"Now whats the quickest way to get to BA Silver? I know BA couldn't care less about my Gold Virgin Atlantic status."
If they won't, then open a BA account in mainland Europe. You will then need to attain 400 status credits (rather than the 700 elsewhere ). This is the easiest way. The renewal points is only 300, so for the points required to reach silver in UK, you can get silver and renew for the following year
Dave