Alas you give recruitment management far too much much credit. This has zero to do with demographics or other. It's all about next summer. Nobody has seen the error of their ways. What they have seen is a summer 2015 schedule that they can't crew. Lots of issues coming home to roost here.
Easyjet hate the SFO rank, they believe it costs them too much because a 200hr guy does the same job (that's the opinion of the same team that will hire any DECs)
The job has got harder, the experience level has reduced, the network is bigger, the crewing levels are derived in fantasyland and the command failure rate has increased. What they need is some certainty because the margin for error is perilous. DECs bring more certainty and are quicker to train. They plug gaps that get exposed by an overly cost-centric recruitment policy. They are a quick fix and have been used intermittently for years. They are not the savior of easyJet but they will bring something to the party. Nothing wrong with that - so long as internal candidates get a fair shot too. Yes some of our guys have a misplaced sense of entitlement but for every one of them there are at least 2 conscientious, hard working, potential future a captains waiting patiently for their turn.