Contributor Leaderboard

I can remember when we had no sockets and used to pug everything in to the light socket, I can remember my Grandmother ironing with the iron plugged in to the light and I can remember when she bought the houses first hoover (vacuum cleaner) that was also ran from the light socket. No such the as the EU or health and safety in those days, ya just got electrocuted

Ah "Funny French": French plumbing, and lifts that you can only go up in - yes, I remember it well. I knew that Hong Kong used our 13A but I never realised how many other countries adopted them: To that you can add countries - like South Africa - that still use our old British Standard round pin plugs. That was in the days when we looked outward and led the world in innovation (and democracy). A tragedy our kids are never taught this, to apologise for the past, and are fed all this inward-looking EU bilge.

No ring mains or switched, fused shuttered sockets here! lights and plugs on the same circuit (in the same room!) plug pins thin and bendy (quite femer!) light bulb sockets neutral (ouch!) but only 120v...

GGG Wrote: "On this subject: how about our 13A plug being the envy of the world? Something to remember when you are cursing that they don't fit into the bag, box or suitcase. Though, there's likely some overpaid Eurocrat in Brussels drafting a directive to standardise us on German Shuko's as I write this. " There certainly was in the early 00's! Absolute madness........ the French sockets didn't even have an on of switch or an earth until very recently!

Thanks for some very balanced viewpoints, Brett. As you quite rightly, and with a much welcome and refreshing objectivity, point out the interpretation of the holy scriptures in any religion can be many and differing. There will always be a small, fractious minority in any group. They've always been there and they will always be. As long as we have religion we'll have these problems. Like you, I also believe that any threat comes from radicalised groups already within the country but here I'm talking not only about Islamist radicals but even right wing radicals who actively keep the pot boiling with resultant scaldings all round. They are just as dangerous and I believe, just as many. My views on the media I've already mentioned so I wont, go into them again but it's refreshing to see that there are others among us who also read critically.