As regards take-home pay, my deductions were Income Tax, National Insurance, SERPS (contracted out), Civil Service Pension, Union subs and a Tax Credits clawback. That's a fair chunk. I've also calculated Council Tax into that , though it wasn't deducted at source. The old Married Mans' Tax Allowance would have saved me a few quid, but that was abolished years ago!
As to pay rises, I'd been hired at top of grade so they wouldn't have to give increments - it made budgeting easier. 2 years of 0%, 5 years at 1% and 3 at 2%, leaves £25K pretty much still £25K. My entire pay rises over 10 years amounted to £275 pa.
Though they did take into account my five years at the DWP when calculating my pension and Annual Leave allowance. By the time I left I was entitled to 6 weeks paid leave a year, plus public holidays and Privilege Days.
If I'd gone for promotion, I'd have got better pay. But it was made very clear to me that promotion was contingent upon my either stepping down from union activities or becoming more 'conciliatory' as a union official. It was also strongly hinted that I needed to become less 'difficult' as an employee - in other words, start some serious arse-licking. Can you imagine me sucking up to anyone?
There's no comparison with Ukraine. The UK has no land borders with any other country, and every inch of our coastline is known and mapped. The only way to successfully invade an island is by sea. The idea that sufficient troops and equipment can be transported and supplied by air is a pipe-dream. The US has tried it and ended up with their troops trapped in enclaves, lacking mobility and the strength to break out and link up. Between the Royal Navy and RAF, both operating on home territory, any invasion force would be shredded before it could make landfall, if indeed it wasn't destroyed prior to embarkation. The only use for nuclear weapons is as first strike. Retaliation is pointless, even if it were possible with the command structure destroyed. There would be more important things to do and invasion after a nuclear strike would be pointless and dangerous. In any event, there are now cheaper and more stable conventional explosives with far greater destructive potential than nuclear ones.
