I think that your suggestions are kind of not suggestions. They sound like the result you actually wanna see.
For me factions are not interesting because of poorly designed models, not a very appropriate in some cases leaders, not a very expected attitude of players towards subordination in factions that rely on it.
By poor faction models I mean that I am forced to play long on ships that I absolutely don't want to play in. Considering how different their combat mechanics work I'd say that it could be split on two kinds of recruitment. Also, the progression through ranking is kind of a choise of leader, rather then your own effords, which I find wrong.
The rest is kinda obvious. Sometimes faction leaders declare themselfs sort of kings, which I find disturbing. Imo faction leaders should be something alike with staff members - people who are supporting certain type of game play that his/her faction is supposed to follow. As for subordination, it is going to be tricky thing, because everyone want to be a cool dude who can talk any time he wants, out of turn, messing around and be forgiven for that. And fixing that is not going to be easy with another issue that factions meet - indies. You are free to do all that you want as indie, so joining the faction literately makes no sense or differense. There's just nothing in it that indies would not be able to do already. Quite oposite actually, factions limit your freedom, not offering anything in return, which most people do not like.
I have only two suggestions to that: limit freedom of indies (I'd actually remove such thing at all, leaving the free to play id only Freelancers, but most people do not agree) and standartise the faction models and roles of leaders in them. Currently factions can be created under any wicked model anyone ever can think of, and sometimes even win officialness. That is just making factions that are more driven to some sort of standards less attractive, thus leading to degradation of such thing as factions.
