Constant Speed, Gimboid and all other BA-Virgin aviators and 5-2-5-4 haters,
you are comparing apples with oranges. You are flying long haul now, you have some very amusing time at the pool side and a lot of time at home. You can't compare long and short haul. Long haul life style has always more off time, while you have to fight with jet lag and enjoy/hate night stops.
Short haul is flying every day, like going to the office, and being (normally) at home in the evening. While I agree that long haul has its advantages, you cannot compare it. But not everyone has the chance to be accepted by BA-Virgin. Nor does he like to be a servant FO for another decade.
A 5-2-5-4 pattern is a very acceptable working pattern. A lot of major airlines use a 6-3 or 5-3 sequence. This is absolutly normal for a short haul operation. I don't know anything about the other problems people have with Easy's management, but also this seems perfectly common in the industry
Dani