(red ?) Baron737 :
ATC and ATFM are 2 different things that do not always work well . ATFM is there to regulate traffic, so that the peaks are smoothed and safety is maintained. ATC would rather prefer that the sytem ( including staff numbers) and the environment ( e.g. airports and runways ) would cater for the demand at all times, i.e. including the peaks. Unfortunately economics comes along and we have a system that is there for the average traffic, not for the high demand periods.
CTOTs adherence are as much ( if not more ) a pain for controllers than for pilots.But contrary to your perception , they increase safety, because they try to prevent everybody arriving at the same time at the same place.
The examples you give are bad,agreed, but they are exceptions rather than the rule. On average the system does not work too badly and we do not have the hours of delays we had in the 70-80s with less than half the traffic and roughly the same ground infrastructure.
De-icing and AFTM does not work well, we all know this. But there are little alternatives at present, other than building more de-icing gates ( for how many times a year ?) or having a big brother computer that will issue one slot only taking into account everything like : gate occupancy, taxiway occupancy, departure runway slot, de-icing slot ,airport slot and enroute sectors slot . I know some people are working on this, we should wish them good luck.
In the meantime relax, and accept that the ATC system is no longer there to serve you, as an individual pilot, but rather to try to serve the (sometimes conflicting ) needs of the whole aviation community.
ATCW
PS: the above is not Spain related .