Can a UK plug have round pins?

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yup. It was New Modern and Safe, Prior to that people strung bits of wet string onto whatever circuits were available and put sockets on them.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Civil service reports at the time make the case for deliberately lying to the electorate about loss of sovereignty, as it was feared they wouldn't accept it.

[Alan J. Wylie]

Have a look at the Lynx Electronics advert on Page 12 of this PDF of Practical Wireless, January 1976. Some transistors are rated at 25% VAT, others are only 8%, depending on whether they could be used to construct a "luxury item".

[NY]

Interesting that there's actual written evidence of this, and that it has been released already.

At the time of Brexit when the subject was discussed ad nauseam, some people who could remember 1975 more clearly said that they were very well aware of the loss-of-sovereignty issues at the time and that it was being discussed (maybe branded as scaremongering) in newspaper articles. I can be forgiven for not being aware of it as I was only 12, but asking parents and other people of that generation that I know, not were aware of the issues. So I think public awareness of "son-of-EEC" proposals was very patchy.

I doubt whether many people would have voted to stay in the EEC if they knew it would lead to taxation, legal, political, freedom-of-movement harmonisation and that the EEC would grow to take in eastern European countries as well as the existing France/Germany/Italy/Spain and maybe Scandinavian countries if they wanted. Apparently there is a quote from someone, dating from long before the 1970s, on a stone tablet in one of the EU parliaments which alludes to the greater-political-union aim of any European EEC/EC/EU organisation if it should ever be formed. Effectively is was saying that the goal should be a single United States of Europe country with the same standing as the USA - and the same non-federal status of member state countries that US states have.

If "Europe" had remained at its 1975 status, as a trading federation, maybe with the introduction of the Euro as a common currency, I think the Brexit result would have been *very* different - probably it would never even have been voted on. But Maastricht and Amsterdam spoiled all that. As you will have gathered, I'm passionately pro-Europe (as a group of separate member countries) but equally passionately anti-EU - and there *is* a difference ;-)

Am I right that freedom-of-movement also applied to illegal immigrants to the EU - that once they had crossed into the EU at one of its member-state borders, they were allowed to move to any EU country such as the UK which had free health service and higher salaries than they were used to. Or was all that pro-Brexit propaganda?

[NY]

Wow. The Jaffa Cake argument even affected transistors :-)

[JNugent]

Lots of people on usenet have traditionally refused to accept that there was ever a UK VAT rate of 25%.

[JNugent]

Yes and no.

They can move without let or hindrance between Schengen-compliant countries. But the UK (and importantly, Ireland) never joined Schengen and so normal passport control still exists at their incoming borders.

That's why they gather at Calais awaiting a chance to sneak in. If the UK were / had been a Schengen country, they wouldn't need to do that.

[NY]

Ah yes, how could I ever forget that name Schengen?

If you are going to dispense with immigration control within Schengen, you need to have bloody good checks at the land borders between EU and non-EU, and at all sea and air ports to prevent unwanteds from getting into the EU in the first place, and to boot them out if found.

My feeling with the illegals discovered at Calais (or trying to cross the Channel) is that they should be deported to as far away from Europe as possible, as if they'd got on the "back to square 1" snake in snakes and ladders, unless they are genuinely claiming asylum from a repressive regime. Economic tourism (come from country with low wages and hence prices, to work in a country with high wages, then send money back home where it will buy more) is not valid. I wonder what precautions Norway (notorious for its high prices requiring high wages) takes to prevent people from UK and EU going to work in Norway, earning higher salaries but then sending their salary back to the UK/EU. Do they have a policy of "you can only spend your earned NOK in Norway and not export large amount of it"?

[Dave Plowman (News]

In the round pin days, there weren't the backing boxes we are used to today. And easier to fix the socket to a wood skirting board than into a plaster wall.

[Dave Plowman (News]

Russia's recent actions show to many what a good idea close cooperation between democratic countries actually is. When it become more than just a footie pissing contest.

[Andrew]

Ebac make washing machines with hot and cold inputs.

[Andrew]

And the spin dryer got most of the water out too, meaning far less drying time. Stuff was a bit creasy, but what the hell.

[Andrew]

Well I don't think you could expect 1930's electricians to predict and allow for the use of PC's and mobile phones in the home.

I don't have a bedside light. An analogue clock radio and that's it. I go to bed to sleep not read.

Didn't the boss of Digital Equipment Co say there would never be be any demand for computers in the home ?.

[Andrew]

That's because rings only came into being post-1945 when there was a copper shortage, and there simply weren't many consumer 'devices' needing a power socket at that time.

[Andrew]

Laskys !!!!.

[Andrew]

I remember it.

It was on caravans and almost killed that industry.

[Andrew]

Page 13.

"Xmas Offer"

"2. IF Board, Normal price incl VAT £6.76, £4.50."

I make that 50% VAT which it never was. Same for the other Xmax offers.

[Jonathan Harston]

It wasn't a secret, through, it was there in plain sight. A few days ago I saw a mini-documentary on Talking Pictures from 1965 narrated by John Snagg about the Common Market, and it repeated several times the intent that it should become a state, with "Brussels replacing Westminster".

[NY]

Presumably in the run-up to the 1975 referendum there were groups lobbying for and against, trying to canvas support. I wonder why my parents and their friends (ie people who would have voted in the referendum) have no memory of the issue being raised - because it would have been great ammunition for the "leave" side.

If it was known about for the 1965 John Snagg documentary, you'd think the newspapers of 1975 would have been full of it - those which were against the UK remaining a member of the EEC.

It's weird: it's as if some people were aware of it from a long time before the referendum, and others had absolutely no idea about it. Or maybe at that time, the benefits of joining and remaining in the Common Market were seen as so great that the concept of a United States of Europe "with Brussels replacing Westminster" was not seen as a serious - or even realistic - prospect. Maybe the government was so worried that if the topic was brought to people's attention (either again or for the first time) the vote would go against them, that they somehow stifled discussion of it.

I'll have to look out for the John Snagg documentary. I'm sure TPTV will show it again - or it may even be on their catchup site, if that includes TV documentaries as well as feature films.

[Steve Walker]

Which will work well if you have a combi boiler (especially one with a small internal store), in the same location as the washing machine.

If however, like us, your washing machine is at the back of the ground floor, in the kitchen and you have a hot-water cylinder at the front of the first floor, in a cupboard, then a modern, low-water usage machine will fill with cold water from the long length of pipe, leaving the leg full of hot water that never made it to the machine and which will be cold by the time it is next needed! The water in the machine, having reached it cold, will still need heating electrically. Hence, cold-fill only will be more efficient.