For your information Watchoutbelow, we are suffering a glut of multi-engine pilots at the moment. Sure, there might be a shortage of frontline fast-jet pilots at the moment, but there is no shortage of young UK citizens lining up to apply!
When you consider that hundreds are turned down and only a few a year are selected for pilot training, these precious few positions should be there for UK nationals, first and foremost??
So I don't consider nationality requirements 'small and pointless'.