IMC holders with good currency are more than capable of hand flying substantial sectors to IAP minima. Can the average button-pushing ATPL say the same?
Shunter, it's not hand-flying ability that confers absolute safety (though it's significant); it's things like proper briefings, good training, TCAS, EGPWS, and the like. In my time, I have flown with many IMC rating holders. One of them impressed me with his ability.
Referring to your jibe at airline pilots... Glancing through my log book, about a third of my recent medium jet approaches were hand flown on raw data. I can't answer for my colleagues.
Nothing elite here, just very peed off at some totally inappropriate remarks trying to justify retention of a one-off dodgy qualification by relating it to a very sad and completely avoidable fatal accident.