Putting to one side the ineptitude of this crew, what worries me is that after 1100+posts (and several years) we still cannot really establish what does what and when in an Airbus control system. It kind of takes away the chances of 'Mr Average' getting a 'feel' for it, doesn't it?
Many years ago, I think after the very early Indian AB crash, someone told me that 23 different control modes were effective in pitch between cruise and touchdown - all 'un-announced', of course.