In my opinion the European CEE 7 plugs and sockets are about as much safe as British plugs and achieve that essentially only by mechanical construction of the socket (while on the British plug the isolated sections on live pins are required for safety).<p>Fuses in British plugs do not have much of a purpose. The idea is that the wiring in a wall has higher power rating than the cord itself and thus there is fuse on the boundary, but same effect can be achieved by placing the fuse inside the appliance (as is done everywhere else).