Yes, Theresa Knott was right that it was much much too long, but I had already sent it... I got a very interesting reply: "It's true that the explanation I gave was grossly oversimplified, both for space and, frankly, to put it in terms that editors could understand." (!!!!!!) "What I was referring to loosely as the "editorial group" are the administrators, of whom you are one." If he actually knows that I am an administrator, rather than guessing, that suggests a reasonable degree of knowledgeability. Perhaps he is a Wikipedian himself? He concluded "The wonder of Wikipedia is that it works remarkably well. I have a background in sociology and somewhere in this process there's a dissertation for someone."