Max,
I actually genuinely agree with a lot of what you have said in your previous post. I completely agree with your comments that all need to stand up (although "snowball" and "hell" are coming to mind for some reason....)
However, whilst you clearly think that defending of the conditions for those at the top end has been worthwhile, do you not feel that those AT the top end have utterly shirked the responsibility to look after those at the bottom end? Conditions have got worse and worse for new joiners, from first "pay for your own type rating with guaranteed job" to "pay for your type rating and we might give you a job" to contracts as opposed to perm, to pay to fly.
I think an AWFUL lot of the malaise that Balpa seems to inspire is driven by the fact that it ISN'T looking after the whole. It IS (from an external point of view at least) looking after the top.
I'm 35, qualified and highly unlikely to ever fly for a living now, but I watch aghast as the only hopes of entering the profession get ever more costly (last two years has seen any kind of scale recruitment costing the cadet in the region of £30k) and for what? a salary that's likely to be £25k?
I'm NOT slating Balpa, honestly I'm not....but from my perspective, they took my money as a student member and gave me NOTHING at all...No representation. The entry level has got ever worse and all the while senior (presumably in your case) Captains seem to be intent on holding on to the Ts&Cs that new entrants will never ever see. THAT is why you have malaise...
Do you feel in the face of that, Balpa have anything to offer to the new entrant, or indeed that the old faces have discharged their responsibilities adequately?