But if you select a seat you have nullified the whole point of buying a HBO fare - that it's cheaper!

The italicised sentence reads like a BA email - in plain English it reads "for people who do mind, there is the option of paying a more expensive fare and giving us more money".

BA have forsaken the back of the bus and are shooting themselves in the foot. The changes are unlikely to affect me but they would have done in the past. It's rather nonsensical to remove a very basic benefit such as seat selection from status passengers. Even the GGLs are affected. Bizarre. I can understand the BAEC gutting but I don't get this.