You should listen to The Old Fat One, he is making a lot of sense. I have no idea what is the "right" amount for any rank in the services but I do know you cannot compare it with life outside. Why not quote the GROSS ANNUAL pay of a middle ranking officer and compare that with the wonderful world of civilian life where EVERYTHING you want has to be paid for out of your taxed income? Yes everything - work clothes, pensions, training, education, health care, no job security, etc etc. It is not all a bed of roses on the other side. Can some kind soul tell us then what you would expect an RAF Flt.Lt to earn gross with or without flying pay as an example and then perhaps we can get a measure of how much more needs to be paid.
Does anyone have any idea of the costs from the budget of pensions and retired pay? It may surprise you how much of the budget goes on that.
What about everyone being responsible for cutting out waste and any savings added to pay and allowances. Who was responsible for buying unuseable Chinooks for example and do they still have a job? In the civilian world such a monumental cock up would have led to instant dismissal and possibly other implications. At the very least you people in theatre could well do with them to use and yet it has only just surfaced. Explain who was responsible and how you stop it happening again and again and again. Then you would (I hope) get better equipment and more money out of the budget for direct pay etc.
I support all of you but you need to get real as well.