Why the colours we use (Brown/Blue/Green+Yellow)

I don`t think the "new colours " help anyone, colour blind or not. I think everyone finds them more difficult. I do think G/Y was a good move though (must admit I wasn`t too keen at the time but I did eventually see the merits).

I prefer the new colours. For SP, the colours are all clearly distinct. For TP, all the line conductors have a common theme (a lack of a strong colour), but are still distinguishable, while they are all very clearly distinguishable from N and E. The old colours made no particular sense and only seemed to make a sort of sense because people were taught and became familiar with them. They made up neither the additive primary colours (RGB), nor subtractive primary colours (CMY). Given red, green blue, yellow and black cables in a 1960's DB, it would be logical to expect that the R,G and B cables are the three phases and the yellow and black are something else, likely N and E.

I prefer the new colours. For SP, the colours are all clearly distinct. For TP, all the line conductors have a common theme (a lack of a strong colour), but are still distinguishable, while they are all very clearly distinguishable from N and E. The old colours made no particular sense and only seemed to make a sort of sense because people were taught and became familiar with them. They made up neither the additive primary colours (RGB), nor subtractive primary colours (CMY). Given red, green blue, yellow and black cables in a 1960's DB, it would be logical to expect that the R,G and B cables are the three phases and the yellow and black are something else, likely N and E.

Hmm, interesting wallywombat. My take was Red Yellow Blue being 3 vibrant of those six primary colours and Black a more neutral colour (absence of any colour in the additive world) and G/Y a grassy type of colour and being two colours more easily distinctive than the old green. I find the Brown Black Grey combination a bit wishy washy meeself. Not sure what the consensus might be by the various colourblinds and I`ve not met anybody who had totally monochronic vision as far as I`m aware

It's a poor example to say we must follow everyone else... I read somewhere that they thought that some UK sparks would die because of the colour change, (night changeovers etc), but, either way it's just a farce! If you're working abroad, and how many do, then you'll use their system!