Cheers all. I must say that it does make a difference when you know the whyfores and wherefores of these things.
I apologise for the phraseology and the seemingly flippant tone of my post; I realise now that I should have been more tactful and less brash. I have received many e-mails and have found most of the posts very helpful indeed. Now I can counter my colleagues' disdain with a knowledgeable breakdown of why and what for; hey, who knows I may even get some respect for a change....I'll be lucky!
Thanks again.