I posted a comment to an article on Chlorophyll and thought I’d post it here as well.
Consensus……or “Anti-Consensus”?
Personal experience has proven to me that consensus often does not work and should never be used as the sole model of decision-making. Having been a consensus junkie for a couple of years, my addiction came to a screeching halt last summer when the consensus decision-making model was abused to achieve the agenda of a small faction of people in the Green Party of Utah.
Using “anti-consensus”, our party was ultimately deprived of having the rightful Green Party Presidential Candidate on its ballot line, cheating Utah voters out of a Green Candidate.
“Anti-Consensus” is simple. Think of proposal ahead of time. Plan to propose it at a meeting. Pre-plan to have one of your co-horts block it. According to the Consensus decision-making model, blocks halt everything and no decision is made. Nothing moves forward.
It’s as easy as that!
Although I am an advocate of consensus decision-making in many situations, such as, say….affinity groups in civil disobedience actions……I am cured of my addiction where consensus is concerned regarding decision-making in the political arena. It just doesn’t work.
The Green Party of Utah is overhauling its bylaws to rid itself of being locked into this decision-making model as its sole tool for such business. It is unfortunate that the learning curve cost Utah voters in the 2004 presidential election (by virtue of the lack of a Green Candidate for president as an option), but looking forward to future elections it is our hope that decisions will be made more efficiently and with greater precision, using methods in addition to/other than consensus…..or “anti-consensus”.
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 
Kudos to all you Utah Activists. I have so said and I will say it before, that war is wrong, and you know, so is stealing. I guess I have to say that after all was said and done, of years of protesting, that the violent society still will not win, even though I dabbled in violent thinking for strategic and personal matters at times of self-defense, I must say that I am for anti-violence. I am glad to see that you are still doing the things you were years ago. Still biking, but in a wheelchair these days, and still as active as ever, just in different ways. Never did make it to chiapas because of my injury, but I have a dedicated web livejournal to their cause and the love of anti-war still goes out. I was sad to see that our beloved friend and anti-war crusader of WW2 passed on, I remember his fond spirits and bright attitude. Long live dissent.
Love
Kermit
Long time
Kermit! It’s been a long time. We do not know anything about injuries and did not know you didn’t make to Chiapas. Please “catch us up” when you can.