229. Politicians Featured On Royal Mail Issues And Doctor Who Actors.

Sir Robert Walpole 1721 - 1742

There is currently a controversy about whether Royal Mail should issue stamps to commemorate the late Lady Thatcher, the first female prime minister of The United Kingdom. Certainly politics is not a taboo subject for British postage stamps since 5 prime ministers of Great Britain have been featured previously in British stamp designs. The first British prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, who held power from 3 April 1721 until 8 February 1742, was depicted on one of 4 stamps which were issued in miniature sheet form on 15 September 2011 as part of a set which depicted the Hanoverian monarchs and their times. The first of this German dynasty which succeeded to the throne of Britain, George I, spoke such a poor standard of English that he was unable to preside usefully at cabinet meetings and the senior minister of the time thus took on the job of doing so and thus established the post of prime minister. Walpole is considered to have been tolerant and worldly and possessing of great financial skills but at one time he was found guilty of corruption and, after retiring, accused of bribery. He clearly set a standard which modern-day politicians strive to emulate - witness the Parliamentary expenses scandal of a few years ago.

William Ewart Gladstone,  1880 - 85, 1886 and 1892 - 94.

William Ewart Gladstone was depicted on a stamp issued on 8 October 2009 as part of a set of 10 which commemorated various "Eminent Britons". The stamp coincided with the bicentenary of his birth. He had 3 periods as prime minister, even though Queen Victoria loathed him, and his achievements included army reform, introduction of national primary education, Civil Service reform and passage of the third Reform Bill which extended voting rights. His ministry fell in 1886 because he failed to secure the rescue of General Gordon in The Sudan and he finally lost power when the Irish Home Rule Bill failed to pass. The latter issue was immensely divisive throughout the whole country and it is interesting that although he was a "divisive" figure, his greatness has allowed a stamp to be issued to commemorate him. It is the perceived "divisive" nature of Margaret Thatcher that is used by the opponents of an issue to commemorate lady Thatcher as a reason for them to argue that such a stamp should not be issued. Gladstone's arch-opponent, Benjamin Disraeli, was prime minister from 1874 to 1880. He was depicted on 1 of the 4 stamps issued on 8 September 1987 which commemorated the 150th anniversary of the succession of Queen Victoria.

Benjamin Disraeli,  1874 - 80, at Victoria's left shoulder

Queen Victoria proved to be particularly susceptible to Disraeli's flattery and having secured the shares of the Suez Canal for Britain in 1875, he made Victoria The Empress of India the following year. He enacted social reforms - slum clearance, public health, trade union and factory Acts -- and at The Conference Of Berlin he secured for Britain "Peace with Honour" as well as the island of Cyprus. Disraeli wrote entertaining political novels and openly married for money.

David Lloyd George, 1916 -22.

Lloyd George, "The Welsh Wizard", was recently depicted on one of the 10 stamps which comprised the Great Britons" set issued on 16 April 2013.  The stamp commemorated the 150th anniversary of his birth. He was prime minister from 7 December 1916 to 19 October 1922 and negotiated peace with Germany at the end of the First World War and negotiated Irish Home Rule. He had ruthlessly ousted Herbert Asquith, the former prime minister, proving himself to be as disloyal to his political allies as he was to the women in his life.

Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill. 1940 - 45 and  1951 - 55.

Winston Churchill was the towering figure of British politics in the 20th century and the leader of Britain during most of the Second World War. He is the only commoner to have had a set of British stamps issued to commemorate him on his death: he died on 25 January 1965 and a pair of stamps was released on 1 September 1965. Great Britain also issued a  set of 4 stamps on 9 October 1974 which commemorated the centenary of his birth and a portrait of him appeared on 1 of the 10 stamps which were issued on 18 July 2006 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the National Portrait Gallery. The stamp depicted above was issued on 13 May 2010 as part of set of 8 stamps which commemorated the 70th anniversary of the evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk after they had been trapped there because the French government had surrendered to the Nazis. The stamp was also included on the second pane of a £9.76p Prestige Booklet titled "Britain Alone" and issued on the same date as the basic set.

  Prime ministers aside, other politicians have appeared on British stamps in recent years. The socialist former government minister, Barbara Castle, was depicted on 1 of a set of 6 stamps issued on 14 October 2008 to commemorate "Women of Distinction".

Another socialist, John Archer, was commemorated in the 2013 "Great Britons" set which is mentioned above because he was, according to the text of the official presentation pack, "the first mayor of African descent in London and the second in Britain".

Many precedents have been set with the above previous issues to negate any arguments against the issue of a Margaret Thatcher commemorative stamp. Former prime ministers who have been depicted on previous issues have not been without their faults - one was found guilty of corruption, one divided the nation, one openly married for money and one was a ruthless womaniser.  Any faults that Baroness Thatcher may have possessed therefore do not exclude her from appearing on a postage stamp given her predecessors' records. 

  Fear that an issue of stamps to commemorate her would be divisive because some people would be angry to see her depicted on stamps is balanced out by the fact that it is equally divisive not to issue a set since there are many who positively want there to be a Margaret Thatcher commemoration. The pro-Thatcher stamps group can also point to issues in recent years which have unhesitatingly commemorated socialists and they can therefore claim that a political balance should be restored by commemorating this Conservative prime minister. They will also doubtlessly point out that if countries like Ghana, Liberia and, er, Mustique are issuing stamps to commemorate her then there is really no excuse for her own country to ignore her achievements by not commemorating her philatelically. They will say that she should be commemorated for the achievement of being the first female British prime minister just as John Archer was recently commemorated by a stamp because he was the, er, second mayor of African descent in Britain. Well, no doubt the outcome of this ongoing philatelic argument will soon be apparent and the public reactions to Royal Mail's decision will be very interesting to observe. It is pleasing to know that stamps can still generate public interest and even passion.

  Enormous public interest was also generated recently by the Dr. Who stamp issue. To complete the set "Dr. Who" collectors might want to consider adding one or two other items. The 2013 "Great Britons" set also includes a stamp to commemorate the centenary of the birth of the actor, Peter Cushing, who played the character of Dr. Who in 2 cinema-released movies of the 1960's - he was, in effect, the 12th Doctor Who. On the stamp he is shown in the role of another iconic British character, Sherlock Holmes:-

Dr Who no. 12, Peter Cushing.

The actor who played the first version of Dr. Who, William Hartnell, was also depicted on a British stamp which was issued on 10 June 2008 which was part of the set of 6 stamps which commemorated "classic" British films of the "Carry On" and Hammer horror series. Hartnell appeared as the sergeant-major in "Carry On Sergeant", the first film of the series and his image appeared at the centre of the poster which advertised the film:-

Dr. Who no.1, William Hartnell.

The actor who played Dr. Who number 10, David Tennant, was shown in the role of Hamlet on a stamp issued on 12 April 2011 which was part of a set of 6 with an accompanying miniature sheet that commemorated the 50th anniversary of The Royal Shakespeare Company:-

Dr. Who no. 10. David Tennant.

Finally, we must travel to New Zealand for a depiction of Sylvester McCoy, the 7th Dr. Who, who appeared on a stamp released in December 2012 to commemorate the first part of "The Hobbit" film series. This particular stamp was produced in various formats - gummed from sheets, self-adhesive from a booklet and a sheetlet and in a miniature sheet format as well:-

228. Lady Thatcher Stamp Storm Begins.

Only 2 days after the dignified and impressive ceremonial funeral of Baroness Thatcher, the first female British prime minister, a large New York-based philatelic agency has indicated that it will be producing a large range of stamps with the names of a number of their client postal administrations printed on them although precise dates of issue are not yet given. The advertisement indicates that Ghana and Grenada will be among the territories for which these items are produced and this suggests that as many as about 20 Commonwealth territories served by this large agency will be part of what will be a storm of issues which ostensibly honour this notable stateswoman although they will also provide a potentially large amount of income for the agency which is producing these items.

  Meanwhile, The Maldives which was a client territory of the same agency for decades but which does not seem to have used their services since 2010 (I wonder why) is currently advertising on their website for tenders for a new philatelic agency to produce and philatelically market stamps for them. I do hope that The Maldives can resuscitate their international philatelic reputation by choosing an agency such as Pobjoy Stamps or New Zealand Post to carry out this work for them rather than one of the more exploitative agencies that exists and gradually seem to be gaining increased influence in these small nation states. It really would be wonderful to find the stamps of The Maldives being placed at the top of collectors' want lists since there is so much natural beauty and interest in this little island state to be the inspiration for some excellent stamp designs. 

  On the subject of island states, Bahamas will issue a set of 6 stamps on 15 May 2013 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the Bahamas Royal Police Force Band (depicted below). The stamps are printed in lithography by BDT International and make interesting designs to add to a Bahamas or music collection:-

227. Commonwealth New Issues.

I now include an illustration of the 5 stamps issued by Anguilla on 26 November 2012 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Royal Anguilla Police Force.

Fiji: issued 19 December 2013 (was due to be issued on 17 December but release delayed by a hurricane!):- provisional definitive of  40c surcharge on 31c Mangrove heron design. Old value obliterated with "xxx".

Botswana: 25 October 2011: Malaria Prevention, 4 values lithographed by Enschede:

9 September 2011: National Census, 4 values lithograph printed by Enschede:

?2012: Myths and legends:

Malaysia: 5 November 2012: Childrens' Hobbies: 6 stamps (3x2 se-tenant pairs) and 1 miniature sheet:-

12 December 2012: Woodpeckers: 3 stamps and 1 m.s.:

Namibia: 1 March 2013: Birds definitives - 5 new values (2 lowest values illustrated); designed by Helge Denker:

5 April 2013: Beetles; 5 values designed by Anja Denker:

Pitcairn Islands: 27 February 2013: The "Bounty Trilogy" novels by Charles Woodhoff and James Norman Hall: 3 stamps and 1 m.s.:

South Africa: 22 February 2013: "Rescue South Africa": 1 self-adhesive m.s. containing 2 different stamps:

23 February 2013: "Gift of the Givers": 1 self-adhesive m.s. containing 2 different stamps:

20 March 2013: International Year Of Water Co-operation: a bizarre miniature sheet, circular in design and containing 6 different stamps only one of which can be seen at a time because the sheet is covered by a card which can be turned around in a circle so that the stamps can be seen through a hole cut in the covering card. Self-adhesive:

Vanuatu: 28 March 2013: World Wide Fund For Nature - the Orange spot filefish: sheetelet of 8 stamps (2 se-tenant strips each of 4 designs). Designed by Denise Durkin and lithographed by Southern Colour Print:

Finally I include an illustration of an interesting and historic recent issue from Iraq which commemorates the 1st anniversary of the evacuation of the Coalition Authority from Iraq which marked the end of that period in Iraqi history during which the Americans and their allies, in particular the British, had administered the country. Of course this is not a stamp issue by a Commonwealth country but it is an interesting footnote to the issues of 1917 to 1932, years from which the stamps of Iraq are included in a Commonwealth collection because during that period, at the end of and after the First World War, Britain occupied and then administered the country as a League Of Nations Mandate. The Mandate was given up on 3 October 1932 and Iraq then became an independent Kingdom until it was occupied by "The Coalition" as a means of deposing the despotic Saddam Hussain:

226. Queen Elizabeth Land.

On 18 December 2012, The Foreign And Commonwealth Office announced that, in honour of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the southern part of The British Antarctic Territory would be given the name of Queen Elizabeth Land. The area takes the shape of a triangle with its apex at the South Pole and its east and west borders lying between 20 degrees and 80 degrees west on the longitude and its northern boundary lying on the Filchner-Roine Ice Shelf and Coates Land. Queen Elizabeth Land comprises about 169,000 square miles of territory in all. The British Antarctic Territory Post Office has announced that a miniature sheet is to be issued which commemorates the naming of the territory and is a rather belated Diamond Jubilee commemorative issue as well (see illustration above).

 I have not yet illustrated the 12 value miniature sheet which was issued by Canada Post on 20 February 2013 and which combines all the stamps issued to illustrate the signs of the zodiac which were released in 2011 (21 March, 1 stamp depicting Aries, 21 April (Taurus), 20 May (Gemini) and 22 June (Cancer), 2012 (23 July, 4 values) and on the above date (the 4 remaining signs). The stamps were all produced in self-adhesive format in booklets and in gummed form in miniature sheets of 4 per year. With the issue of the final designs, they are thus all issued again in a combined sheet. I am not sure why stamps depicting zodiac signs are so popular with postal administrations (Hong Kong, too, released a set of 12 stamps in multiple formats on the subject of the "western zodiac" during 2012 as I have previously described); perhaps they are popular for use on covers containing birthday greetings:-

Two of the designs from the 12 value sheetlet.

On the subject of "The Stars", South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands will issue a set of stamps on 4 June 2013 which depicts "Star Trails". The stamps are designed by Samantha Crimmin and printed in lithography by Cartor:-

Finally, on the subject of space, in my opinion the very best commercially produced first day cover of the Royal Mail "Dr. Who" stamps is that which is sold by Sci Fi collector based at The Strand Centre in London which unlike a number of others actually depicts all 11 Dr Whos (price £10) and can be bought with the added autograph of Tom Baker who was the fourth actor to play the lead role for £15. It is a very attractive and colourful item and has the post mark "SEAL STREET LONDON E8" with a design at the centre of the cancellation which features a "Timelord" motif from the television programme said to be "The Seal Of Rassilon", hence the relevance of the location of the postmark. I like the cover with the added autograph although Tom Baker appears to have been quite a prodigious signer of autographs and therefore one of his signatures is not a rare item in itself but it adds interest to this particular cover. I imagine that if this particular cover were made available with other rarer Dr. Who actor autographs applied then it would be an even more desirable item:-

complete cover.

"Seal Street E8" postmark - "The Seal Of Rassilon".

Cover design with Tom Baker's autograph.

cancelled Tom Baker stamp.

225. Falkland Islands First To Announce Lady Thatcher stamps.

The Falkland Islands are clearly proud to be the first territory to announce the issue of a set of stamps to commemorate the life and achievements of Margaret Thatcher, the first British female prime minister. Lady Thatcher, whose ceremonial funeral is to take place at St. Paul's Cathedral in London on Wednesday 17 April, led Britain at the time of the invasion of The Falkland Islands by armed forces of Argentina and she provided the brilliant leadership which eventually resulted in the defeat of the occupiers and the return of British rule in the islands. It is therefore not surprising that The Falkland Islands Post Office has hurried to honour this remarkable leader. The set of 4 stamps depicted above, will be issued on 16 May 2013 and was designed by Andrew Robinson and printed in lithography by BDT International. The 30p value depicts the then Mrs. Thatcher standing outside of the home of the British prime minister, no. 10 Downing Street, with her husband, Dennis, and the 75p shows her on a visit to The Falkland Islands after the conflict which had occurred there. Together with 2 other portraits of Baroness Thatcher these values make up a historic set which is bound to be in demand to purchase by her many admirers.

224. Stamps To Commemorate Margaret Thatcher?

With the death of Baroness Thatcher on 8 April 2013, collectors of Commonwealth stamps must expect a number of stamp issues to be released by various postal administrations to commemorate her very notable life. As the first (and only) female British prime minister she made a place for herself in history by that achievement alone but her achievements were far greater than that - she led a massive revolution in British society during the 1980's, drastically restoring the British economy and reversing the then continuing decline of The United Kingdom. She destroyed the strangling power of the trade unions in Britain and, Boudicca-like, she led the British in their defeat of the Argentines after their forces had occupied the British territory of The Falkland Islands (unlike Boudicca, Margaret Thatcher was victorious in her campaign with the result that the military dictatorship in Argentina was overthrown and democracy restored in that country after years of repression). She ruled Britain for a longer time than any other British prime minister of the 20th century. Eventually, after winning 3 general elections and more than 11 years in power, in 1990 she was effectively deposed by the treachery of her own ministers who politically assassinated her in a ruthless manner that recalled the murder of Julius Caesar by the Roman senators. By then she had had a strong political and personal relationship with Ronald Reagan, the President of The United States, and with him she played an important role in bringing an end to Communism in eastern Europe and the fall of The Soviet Union. She had justifiably been given the name "The Iron Lady".
  It must be the case that a number of territories will issue stamps to commemorate the historic achievements of, and remarkable life of, Margaret Thatcher. We must be very suspicious that Royal Mail has long had a plan in place for a commemorative issue to be released to note the passing of Baroness Thatcher - in a way the ground was prepared several years ago when on 14 October 2008 Royal Mail issued a stamp to commemorate Barbara Castle, a far less distinguished socialist female British politician, so that when the time came for a Thatcher issue, Royal Mail would be able to point to political balance in its new issue policies having already been achieved by the Barbara Castle stamp. Presumably, we may expect the announcement of such a stamp issue to take place in the next few days. I would not at all be surprised to find the offshore islands, Isle Of Man and Jersey, and possibly Guernsey, all joining in on a Thatcher stamp issue bandwagon and I imagine that they will also be joined by Gibraltar. Doubtless, some of the more exploitative philatelic agencies (we know who they are) will produce Thatcher stamps with their client territories' names printed on them and we can be assured, quite understandably, that Falkland Islands and South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands, and possibly Ascension Island and the other Atlantic Islands, will all participate in what will amount to a new omnibus issue. This will be one issue that one can not deny that there is justification for - Margaret Thatcher, love her or loathe her, was a figure of immense historical importance and richly deserves to receive wide philatelic commemoration.

223. Offshore Islands Feature Diana And The Bee Gees.

The latest set of stamps to be issued by the island of Jersey will be issued on 8 May 2013 to commemorate the International Red Cross and consists of 6 stamps, one of which features a picture of the philatelically popular and often-exploited late Diana Princess Of Wales (above), and a miniature sheet which has a face value of £2:-

Meanwhile, The Isle Of Man also tries to appeal to the collector of modern personalities-on-stamps by the issue on 24 April 2013 of no less than 8 stamps which commemorate the late Robin Gibb, whose family lived on the island when he and his brothers were young children and who joined his brothers in forming the internationally popular musical group, the Bee Gees:-

As part of the issue, the Isle Of Man Post Office will also issue yet another of their "label sheetlets" which are not only expensive but also usually too large to fit into an ordinary stamp album which are two good reasons for me to have given up collecting them. No doubt "Bee Gees" enthusiasts will rush to buy the sheet though what they will do with it when they have bought it I don't know:-

Other forthcoming issues from The Isle Of Man are a miniature sheet which will be released on 21 April 2013 to add to their commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II:-

a set of 6 stamps which will be issued on 17 May 2013 which features railways on The Isle Of Man:-

and another large set of 8 gummed and 2 self-adhesive stamps from booklets which depicts various renditions of the Trinacria, the "Three Legs Of Man", the national emblem which appears on the Manx national flag:-

Stamps from booklets.

Finally, Australia issued 5 gummed and 2 self-adhesive stamps (the latter from sheetlets of 5) on 2 April 2013 which depict appealing pictures of young creatures from the Australian bush:-