Bitcoin is a sinking ship now. The amount of politics going on simple decisions clearly shows no further advancement can be expected from it.
Good. Stability is good for business, because you know exactly what to expect.
UK government is going to regulate it soon.
Couldn't care less. Anyone can make any law regarding XBT, it will have no effect on the protocol or its absolute value.
They can monitor how and where i spend my money. Worse, they know how much i have. Even worse, every joe with my address knows how much i have. I was better of using cash.
True, XBT is not designed for privacy. Your disappointment is a result of your mismatched expectations of the protocol. If you want privacy, trade some XBT for XMR and use that.