<<ATC in the UK are blissfully unaware of any weather as they don't have it on their screens.>>
You're right.. We used to be able to see weather on radar... until we were given "super new technology"!
For the life of me I can't see why this facility was removed. The Met. Office has radar coverage of the whole UK now and it would be quite simple to have a quasi-realtime feed to any controller who wanted it. (I can get it on my home PC so...)
I'm sure ATC build up a mental picture of where NOT to send people but only after a lot of unneccessary chit-chat. Must be even more difficult when storms are moving/building. I have to say I have fairly often taken avoiding action then told ATC when I could get a word in edgeways - not the ideal state of affairs. If you guys on the ground could actually SEE what we can up here it would take a bit of stress out of both our jobs...