The FSF have with this decision to reinstate RMS alienated a bunch of people and financial supporters. So if we want to talk avoiding alienation, the board should have held their previous course of at least not causing more of this drama. The current situation requires that the FSF decide if keeping RMS in leadership positions is worth alienating the people that are speaking out and the financial patrons they’ve lost. An anti-corporate, pro-consumer political organization isn’t worth a whole lot if it’s politically incapable of furthering its goals. And FSF, bleeding staff and money and only able to get attention when this kind of stuff is going on, is very much approaching that state.

Also, what are the RMS zealots going to do if the FSF kicks him out again? Become corporatists out of spite? If they only support free software because RMS is at the helm, they don’t really support free software but some sort of a cult of personality.