Subject-Verb agreement with compound subjects

[Carol]

Carol, who can think of no better way of determining a standard than a
> > consensus of the informed and educated
> 
> Geoff:
> Provided that the "informed and educated" - whoever they may be - are 
> prepared to accept a consensus and not argue that they and they alone 
> are the arbiters of the language.

Carol again:

That's the whole idea.

Carol, apologizing for the short post