I would have been annoyed too if the situation had been presented to me as a fait accompli whereas, like you say, had I been polled about it beforehand I would have agreed it was fair - probably.
I know our pipers got a percentage of the fee when we were on paying jobs and they were included on the ration roll when we weren't. These days they're on the establishment so there are no issues but to get them there took the work of many successive colonels - and not just from our own regiment - we had support from 5DG, the Micks and the Rangers. They even let us kit and sold us some spares cheap from their buckshees. Everybody thought it was sad that an Irish Unit had no P&D.
These days our pipers attend the Army Piping School, just like the others.
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Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam - I have a catapult. Give me all your money, or I will fling an enormous rock at your head.
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