Scottie - if EZY closed your base down next month (which they can and probably will if you are East Mids based!) I'd like to know if your opinion changes. Very easy to pontificate about living near a base if you made a convenient switch to LTN or LGW and never had to face the massive lifestyle issue of relocating.
Fact of the matter - EZY has worked very hard trying to recruit pilots and cabin crew from across Europe to sustain its phenomenal growth rate. I imagine part of the hard sell was the promise of cheap travel to and from home, be it Holland, Belgium or italy. Try just upping and leaving your country to go and live near your base - it's tremendously disruptive and requires a lot of guts, determination and a fair bit of desperation!
I trust you will be a bit more respectful of our colleagues who have had to take this step and deserve better treatment because of it.