Board Thread:Consensus Track/@comment-1251315-20140724203301/@comment-29458028-20140726001846

It really depends on what the aim of the consensus is.

If you want a large group to give you information as fast as possible, nothing beats voting. Discussing in such situations, while not wrong, defeats its purpose

However, if the consensus goes over a longer period, discussing is really unbeatable and the best option. Nobody wins a debate by the number of supporters he has, but by the strength of his points.

Don't get me wrong, I support healthy discussion in consensus threads, but simple consensus need not the tedium of discussion if they can be resolved easily. This brings the issue of what is a simple consensus, though, which can be quite arbitary.