Dozy, I do respect you post a lot, mostly because they are well fundamented and I personally consider them a good source of info about the aircraft I fly, the Airbus. But please, stop thinking that because you read something it is like that.
When somebody that ACTUALLY FLIES THE PLANE says something like "it is hard to see what the PF is doing on an Airbus" pause for a second and before coming back with what the Manual/Test/Simulator/Report says, consider that this person has been there for real and is telling you his real life experience.
You have already said that you are not a pilot, just an aficionado (and I must admit one of the better informed I have ever seen) and thatīs OK but consider also that your situation has itīs limitations. You just donīt know what is REALLY happening up there. Real life is not the Simulator checkride, nor the manuals certification process, nor the nuances of a report wording...
I love the Airbus but I (as Iīm sure many other pilots) can also vouch for the fact that it is EXTREMELY hard to know what the PF is doing on his sidestick, evenmore if weīre talking about small inputs. Iīm not going to debate wheter it is right or wrong but I can tell you it IS so.
And please donīt reply with "I have seen an experienced instructor with excellent monitoring skills do so.." Just think about it for a while and maybe include it in your ideas about how Airbus and aviation could be safer in the future.
Cheers