Re: [wg-review] [CONSENSUS] IS A LOADED TERM...

[Karl Auerbach <karl@CaveBear.com>]

On Mon, 15 Jan 2001, Sotiropoulos wrote:

> I believe "consensus" is a recipe for gang rule; the most powerful and
> organized gangs rule!

I don't agree.  The problems that I have with "consensus" is that it is
too vague - both in the sense of what it means and also in the sense in
how it is ascertained.  Consensus methods give too much power to a chair
who has an agenda.

That's why I prefer systems that allow any person to make a mandatory
demand for a counted vote wheever that person feels, for any reason and
without a need to explain, that the chair has mis-determined the sense of
the forum.  This is a pretty standard technique in formalized rules of
procedure.

That technique allows for speedy progress when folks really do agree and
nobody is in the mood to make things go slowly.  But even if someone wants
to slow things down, elections only slow 'em down, not stop
decisionmaking.

		--karl--


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