Politics Meets Philately - Again!

Though I'm not involved with organized philately, this recent philatelic news item did catch my eye. I can identify with the Royal Philately Society of Canada president's position. It shows just how far US-Canada relations have been damaged by poorly-informed and rashly-made decisions of the current US administration. Their effects reach out like troublesome tentacles, cross-border cancers, like woebegone weed roots choking out an otherwise green garden of goodwill. I mean, this is stamp collecting, for goodness' sake! How much more far-removed from the headlines can one pastime get? Apparently not far...

“I do not wish ill on Boston 2026, the attendees or my American philatelic colleagues,” he wrote, adding he had originally planned to attend before making his decision. “I wish the exhibition the best and hope it will be successful.” Redner explained that his decision not to attend stems from a broader moral objection to the current political climate in the United States.

He also addressed criticism that philately and politics should remain separate, arguing that such a distinction is no longer realistic. “To those of you who say philately and politics should not mix … I say to  you, that today everything is political and to think otherwise is naive,” he stated.

While Redner noted that attending international exhibitions has never been a formal requirement of the presidency, he acknowledged that some members of the RPSC board were concerned about the optics of his absence from a major global event. “As it is not my wish to harm the reputation of our national stamp club, I have made the decision to step down immediately,” he wrote. Redner said his resignation would allow the board to appoint a new president who can attend and represent the RPSC in Boston, framing the move as one made in the best interests of Canadian philately.