be global accountancy body, ACCA has never ever had a non-white person as an officeholder. 1996 saw the first ever non-UK member on Council.

A Council meeting later this month (June 1999) will consider two candidates, George Auger and Jonathan Beckerlegge. George Auger is a retired insolvency practitioner. Thus it is possible that in three years time ACCA will be led by someone not directly involved in practical affairs. Out of a membership of 67,000, only 100 ACCA members are licensed insolvency practitioners.

Jonathan Beckerlegge is nicknamed 'splinter-bottom' by his colleagues on account of sitting-on-the-fence on all important issues.

Neither of the candidates has ever issued any proposals for reform. None have  published any proposals for making the Association more open, democratic and accountable.