The following review is by Joe Toscano in the Anarchist Age Weekly Review Number 517 23rd September ­ 30th September, 2002, Melbourne.

Building United Judgement. A Handbook for Consensus Decision Making.

By Centre for Conflict Resolution in 1981, Reprinted June 1999, ISBN 1-800-995-8342

Decision making processes are central to the life of any organisation, community or society. 'Consensual Decision Making Processes ­ Building A United Judgement' is an important aspect of the decision making process in the anarchist community. As most activists are not familiar with consensual decision making processes, this handbook provides a useful look at how a united judgement can be built.

Although how we make decisions is an integral part of everyday life, itıs assumed that like breathing itıs an automatic process. Nothing is further from the truth, decision making is a learned response. Few people within the communities we live and work in have any direct knowledge about consensual decision making processes and many of us who attempt to use this process do not have a conscious set of principles, we can follow, acting in most cases in an ad hoc unconscious fashion.

This book examines the nuts and bolts of the consensus process but more importantly takes us through the problems that can develop when people use the consensus process. Reading the interesting information contained in the book, reminded me of the fate of a plenary which occurred at the end of the Australian Anarchist Centenary celebrations in Melbourne that were held from the 1st to the 4th of May 1986. A meeting of over 500 people was paralysed when one person did not want the meeting taped. The meeting degenerated into a farce as the group tried to tackle the issue. If participants had the experience with the process that's outlined in this book, the problem would have been resolved in a few minutes not an hour.

The book is divided into 13 chapters. Titles range from 'A Step-by-Step Process For Consensus' to 'When Agreement Cannot Be Reached' to the last chapter 'Common Problems ­ What To Do About Them'. This book is an invaluable aid to those of us who attend countless meetings to build that infrastructure that is required to create an egalitarian social movement. It's one of those invaluable reference books that people who are involved in extra parliamentary politics should get a hold of.