What
is the difference between the UK IMC rating and the UK (or EASA) IR rating when it comes to the practical and theoretical syllabus as well as flight standards?
I got my PPL/IR in Sweden in the 1980's. At that time the UK IR rating had a reputation for being extremely hard to get. At least that was the impression you got from reading
Pilot magazine.
(But of course that was before JAA made it hard in Sweden as well.)
I have flown IFR several times in UK controlled airspace (including London TMA) and didn't find that any different from controlled airspace in other countries.
(Well, apart from the strict segregation of controlled and uncontrolled airspace with things like "airway joining clearances" which I've always thought was rather odd, but that's another story.)
So what's the big deal?