It was once said the British empire was so vast that the sun never set on it. But as time marched on, the red faded from the maps, the Union Jacks came down and independence rang across continents.
Despite decolonisation, there were legacies, some retained, others discarded: the Crown, parliamentary democracy, legal and educational systems, driving on the left, love of cricket, tea time – and plugs.
Specifically the big, bulky, triple-pronged Type G British plug, with its rectangular pins and built-in fuse.
It still reigns across vast swathes of the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia. From Nairobi to Singapore, Accra to Abu Dhabi, this over-engineered marvel of electrical safety clings on — a symbol of colonial reach, or perhaps just a stubborn refusal to go away.
And it’s not just about where it’s used. It’s how it won. The Brit plug didn’t just get passed and parsed like a treaty. It embedded itself into walls, rewrote building codes, and demanded obedience with sheer physical heft. Despite best efforts, its rivals haven’t quite been able to dislodge it.
Like the sleek and circular European Types C and F which slip unnoticed into luggage but without the fuse safety of the British beast.
Or the flat and flimsy American Types A & B, lacking good grounding and inconveniently demanding adapters.
There’s even our post-colonial ANZAC Type I, now adopted by China and – incompatibly – by Argentina.
So why has the British plug lasted, even flourished, while empires dwindled?
Perhaps because it works. It’s safe and reliable. The plug equivalent of a stiff upper lip — awkward and dependable. Built with a fuse in every plug, shutters on every socket, and grounding for Armageddon. The cockroach of colonial infrastructure: bulky, indestructible, and found everywhere.
Of all the things Britain exported — laws, flags, accents — only the plug survived intact, still poking proudly out of walls on three continents. While palaces became museums and colonies became republics, the plug stayed in the socket, humming quietly. Still serving. Still very British.
In the end, the sun set and the socket remained.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton. This article was sourced HERE
Specifically the big, bulky, triple-pronged Type G British plug, with its rectangular pins and built-in fuse.
It still reigns across vast swathes of the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia. From Nairobi to Singapore, Accra to Abu Dhabi, this over-engineered marvel of electrical safety clings on — a symbol of colonial reach, or perhaps just a stubborn refusal to go away.
And it’s not just about where it’s used. It’s how it won. The Brit plug didn’t just get passed and parsed like a treaty. It embedded itself into walls, rewrote building codes, and demanded obedience with sheer physical heft. Despite best efforts, its rivals haven’t quite been able to dislodge it.
Like the sleek and circular European Types C and F which slip unnoticed into luggage but without the fuse safety of the British beast.
Or the flat and flimsy American Types A & B, lacking good grounding and inconveniently demanding adapters.
There’s even our post-colonial ANZAC Type I, now adopted by China and – incompatibly – by Argentina.
So why has the British plug lasted, even flourished, while empires dwindled?
Perhaps because it works. It’s safe and reliable. The plug equivalent of a stiff upper lip — awkward and dependable. Built with a fuse in every plug, shutters on every socket, and grounding for Armageddon. The cockroach of colonial infrastructure: bulky, indestructible, and found everywhere.
Of all the things Britain exported — laws, flags, accents — only the plug survived intact, still poking proudly out of walls on three continents. While palaces became museums and colonies became republics, the plug stayed in the socket, humming quietly. Still serving. Still very British.
In the end, the sun set and the socket remained.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton. This article was sourced HERE
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