45 years of folly

It has become challenging, in the post-truth era of alternative facts and fake news, to indulge in April Fools' Day whimsy. What place is there for the humorous hoax in 2017?

Exactly forty-five years ago, delighted by the prospect of the United Kingdom imminently joining the Common Market, I made my own personal commitment to Europe. After a decade living in London, I'd packed my bags and boarded the Night Ferry train at Victoria Station, destination Paris.

I had no doubts. I was quite sure it was the right move at the right time. And if there was a Poisson d'Avril involved, then only as a precursor of motto below, coined in the Whole Earth Catalogue in 1974 and cited memorably by Steve Jobs in his commencement address at Stanford University in 2005.