A meeting of the second kind

This is a review of a second meeting of a group that I have reviewed previously.
I usually take minutes for this meeting but it was suggested that this not be necessary - I don't know why. The agenda seemed to be an informational one but the discussion that ensued was quite vigorous (if unruly) . Intriguingly the chair did not take notes as the meeting progressed - a recipe for time wasting if ever there was one.
Here is a sample of the progress of discussion about student recommendations for senior subjects.
Objections to the process because it seemed pointless as students can still choose a subject even if they are not recommended -> student progress in general, some students should not be doing certain subjects because they were never going to be suited to it and are now dropping out -> should we introduce a minimum "B" standard for all assessment tasks? Should start in Year 8 not Year 12, and no progress until it is achieved -> teachers spend too much time re-teaching work in Year 12 -> can't get through the course -> some students doing outdoor ed and/or child studies miss many weeks of lessons and don't make them up -> could we have subject panels to recommend students? -> could we get students doing work prior to the commencement of Year 12 - say in the holidays or final weeks of Year 11 -> why are some Year 12 students doing Year 12? -> we need to focus on what is required for Year 12 and scope this back to Year 8 students -> back to subject recommendation panels -> back to teacher recommendations and so on and so on....
It was agonising. Don't get me wrong the topic(s) were worthy of conversation but given that no notes were taken and nobody will remember what was said I just don't see the point.

Ok how could it have gone?
Firstly, if it is simply to present information, then present it,
If you want to discuss it, present it, ask for clarifying questions and then discuss it in small groups. Under no circumstances should an individual take hold of the agenda and fly kites.
Time limit the discussion and move people back to the agenda if they start to stray. This meeting went no-where because there was no purpose to it.
If you want to decided something, then people must be given time to digest the suggestion - it SHOULD NOT be raised at the meeting for a decision there and then. Grrrr. That makes me mad!