Yes
Having an IR myself I am heavily biased here but...
If a pilot has completed and remained current with an IMC rating then that demonstrates a commitment to training beyond PPL that is laudable.
If a pilot has gone further and commited even more time to an IR and remained current then that demonstrates even more investment in training and safety.
The same could be said for CPL, CFI, ATPL etc... great to have all these.
A familiarity with the aircraft and its systems also is crucial.
A healthy respect for the weather is also something that one acquires through baptism in CB.
The proviso here to all of the above is that good judgement (as we all all know) can be nether bought nor taught. It comes with experience and each of these licenses is a license to learn. The experiences we acquire both good and bad influence our decision making and the degree of safety reserve we require before accepting a flight or not.
Furthermore, it is always good to fly with other pilots - we can easily get sloppy otherwise and pursuance of a further rating does definitely sharpen us up both practically and academically.
As far as the desirability of aerobatic experience goes I would have to disagree on this one for several reasons.
Firstly - I never hand fly in IMC, hardly anyone does. The autopilot does a far better job than I can when we are in the soup. George takes care of things above 500'agl and does a fine job. He does not fly like an aerobatic pilot with full control inputs, he gently corrects and retrims. My role is to manage the complex systems of the aircraft and ensure that George is taking care of things. No autopilot = no penetration of cloud for me (unless it is a thin layer of stratus) single pilot IMC at night is tough enough without the additional need to hand fly.
Secondly - perhaps I am just unlucky but in the type of IMC that I would regard as "real IMC" (i:e not just popping up or down through a couple of hundred feet of smooth ice free stratus), I am often in moderate turbulence (sometimes with icing). I am usually throttled back to maneuvering speed and descending to get rid of ice accretions. The last thing my airframe needs when I am in the tumbledrier is full aerobatic style control inputs. Avoidance of acceleration is crucial here and if things get really bad I will sometimes even pop the gear down to reduce my aircraft's ability to accelerate and increase inertia in the airframe. I also know from experience that I can sometimes not even touch the panel when in real turbulence never mind make smooth meaningful control inputs. My soft pink body is not as able to maintain straight and level as the autopilot and although my hand is poised to take over should George throw the towel in my first action after regaining an acceptable attitude would be to re-prime the autopilot and allow the machine to get on with it once again.
Thirdly - most aeros are not flown on instruments. Additionally no aerobatic aircraft is equiped as an IFR tourer and no IFR tourers are approved for aeros.
Avoidance of overcontrol is why the Robinson helcopter company was moved to issue a safety bulletin some time ago about high time fixed wing pilots converting to helicopters. There was a very high attrition rate among fixed wing pilots who had converted and this was felt to be due to overcontrolling. You just cannot get away with handling the T-bar cyclic of a Robinson the same as you would the control stick in a fixed wing aircraft. The exact same principle holds true for trying to put in full control inputs in real bumpy IMC, you are far more likely to break the aircraft.
When it gets really bad, slow down, put the deicing on, figure out whether you need to climb or descend to escape the ice, let the autopilot take are of you and don't try to be a hero.
To all the VFR pilots out there. Clouds are not cotton-wool-ball-like-soft-fluffy-things. They are bumpy and rough and sometimes full of ice and hail (they can even very occasionally have granite and aluminium in them) and they will try to kill you, so stay away unless you and the aircraft are suitably equiped and current.
SB