@siege

I would argue with the 'best designed'. One of the reasons the rest of Europe and the world did not want to adopt the British design was that it was too big and too clunky. The designers could have arrived at something that was more compact & more elegant but still had all the safety features of the current design, had they wanted to and been encouraged to. However British exceptionalist thinking prevailed and the exquisitely clumsy 13 amp 3 pin British plug/socket is the result!

Some years back (80s/90s) I used to organize building work for Brits who were buying up property in rural France. Many of them didn't like the French electrical systems so they brought cocky electricians over from the UK to rewire their properties. Being completely unfamiliar with electrical practice and regulations in France, these idiotic British electricians brought their cable and 13 amp sockets with them and used those materials to rewire their client's projects! Since Brexit, many Brits are trying to sell their houses in France only to find that there are no British buyers because of Brexit and French buyers would not entertain a house fitted with foreign sockets. The boxes in the wall into which the sockets fit are not compatible with French sockets and the British style wiring using twin and earth cable doesn't meet the French regulation specifications.

A complete rewire from scratch at a cost of 1000s of Euros is the only solution for the cash strapped British owners.