(still an outsider) Thank you for the further clarification of the reasons for the strength of feeling. I should make it clear that I sincerely hope that you win this battle. Having watched British 'management' at too close quarters since 1978, I too would like to see a line drawn in the sand.
I reckon that the key component of the argument that the general public do nt understand is 'seniority'. In almost all other (98%?) of British companies and institutions, this no longer exists and the City boys (I use the word 'boys' deliberately
) will never have heard of it.
That link between seniority and being handcuffed to the list and
not just being able to change company is NOT understood outside the airline world. Also, my guess is that, the LCCs do not operate a list as they have an essentially flat structure being one fleet and one collection of routes?
I only know about seniority as I come from a flying family and, of course, reading PPRuNe for some years. So, if you can get that message across in a concise and consistent manner - you stand a chance.