Yet there are threads, like the recent one about IR licensing, that I'd like to follow out of genuine curiosity. Why was it moved away from my field of attention?
Because the IR(R) or IMC is - and always has been - UK-specific.
With growing annoyance and concern, I observe the tendency, from moderators' side, to move away as many threads as possible away from this subforum to a UK-only one.
The clue is in the description: "The place to discuss UK, Northern Ireland and Eire aviation items of interest" i.e. things that are UK specific as opposed to relevant to private flying generally.
Only threads that are specific to the UK have been (or will be) moved.
why should I, a retired Belgian living in Portugal, consult UK-only pages?
Because that is where UK-specific topics are being discussed. It appears that you have a more than passing interest in some UK-specific subjects - is it really that much effort to look into another forum if you are interested in the topics discussed therein? There is no bar to non-UK or non-Irish people visiting the forum.
There is no political agenda - please note that the forum is for the British Isles, which is a geographic not a national definition, and includes Ireland as well as the UK. Ireland is still a member of the EU.