Bex,
Over in the US it's not uncommon to get a re-route abeam New York, or just south of, inbound to Orlando due weather in Florida. The system is being pro-actively managed, and re-routes feed into STARS where the weather is least predicted at your arrival time.
LACC just works like a blindfolded goalkeeper during times of weather, and that method quite rightly at times requires draconian flow measures. If ATC make the plan, based on forecast and real time weather, then I think you'll find pilots comply and are confident in ATC's ability to take them the safest way (as in US). If you let us decide and plan you get what you do now, sectors not realing knowing what will happen, and flight choosing differnt paths for avoidance - drags the whole system down.
I was quite amazed when talking about weather capability for LACC when you were still at LATCC, that the UK were not going to move forward on this issue
It was a real opportunity to give UK ATC the tools with which to manage weather far more efficiently. Sadly you were never given the tools with which to do so.......
30W