This is the day of infamy when the French President, Charles de Gaulle, said 'Non' (No) to Britain's grovelling request to be allowed to join the European Economic Community (EEC) forerunner of the European Union (EU) and at the time usually referred to as the Common Market. In 1963, this was outrage. After all, Britain had put him up - and put up with him - during the war and won his country back for him in 1944. What an appalling act of ingratitude everybody except de Gaulle said - and they were right.
On reflection of course, he was trying to be helpful, we all now realise, having a pretty good prescience of what a petit dejeuner du chien the EU has become today.
In other news ...
The Covent Garden Opera House re-opened after extensive renovation in 1947 and the show they opened with was Carmen. The whole thing was based on an old joke made popular by dear old Kenneth Horne in the 1960s - 'Carmen to the garden, Maud.' To which the reply was, 'Not just now; I'm Bizet.'
They just don't sing them like that anymore!
