Having thought a bit more about this, it seems to me that things will only change if two things happen:
(1) the airline industry recovers from the aftermath of the 11th September, which I am confident it will in the fullness of time, and
(2) the airlines realise that their crew are a valuable resource, and like any other employees (or potential employees) they should not be provoked to the point where they really don't care any more if they get fired (or never get employed) by a company that is apparently blatantly trying to profiteer from their temporarily weakened position.
Would I feel confident working for a company with this appalling attitude to its flight deck crew recruitment? - I think not. Meanwhile, there are many other airlines with a more civilised approach, and some useful non-airline-based flight deck crew recruitment services online. Therefore I, for one, won't be applying to Ryanair. MOL obviously doesn't share my view of what he's doing, but it's a matter of basic principle with me, not the 50 quid. I think it's just damn cheeky, and it rankles my posterior.