I think a lot of the down talking of Ripple is ideological in origin - from anarchists that don't like the fact that it's not decentralised and thus isn't really a part of the future stateless, corporateless digital utopia.

Meanwhile back in reality, based on some crude historical analysis (i.e. Wall Street NEVER loses AND the global trend towards more stable and peaceful nation states, not less) it's unlikely that the banks or the governments are going anywhere, and if that's the case, Ripple is most certainly worth a punt - worth a punt for anyone who has an inkling that the anarcho-utopia/ dystopia isn't likely to happen anytime in 2018-19.