To be fair, Bookie, you got some very reasonable answers then, not much requirement for a hard hat.
I have always worked on the assumption that if I put on a 7x00 squawk I can do pretty much what I like because the guys on the ground will wave a magic wand and keep me safe.
I think that this thread is much more workaday, and possibly arising out my
question the other day.
There are often things going on in the pilot's mind unknown to the controller and vice versa where one might be indifferent between a pair of strategies, but it makes a big difference to the other, and it is in those cases where offering a choice would be helpful.