So the 82% “mugs” (your words) who never thought they would fly it are now bidding to fly it? That makes sense.. I see that the 747 RIN Capts are all bidding for the 787 instead of the 330 where they would enjoy the benefits of strict seniority for bidding. Gee the 787 must be awful.
Regarding your Whitlam comment, did it ever occur to you that many pilots prefer not to disagree with a pilot who holds a strong industrial opinion like you do because they would rather not be in disgareement with their boss at work? Many times I’ve seen some IR expert pilot holding court about how screwed over he is with everyone kind of nodding along. As soon as he leaves, everyone else agrees with how out of touch he is. That might help you understand the 82%