The current MOTU decision process was agreed at MOTU/Meetings/2008-06-27.  This process is for policy changes that need wide agreement and support.  This is not meant to proclude volunteers from doing the work of developing Ubuntu.

The basic process is as follows:

1.  Raise the issue on the MOTU mailing list for general discussion and add it to the agenda for the next meeting.  Give enough time before the meeting for people who can't make the meeting to contribute.

2.  Discuss the issue at the meeting.  At the meeting those in attendance select someone to judge consensus on the issue (not the person raising the issue and ideally someone neutral on the matter).

3.  The judge summarizes the discussion and where the rough consensus of the meeting was on the question and mail it to the MOTU mailing list.

4.  After discussion on the mailing list, the judge makes a consensus call.  If there is a rough consensus for change, then the judge says so and the change is official.  If not, the judge calls for more discussion.

5. If someone feels that the judge's consensus call was significantly in error, they can appeal the decision to the MOTU Council.

The standard is, by design, rough consensus. Not everyone need agree, but we should work harder to agree on what we are doing than just getting to 51% of whoever can vote. Rough consensus is described here.