Fitter 2,
There are vast tracts of CAS, defined in the days when navigation was much less accurate, to protect CAT. To make greater profits, (or reduce losses) CAT wants to use the rest of the air as well. In the process, increasing rules to protect fare-paying passengers will reduce risk to you, at no cost to you but at a cost to me.
I have to reply by saying a statement like that shows a lack of understanding of who and what is flying around the UK's Class G airspace, especially in view of Pace's original post of what happened to him. Some of us would be happy to fly more inside CAS but have no chance of taking advantage of it for their flight. As a helicopter pilot I'm obliged to pick up my passengers from a back garden or field location and simply get on with it - no chance of a written flight plan or being fitted into CAS; that isn't the nature of the job. Even if I could be accommodated in airways at no notice, I could not go there for either aircraft icing limitations or passenger comfort.
Perhaps you are unaware that smaller business jets are required to fly in Class G (and can fly up to the legal limit of 250 kts) because they increasingly cannot be fitted into the airways system? This is essentially what happened to Pace, hence his post here.
Would folk prefer to think of these relatively high speed aircraft flying below cloud and radar cover, say at 2,000 feet, dodging light aircraft, microlights and gliders, or would you think they might be better off somewhat higher, OCAS but IMC, operating under a (radar) traffic service? It should be obvious where they are most likely to be. The LARS network was designed with these aircraft (and the increasing number of 150 kts plus IFR corporate helicopters) in mind.
It's probably only a matter of time before a mid air collision takes place in cloud. Under the present system, it is quite possible that a passenger aircraft, flying IMC with a full set of IFR equipment, plus TCAS, and in contact with a radar unit, collides with a hitherto unseen aircraft not carrying any conspicuity equipment and in not in contact with an ATC unit. Where do you think subsequent retribution and regulation are likely to fall hardest?
I know where I'd put my money.
One possible answer, I'm afraid, is more CAS at lower flight levels, which would cut down the airspace available for everyone else to enjoy.