Re the EASA FTLs, they weren’t perfect by any means, but it’s worth bearing in mind that there were several EASA Member States that didn’t have any FTLs at all. So these crews were flying into the UK when grossly fatigued, and from a narrow UK perspective these were the crews who you might have met over Europe when their fatigue could have been your problem. Now, it’s slightly different.
You also have the comfort of knowing that when your UK licence takes you to an airport on the fringes of EASA land, said airport might have reached some auditable standards that are to your benefit.
Has Grant Shapps worked out how the UK CAA is going to get sufficient safety data to manage risk in the UK when it can only gaze fondly on its own navel or on the UK industry through the lens of a very small straw? Somehow, I think the political posturing will be more important than the realities of operating in a vacuum.