To get any response from foreign national aviation authorities was often well nigh impossible and when coupled to the system of US "trust" ownership it was ten times worse. Not a situation to be acceptable to one charged with responsibility for operational safety in general aviation within UK airspace.
Isn't this the basis of the dft argument that foreign aircraft should be brought under UK/European regulation? I also cannot see why the FAA should get stick. UK citizens resident in the UK don't pay into the US tax bucket which funds the FAA, The vast majority of N reg private operators based in the UK are freeloading on the backs of US taxpayers who are under increasing pressure themselves to justify a non user-fee based regulatory regime. The problem lies in the UK system, not the US one.