Noggin,
What you say is true, the IDEA of the JAA is not a bad one, though I thought there was already an organisation in place called the ICAO. Surely it'd be better to have a worldwide system which recognises all licences issued by ICAO member states, rather than implement a whole new system. After all, non-JAR FAA pilots operate flights into and out of the UK daily, and I don't think that because they were not trained under JAR that their standards are lower!
What would be better is for each ICAO member state to issue licences independantly, then for each other state to recognise the others licence. What really is a farce, is stupid petty little rules, for example an ICAO (eg FAA) IR holder has to complete the entire JAA IR course (and associated expense) regardless of whether they are a 1000 hr instrument time holder ! What a crock of s**t ! Why not have a simple check-out with an examiner to judge the pilot, rather than forcing them to cough up 10 grand for no reason !
Incidentally, I think the reduced minimums needed for the NPPL is not such a good idea. 30 Hrs ??? Hmmm...how many people are safe to ferry their friends and family around the skies after 30 hrs ? Also, just because a person holds an NPPL, it seems there is less chance of them keeling over at the wheel with a heart attack, seeing as you just need a medical cert. issued by your own doctor, no ECG etc....either that or the JAA system has been made far too stringent (second option I suspect!).
Its a good idea, gone bad !