"I don't see the point in eliminating accents and dialects,"

Standardizing spellings etc does not equate to eliminating the differences, it is about referring them to a common denominator.

That way we are able to talk about English as a language, while being able to define subcategories within it in relation to a central - and evolving core linguistic fundament.

There are very few people who speak perfect english all the time in ther own home, but for weathermen, politicians, doctors, lawyers etc throughout the english speaking world, it is essential that diagnoses, rulings, forecasts, policies, and interpretations are clear and unambiguous, so that a man from the outer hebrides may do business with a man from jersey without quibblig over the meaning of words etc.

A dictionary is nothing more than a practical problem solving tool.