I haven't kept up with Dart, as I kinda fail to see the point right now, so can you elaborate a bit on how you think the current design is going against Gilad Bracha's convictions?

Language evolution is an interesting thing, especially when you've got corporate influence, second system effect etc. Or simply the need to add stuff, as languages are considered just another product, and otherwise you're considered "stale" in today's market. Weird.