Despite the years of rule by the British Imperial Government from 1765-1866, Tynwald has never ceased to exist, making it the oldest continuos government in the world.
The Isle of Man's current position is well put in a resolution
passed by the Manx government in April 1987:
"The Isle of Man government should seek recognition as a fully
self-governing teritory having British nationality."
Tynwald, the Manx parliament, is split into three parts.
The House of Keys is the lower chamber of the legislative branch of Tynwald, and is elected by the public of the Isle of Man, and as in the United Kingdom, anyone over the age of 18 is allowed to vote. 24 members represent the 15 Manx constituencies, each of which has either one, two or three seats. The Isle of Man used to use the "single transferable vote" system, but at the 1996 elections changed to the "first past the post" system, similar to the one used in the United Kingdom. The House of Keys is presided over by the speaker, who is elected from the House of Keys by members of the House of Keys. The Chief Minister is also elected from the House of Keys by members of the House of Keys. The role of the Chief Minister is similar to that of the Prime Minister in the United Kingdom. From members of the House of Keys, the Chief Minister choses his Council of Ministers, the Manx equivalent of a cabinet. The current Chief Minister is Sir Miles Walker.
The Legislative Council is the upper chamber of the legislative branch of Tynwald, and is made up of ten members. Eight members are elected by, and usually from, the House of Keys. The other two members are the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man and H.M. Attorney General. From the eight elected members, a president of the Legislative Council is appointed. The current president of the Legislative Council is Sir Charles Kerruish. The Legislative Council has a similar role to that of the House of Lords, in that bills from the House of Keys must be approved by the Legislative Council before they are passed.
The Lieutenant-Governor is the Queen's official representative on the Isle of Man, and is appointed by the Crown every five years. The Lieutenant-Governor used to play a more active role in the governing of the Isle of Man. Some of the Lieutenant-Governor's duties used to include the controlling of treasury expenditure and presiding over the Council of Ministers. Now, however, the Lieutenant-Governor performs a predominantly ceremonial role, although the position still carries its full power as the Queen's representative on the Isle of Man.
The parliament of the United Kingdom has a number of responsibilities to the Isle of Man. These include defence, civil aviation and international relations, although the Manx government is consulted where matters might affect the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man's policy runs parallel to that of England and Wales in the areas of health, social security and education. The British Crown also claims the ultimate responsibility for the good government of the Isle of Man.
The Isle of Man is an associate member of the European Community, due to Protocol 3 of the Act of Accession of the UK. This places the Isle of Man within Europe for the purposes of customs and the free movement of goods, but the Isle of Man contributes nothing to, and receives nothing from, European Community funds.
For more information, see "The Official Isle of Man Yearbook" (Executive Publications) and "Government and Law in the Isle of Man" by Mark Solly (Parallel Books). Unfortunately, these might not be very easy to obtain without visiting the Isle of Man.
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