1. Miners vs nodes is a great balance of power. Yes, miners ultimately decide what goes into a block but nodes decide what gets broadcasted around the network.
If nodes are against some miner collusion they can create a client that counteracts the miner collusion.
UASF (use activated soft fork) was one such example during the blocksize war of 2017.
"'Even the smallest person can change the course of history." -J.R.R. Tolkien