WWW, American Ultralights can do what they like with training, French ULMs also.
UK microlights are subject to pretty much all of the controls and standards of any other light aircraft, as are their instructors. Also, because you can't hours build for an ATPL in a microlight ALL the instructors are full timers who took that as a career choice - hardly true in GA! Most microlight schools also give students the same instructor throughout their training, and most use an examiner from another school as a matter of course. They have also always subjected their students to a separate RT test, rather than giving them the nod as they went along, which thankfully the CAA has put paid to.
How many microlight schools have you spent time in, I've visited a lot as part of my job (I'm not an instructor, but do a lot of microlight flight testing) and have never seen anything but high standards. But, this is in the UK where microlights account for 2 fatal accidents per year on average, as opposed to France where they average 18 or the USA where it's about 50.
I did spend 2 days grounded by bad weather at an airfield last year (8/8 350ft agl, light rain) I wasn't associated with either the GA or microlight school there. But, whilst the microlight school had all retired to the local pub, the GA school were taking students up and flying 250ft circuits - I even saw them send a student cross country (no, there was not an ILS either)! When I arrived before the weather clagged in, I had to sit overhead for a couple of minutes before the club and an instructor had finished chatting on the published RT frequency. As you say, GA standards are different.
If you want a second opinion, I'd be glad to introduce you to the Chairmen of the UK microlight training committee, or the UK microlight panel of examiners both of whom I'm sure would be glad to discuss it with you.
[This message has been edited by Genghis the Engineer (edited 08 January 2000).]