Philately funds the flat earthers

I blogged before on a nasty little deal cut between the Manx and Vatican Post Offices to profit from Benny the Boy Nazi’s pointless UK holiday. Seems from the latest follow-up
(see http://www.manx.net/default.asp?id=18&articleid=11362 ) that at least the Manx one no longer wants to give the game away.
Maybe they’re taking note of growing public anger, rather than excitement, over a waste of over £100 million on security costs alone, most of which must be met by local authorities because Westminster views police spending as a ‘regional’ matter. Money, as many are saying, that means further cuts must follow in public services already being told to save up to 25%.
But, as I discovered yesterday, that hasn’t stopped our Post Office colluding with yet another bunch of right wing spook-chasers. If you take a look at http://www.iompost.com/stamps/FutureIssue.aspx?categoryid=203 you’ll discover (to your horror if you know them) that Ramsey’s best known purveyors of evangelical claptrap (and drain on public funds) have done it again.
As if the public money and helpful tax holidays for (let’s see now) building a film studio, ‘training’ film technicians (more accurately being subsidised to employ them for something like 60% of usual UK film industry rates even after ‘training’) and getting Education and Film Board support for the naffest cartoon series in history (hated by all except some pseudo-award from a Christian Concern for our Nation spin-off group) isn’t enough, now they’re flogging stamps?
It’s enough to make you give up posting letters for ever. In fact, I may just stick to e-mail until after Christmas, just to see if it works.
I was also saddened to find out that the Manx Gaelic translation of this borderline end-timer twaddle – paid for by Manx Heritage Foundation – is being undertaken by two folk whose stalwart work for the Manx language movement I used to admire.
I’ve come to expect nothing better from the Manx Heritage Foundation, but true Manx cultural workers used to be proud of being better read and in the frontline of any local fightback against bigotry and ignorance, so I hope this isn’t the beginning of a new trend.

Manx post office licks up to the Vatican

It’s bad enough that Benny the Boy Nazi (better known to the gullible as ‘The Pope’) gets a free UK holiday, courtesy of the taxpayer, but at least the Manx weren’t asked to contribute to the obnoxious scrote’s scrounging, or his kickbacks.
Except that we are.
A press release on the IOM Government website yesterday (see http://www.gov.im/lib/news/post/stamps/popebenedictukvi.xml ) opens with the appalling news that:
“Two postage stamps depicting photographs of Cardinal Newman, one never published before, and a stamp label showing Pope Benedict XVI, are included in a miniature sheet to be issued by the Isle of Man Post Office on Wednesday 11 August, the 120th Anniversary of the death of Cardinal Newman. The two £1.50 special stamps received Royal Approval from HM The Queen and include the Royal Cipher.
The engaging miniature sheet is being issued to commemorate the State Visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom, 16-19 September, and the Beatification of Cardinal Newman, 1801-1890, at Cofton Park, Birmingham, on Sunday 19 September.
Isle of Man Stamps & Coins is now working with the Vatican Post Office to produce a limited edition souvenir first day cover and joint special hand stamp postmark to commemorate the Beatification of Cardinal Newman on 19 September 2010. “
What next? A First Day Cover celebrating Saddam Hussein, Childrens Rights Champion, or maybe Josef Goebbels as a model parent (perhaps underwritten by Care for the Family)?
Actually, as with the rest of the potty-mouthed pontiff’s disastrous trip, it looked like the Vatican and their little helpers had screwed up again, because the press release also admits:
“The miniature sheet, a presentation pack and a first day cover and insert were printed well ahead of the four-day visit of Pope Benedict to Scotland and England and before the announcement on 24 June that the Holy See had requested a change of venue for the Beatification of Cardinal Newman from Coventry Airport to Cofton Park Birmingham.
The miniature sheet wrongly refers to the beatification of Cardinal Newman taking place: "at Coventry Airport, 19 September 2010." These special stamps depicting Cardinal Newman will be collected and treasured by stamp collectors and non collectors alike throughout the world. The inclusion of the Coventry Airport venue will add philatelic interest.”
So, screw-up or well calculated kickback for the Vatican on the value of ‘wrong’ stamps which will now be snapped up, invested, and doubtless resold at ridiculous prices in the future?
Because, by coincidence today, I also discovered that the Vatican might have picked up yet another little trick from their good friends and sometime collaborators, the Nazis. It seems that in the early days of the Third Reich, Martin Bormann had the bright idea of cutting deals with the German post office. Thus, every time Hitler’s ugly face appeared on a German stamp, the Nazi Party got a cut. It seems it was one of the biggest earners for them at a time when other funds were short and the whole country was in recession anyway.
So, wouldn’t it be interesting to know what kickback the Vatican Post Office get on this deal, and how many copies of those limited edition/special hand stamp postmark sets they get to squirrel away for a rainy day – like the next big payout on a child abuse case?