Gonzo, my recent experience of London trafficers is that they are the best in the world. Considering the amount of traffic, I'm amazed how expeditiously we have been processed - all without the heart rate rising one beat.
I agree that the routing of SIDs and STARs will not change because of political considerations, however, some tweaking of the speeds can be done to allow us to more effectively manage energy during descent (thus saving fuel and reducing noise) whilst still allowing you guys to get the sequencing right (I'm talking about airports in general - not a specific airport). GB