the airlines and if they wish to have a very large volume of airspace (for which they have paid nothing)
Wrong!
The airlines pay navigation charges which pays for the infrastructure... airspace development, airspace consultations, ATS within the airspace etc.
In fact the airlines (all of them who enter UK airspace) pay
a lot of money for the privilege... To the extent that UK route charges are amongst the most expensive around... This fact is brought about because of the complexity and saturation of the airspace (the very reasons that VFR traffic is not allowed).
Not enough controllers is a safety issue!!! And I'm afraid any ATS provider is not going to employ more (at their expense) just so that a non fee paying punter can enter airspace.
Some questions for you, though I am tiring of this discussion as it is getting nowhere because unless you can have freedom to fly wherever you want, you probably wont be happy...
1. Do you believe that passenger airliners should be afforded protection?
2. If yes, how do you propose it is given?
3. Should commercial traffic be given priority over general GA, or should it be first come, first served i.e. you want a zone crossing so departures get stopped to facilitate you...?
4. How much are you willing to pay for a mandatory service through a piece of airspace, of any classification within which an ATS is provided for safety?
5. Do you also argue to the military people that you should be able to fly willy nilly through active danger areas etc?