I don't fully understand this "unions are only as good as the members" principle.
I pay my accountant to do stuff for me that I don't understand and to do it proactively. He does it pretty well. Wouldn't it be reasonable to expect something similar from a supposedly professional body such as BALPA?
I used to pay BALPA to stand up for my interests (they cost more than my accountant btw, by a long chalk) and they did less than nothing when I needed them and took no interest in my ideas to sort out the problems in my company. I decided in the end to spend the subs elsewhere (50% on wine, 50% on another union that does twice the job).