DFC
I agree with much of what you say.
Of course the PPL should not get you to the stage you can fly aeros or complex or fast aircraft. IMO it should also not get you to the stage where you can set of for the South of France with complete confidence.
What it should do is get you to the stage where you can take on reasonably lengthy flights in the UK being safely able to handle an aircraft of the type on which you trained having properly briefed yourself on the weather and NOTAMS and in the full expectation you will not become one of the all too frequent infringers of CAS.
In the main I think the PPL achieves these objectives.
I think this thread has however "exposed" some serious deficiencies in the way in which pilots are taught to brief themselves prior to a flight. I also believe that it is down to the training industry to rectify these deficiences and not those being trained.