> There are other problems with consensus too. In my opinion consensus is
> fudnamentally anti-demcocratic.
There is alot of nonsense on the left about consensus being "undemocratic," either from people who secretly prefer a hierarchical system or from those with bad group experiences. Just because a dysfunctional group uses consensus poorly doesn't invalidate a meeting process that has been used for thousands of years. Every group has problems with bad dynamics that are quite independent of the decision-making methods being used.
If anybody is interested on improving group process, including methods that aren't strict consensus, I recommend a project being produced by some friends of mine.
Collective Book on Collective Process http://www.geocities.com/collectivebook/
Chuck0