I am sure the CAA is not anti GA, and this is true both individually and as an organisation.
Their image problem is probably mainly in their historical recruitment policy. A lot of ex RAF and ex airline types. These organisations have always had narrow (must get a 'company man' who 'fits the mould') recruitment policies and while the individuals are invariably very clever and experienced people, once placed in senior management / policymaking positions they they tend to come across as elitist and patronising.
The CAA itself has obviously been running a 'must fit the mould' policy on recruitment and promotion, ensuring that nobody too revolutionary manages to rise up through the ranks.
So much of the GA material that I have seen come out of the CAA since I started flying in 2000 has been at best patronising and at worst a pile of junk (such as the whole way they dealt with the issue of GPS, scaring so many pilots into really believing it is illegal etc etc etc). I think this is now finally changing, but years too late and the damage has been done.
What I don't know is whether the more modern attitude in the CAA is the result of personnel changes due to retirement, or due to EASA threatening to take over most of their work and forcing a revamp of their traditional revenue streams. At the corporate level they will want to protect their income after all.