i dont mind pilots asking where their traffic is when i'm not busy. What does annoy the hell out of me is when the pilot then questions my instruction because he thinks he can overtake the other or asks why he's slowing down and not the other guy.
Here's a tip if we think you can be no1 we'll bloody well put you no.1. if we don't we won't. Its not a popularity contest or a race it just a fact. If you are landing at the same airport as the one in front and we don't think you're going to overtake we will slow you down to maintain the gap or put you on a heading to engineer a gap and if we're not busy we may even explain that to you but please dont assume that because the r/t has gaps that we are doing this for the hell of it.
and as a final note, questioning my judgement as to the best way of controlling the aircraft in my sector at that moment is not going to increase the chances of my changing my mind.
Thanks for listening
Rant over