"Flying into busy US airports gives the whole thing perspective... There in VMC everyone and their dog is cleared to land at once"
I have always been suspect of the practice of "clearing" aircraft to land, as per the practice in the US. Perhaps it should be "permission" to land as you are certainly not "clear" if you have several landers in front of you.
Listening to the BA 777 LAS fire ATC recording is interesting. The controller, having cleared EVERYONE to land, then has to unclear everyone to land and issue go around instructions. TWICE she stepped on the BA 777 pilot trying to transmit a mayday call.
I cant help thinking that had non FAA procedures been in use, namely clearing aircraft to land only when it is ACTUALLY clear to land, then the radio waves would have been free for more important dialogue as non cleared aircraft would simply fly the missed approach sans landing clearance.