"I am not stating the aircraft is fit to fly"
Nigel - I understand you have a thing called the ANO - what does that say?
EDIT: Just found it
"that the aircraft is in every way fit for the intended flight"
Even if your airline tells you this 'responsibility' is delegated to others such as engineering, it isn't.
Bit of a dilemma for we 'responsible' people, isn't it?