Cpt Hook, I do not mean to keep picking you out, just that you raise particually interesting comments!
Your comments fail to consider other avenues, whereby cadets self-fund their MPL course.
All MPL courses must have an airline partner in order to complete phase 4 of the training. Therefore the airlines get involved with the pre-selection. Any MPL without an airline partner upfront is I believe committing fraud (at least within EASA?).
The current situation is now self-selecting based on the availability of money (self-funded)
Well by offering a MPL scheme, and therefore a "secure" job, you are actually opening up the industry to people who otherwise could not afford, or were not prepared to take the finicial risk.
Your arguement that people should have experience is valid, but who can afford to just hours bash? Only the well off, which is exacterly what you are worried about! I can believe that you may well have noticed a drop recently with new FO's, but at least the MPL scheme (and fATPL tagged schemes,eg BA) gives the most able a chance of joining the industry and re-raising standards, no?