At last, BM, you make a decent point... I'm also a JMCer and from my point of view it is a reasonably good SOP. It does frustrate us also when we are coming back into the UK at some silly hour of the morning when there is no traffic around but I believe it is a more safe procedure.
AND YES WE CAN GO FASTER IF INSTRUCTED TO DO SO!
In controlled A/S ATC are responsible for the separation between aircraft and so either they control the speeds and profiles to fit in OR the published procedure does.
I agree totally that slowing up early does frustrate but if some one in front brings it back to 250 below 10 (Talking from the perspective of previous SOP's) it never worried me, however, what really does piss me off is someone doing 150- 160 kts from 18 miles out. This happens on many approaches into Spain and Portugal, usually on NPA, and usually by GB Airways. WHATS THAT ALL ABOUT? Recently we were flying normal "JMC" speeds into FARO and the aforementioned airline was back at 160 kts from around 20 miles out. Needless to say we had to fly around in circles too make space. NOW THAT IS FRUSTRATING. Before anyone says it was probably a training flight... I have it on good authority from an ex- airbus GB'er that they seemed to do this as a matter of course.
Flaps