What is funny about this to me is that the whole premise of Bitcoin is to have a low-cost, decentralized currency. However:
1. It isn't low-cost (a $1 transaction costs $4 with the transaction fee (at a minimum))
2. It isn't decentralized (1 organization has a massive influence). This announcement has caused a swing of $400 USD in the currency value TODAY!
I say bring BIP148 and give the valuable coin back to the ordinary miners that don't have massive warehouses of efficient miners with free energy in China? Would that actually happen (I legitimately don't know to make a judgement)?
the way mining works condemns the process to concentration. it doesn´t have to be under the same owner but concentration is the only way. Sunking the price actually damages only the regular home-based miner bloke. We shouldnt believe conspiranoias. Most miners are modest home/garage-based miners.
There is no easy solution for that.
Anyway this is all bitcoin politics against miners when miners are actually needed in the whole system. In fact mining is not the problem at all. The problem that must be answered is the bottleneck in the transaction flow. that´s it. that will bring times and fees back to normal. If you use a system that damages mining income too much you are heading for more centralization.
regarding price. Any non-agreed move in bitcoin will lead for a severe correction. August was to be tough yesterday and it´s going to tough tomorrow. Today is official but the split was the most likely scenario with ot without announcement.