North Korea turned inwards, becoming one of the world’s most secretive nations as it spun its own brand on Communism
Much less known - and not at all celebrated - is the fact that on 4 June, 1940, the day after the evacuation from Dunkirk was completed, ten thousand Scots in Normandy launched an attack on the Germans.
The action was, however, moved to 2035 - in an independent Scotland. The Jacobites of the book were turned into revolutionaries seeking to re-unite Scotland and England because, as one of them says: "We all know independence hasn't worked."
Of course, having only six places to distribute doesn't allow for mathematical precision. A lot of rounding up is needed. Sorting out six seats is maybe less of a problem for Luxembourg with a population of half a million. But it's a grotesque exercise for a country of five million. For goodness' sake, the north-west of England has more MEPs than Scotland!
All that expectation, all that dressing up, all those odd customs, all that forced jollity, all those hangovers….. And of course the ceilidh on January 25 has as much connection with Burns as that December shopping fest has with Christianity.
A new £2 coin has been issued. Its design reproduces the famous Kitchener, "Your Country Needs You", poster. It's hardly an appropriate choice. This iconic piece of propaganda has usually been regarded as symbolic of the jingoism dressed up as patriotic duty which persuaded millions to sacrifice themselves in a wholly unnecessary, brutal war.
I've taken to singing this as I wash the dishes on Saturday nights. It's the prelude to my weekly dose of Borgen, BBC 4's Danish political drama, now in its third series, but finishing on December 14.
Home is where the heart is. And the Home Counties are still, most definitely, the heart of the UK.
The name was an inspired choice. Apollo was, among other things, the god of music. However, Frank Lynch, the owner, admits that he had spent so much money refurbishing the old Green's Playhouse, he needed to economise on the venue's name. With the signwriter charging by the letter, "Apollo" was conveniently short.
