Keygrip,
Agree wholeheartedly! The average Captain Examiner would react as you say.
One problem with ST pass/fail criteria is just this: How much use the general terms "airmanship' and 'good judgement' etc. etc, being very difficult to quantify, versus the use of fixed tolerance limits, easily quantifyable but not neccessarily reflecting the above terms?
As FI, having as many tolerance limits as possible gives a 'measuring scale' of kinds to evaluate the training standards.
The legal bureaucrats (I know of) prefer the clear quantifiables of tolerance limits, and tend to dislike terms like 'airmanship'.
As FE, it's usually much less controversy connected to failing a candidate on landing 15 kts slow, than failing the person on 'bad airmanship'.
Anyway, the FEM is not regulatory, it is 'Advisory & Guidance Material' only, intended to increase the standardisation of ST between the JAA states. And in the regulations (FCL) it clearly states that 'The following limits are for general guidance'.
Luckily for the survival of the term 'airmanship'!
cheers,