Everyone gets extra money for being away (LSA) which increases in line with how long you've been away...seems quite fair to me. It seems obvious that someone with 1500+ days away gets more than someone with 50+ days away.
Op allowance has always been in place for those actually in harm's way. Which seems quite fair to me. A tanker driver on an Ellamy race track is in no more danger than if he was picking up convex in AARA5. An AH driver is in a whole load more danger in Libya than if he was pootling around SPTA.
There will always be a bunch who hanker after the tax free deals our coalition partners get. I have more sympathy with that point of view.
I speak as someone who supported Herrick from the base of the boulevard, thereby quite rightly not qualifying for OA and someone who doesn't qualify for the Ellamy allowance either despite having spent a long time far closer to the baddies than those on the tanker tracks or in the E3 lobes. I qualified for OA twice for Herrick for service in country and believe it was right to receive it in those cases.