How can we loose that free choice if anyone is free to release an alternate client the same way XT would have. If it get enough support it will simply be adopted.
Yes, at this point, the block size limit debate is sound and fury, signifying nothing. If the market wants to increase the block size limit, then it will increase the block size limit.
I've shown these diagrams a lot because I think they reveal the essence of the situation. If the limit remains to the right of Q*, then it doesn't really matter what the limit is because it does not affect the free market dynamics. However, if the limit falls to the left of Q*, then the pressure due to the deadweight loss will eventually cause a fork to move the limit back to the right of Q*!
TL/DR: There is no way to stop Bitcoin from growing.


Peter, your economic analysis is flawed, as it simply wishes away the external costs that the market may choose to impose on the users running their own node. The scaling solution needs to take account of this, and your proposed solutions as well as your analysis does not. Stop promoting faulty ideas (economic and technical alike).