Precisely. So that’s something we need closer links with core Python over. The ensurepip model is a good start, but maybe it needs to be superseded by a more general bootstrap_packaging mechanism? That would be a very good discussion to have, but I don’t think it can be covered by the packaging community in isolation. The core devs have concerns (for example, we bundle pip because offline installation is key in some situations, and I assume “always installing the same version of pip” matters more than getting an up to date pip when an install happens with online access) which need to be represented, and various redistributors will want to have their say, and will almost certainly be more responsive to proposals seen as coming from core Python / the SC than from the PyPA.
That’s probably a good, self-contained action - modernise the ensurepip mechanism to provide a more flexible means to distribute “the official packaging and workflow tool” as part of core Python.
Now all we have to do is agree what tool to distribute 