What tosh! What is with aero's pilots that makes them believe that throwing an aircraft around the skys makes them a better pilot than the tourist?
Not everyone has the desire to be thrown around like a pea in a can as a form of enjoyment!
Most pilots fly aircraft to tour and an IMC rating helps them develop much great situational awareness and improves safety. They also develop much better awareness of what the aircraft is doing.
There is no reason to let an IMC rating lapse in the UK, it is easy to keep current for anyone who is doing average flying each year.
I only went from the IMC to IR to allow class A and non UK flight and there is nothing wrong with the IMC otherwise. Take it from me there is nothing different between the instrument skills on an IMC and the instrument skills on an IR. The "extras" on an IR are mostly focused on SIDS and STARS. You can either fly safely in IMC or you can't the time it takes to develop these skills is the same whether you do an IMC or an IR. The IMC is a MINIMUM of 15 hours of training the IR also has it the same MINIMUMS for instrument flight. I have known pilots take 30-40 hours to completed an IMC as I have known pilots take more than 100 hours to complete an IR.
Anyone who flies into icing conditions in an aircraft not equipped for it is a fool regardless of weather they are IMC or IR. There are far too many accidents caused by pilots flying in minimums and then getting caught out by lowering cloud. Just look at the people who have flown into the side of hills becuase they have been unable to climb to a safe alltitude.