Although I didn't personally suffer, I've seen terrible service from National Express to some passengers both times I took it, far worse than what I've personally seen from Ryanair, which was neutral. But expecting Ryanair to be sympathetic is quite unlikely, I fear. I've yet to hear of a single instance where that was the case. However, I did read on the Yahoo group at one point that some small-claims suits have been settled successfully.

The TinyUrl link is working fine for me, despite the fact I am using a different machine and network than I did yesterday, so it's not cached. It's quite possible the Ryanair STN staff was not updated as to this likely change in drivers' license. It's certainly been my experience at a couple airports that EasyJet staff are not properly updated on the latest procedures. Given this sort of discrimination on the basis of birthplace is illegal, does the UK have a tribunal where claims of discrimination can be brought?