Yes, slim_slag, we have had this discussion before. Except that last time we had it, I didn't have an IMC rating, so my viewpoint was entirely theoretical. Now I do, so I speak from a position of (very slightly) more authority!
Your last post, where you've answered my questions, is far more balanced than your previous one, and I agree with almost all of it. I'd take issue with your statement that: "you cannot possibly gain the skills required in 15 hours." This depends on many things, including the student, the instructor and the training environment, but 15 hours is an absolute minimum. Many people will require more than this. My instructor felt that I had the necessary skills after 14 hours and 55 minutes, we had to do one low-level circuit to make the time up to 15 hours. My examiner agreed, telling me that I would be more than capable of passing an IR with a little more training. I put this down to a combination of excellent instruction, hard work on my part, lots of training in real IMC, and some training around CBs (obviously in VMC so my instructor could keep me well clear of the CBs themselves) where the aircraft was far more difficult to handle than anything else I've come across. I guess that, except for the hard work, I was lucky to have this combination, but it's not impossible.
I agree with you that it's more fun to fly by looking at the horizon, but unfortunately, I can't afford to fly regularly in anything where I'm allowed to look at the horizon upside-down. If only we could live in a world with no weather, flying would be even more fun that it is already!
FFF
-----------