I agree with this PoV.

All of this has made me think that maybe those doing positioning flights to get cheaper ex-EU fares, guesting as many people into the lounge as possible (and complain about how crowded the lounges are!) then spending hours there eating and drinking themselves into a stupor and other similar behaviors are not as high-value to BA as they seem to think they are.

I do understand why people are upset though, so I do empathize. And I think there should have been more notice given, or at least a cancellation option (maybe there was and I missed it in this huge thread), for those who have already booked tickets for travel after the changes take effect but before they were announced. I know BA are going to credit those trips under the current / old scheme, but there should be a complete "out" for those who want nothing to do with the new programme and want to start crediting flights with a different airline. Especially since the BAEC (now BAC?) programme year does not align with most other carriers, which use a calendar-year system.