OK, I just can't help myself - low threshold of understanding.
In broad brush terms: an Air Commodore pension is about £48k pa (after say 35 -37 years service); an MEP pension after about 10 years is about £35k pa. Hilarious? The disparity is the length of service required to accrue those sums. BTW, what is a "MULTI hundred pound EURO pension" (sic)?
The MEP's pension pot to provide that rate is about £250k (this is not the annual pension drawn).
I thought I was doing pretty well in terms of pay when I was made redundant in 1996 and walked straight into a job with BAe in KSA, earning about £50k tax-free. Perhaps I should have tapped the FCO first with my transferable skill set.
You should have stayed longer SAM, the top rate for a flt lt is now in excess of £45k. And BTW (again), which Tory government would it be that shafted you since retirement in 1997? Can you let us all know to which country you are moving - it might affect my travel plans in the future.
Mister B