I'd hoped it was clear from the examples I gave above:
The large UI elements (especially fat scroll bars and list items such as the ones used to display contacts, bookmarks, the main menu, RSS items etc.) take away the most valuable thing we have on this small device: screen estate. Nokia could as well have reduced the screen to 200x120. Not having to scroll through menus (because the whole menu comfortably fits the screen) is a matter of usability. I lost this with OS2008. Seeing 12 news items at a glance instead of 4... seeing all new mails in the inbox instead of only the top 5... reading the full subject of mails in the inbox instead of having the last bit cut off by a larger-than-life scrollbar... seeing the online status of all the people i want instead of only 5 at most from the home applet... you get the idea. All these things I lost because of OS2008 and its ruthless use of "finger-friendly" UI-elements. (I don't gain anything from it, I always use a stylus.)

Remember they managed to have both large and small menus in OS2007? It could have been as simple as that. They missed it.
Would you? I hate how clumsy it is and that I constantly have to scroll, but I like SSU, faster CPU, SIP, better video support... Technically, everything is much better. Only usability got worse (and maybe some functionality, depending on how you look at it).