If you think that the JAA PPL is bad then think what it would have been without AOPA working for us.
On most of the problems facing GA today AOPA and the PFA are working together in the common interest.
As for question "why is UK AOPA not as effective as USA AOPA ?" it is because the UK pilot population is too stupid to see that we need 100 % suport within the pilot population to be fully efective and in the USA allmost all private pilots are AOPA members.
So wake up you lot put your hands in your pockets and support AOPA and the PFA if you want to keep flying and insted of bad mouthing the people who are trying to help GA in this forum write a few letters to your MP and support GA where it matters in the corridors of power.