This sort of topic just brings out the best in folks, doesn't it?
Whatever happened to that fellow who used to crow here about the idea of getting rid of all the older pilots as sad losers who had messed up their lives and wouldn't get out of the way of the younger ones? I don't know if he really was a pilot but he sure was a wind-up artist. Gatwickdrizzle come back!
I think the idea of age discrimination is a bit annoying, per se. And when some twerp feels, just because of my DOB, that I must be past it for whatever fun is going that really gets up my nose. Well, never mind, there are jerks in every field of human endeavour and flying is no exception.
If I can believe what I read in the trade rags then there is some sort of pilot shortage developing. Perhaps circumstances will force a relaxation of this 'Age 60 and out' rule here in certain EU countries. I don't have my hopes up for that, expecting politicians to be fair and reasonable, especially French ones, but they may be dragged to that, kicking and screaming.
I just got back to reality after so long spent working in West Africa and I still don't have a handle on it. But it would seem that, what with the crap standards for education nowadays and one thing and another, that anyone with his head on straight must be able to come up with some reasonable way to earn a crust.
To be locked out of the cockpit is terribly annoying, perhaps, but there are many other ways to be useful and productive nowadays.