If all the reaction (negative) to these proposals is correct, and if it is true they could lead to unsafe operations, is it not beholden on crews, indeed airlines as well, to be proactive and not to subject their a/c to enter areas of known possible reduced safety. Is that not what the paying public demand of us? Rather than wait for the moment of fatigue onset, and thus risk the inevitable bust up with Flt Ops, and possible victimisation when you refuse the flight, should a responsible crew not do their duty and avoid such areas in the first place? This leads to the question, why are there not more loud noises from the union leaders, even responsible Ops Directors, and even the chairman of passengers interest groups? For many many years this dribble of standards reduction has crept ever forwards to lull everyone into what is now the norm. The sharp end players in the industry have argued, but not campaigned successfully, that things were getting too bad. All failed; so here we are with this new proposal which smacks of being commercially driven. Surely this is a wake-up call; or is that the major unions have nice cosy agreements with their national carriers that they feel protected and do not feel the need to protect the industry as whole? If they are making noises in the background, excellent, why are we not informed; and if they are, there would be no need of such a long emotional thread on Prune. It would be all being looked after.