well that's the question, isn't it?  is it really simply a technical question?  on it's face it may seem to be but i learned a while ago that the computer scientists don't have a lock on how Bitcoin works.  which is why there was only one inventor, Satoshi, who made the breakthrough.  most CS geeks have been shown to be armchair analysts, esp ones like Peter Todd.  i am one too.  point being, it's not simply a technical matter.  there's economics, both macro and micro, going on and a huge chunk of game theory determining what actually motivates the players. 

for instance, i think if we expand the blocks, we'll get more tx's and users resulting in more full nodes as a result of more investment money coming into the system and more vested players trying to help as full nodes.  mining will go back to being more profitable and we'll have better security.  Metcalfe's Law should work off the userbase, not the full nodes.

assuming that the majority have holes in their heads is exactly how authoritarian states get going; when a few minority ppl in the system think they know better than everyone else and should be determining all the decision making.  gmax and luke are the epitome of that.  and no, Gavin is not doing the same thing b/c he is responding to what the community as a whole wants.