Politics of the Isle of Man
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The Isle of Man, an island in the Irish Sea, is a British Crown dependency and not part of the United Kingdom or the European Union. The United Kingdom takes care of its external and defence affairs.
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Political parties
The head of state is the Lord of Mann, Elizabeth II. Mec Vannin, a political party, advocates the establishment of Man as a sovereign republic. A Manx Labour Party also exists, unaffiliated to the UK Labour Party, and the island formerly had a Manx National Party and a Manx Communist party. There are Manx members in the Celtic League, a political pressure group that advocates greater cooperation between and political autonomy for the Celtic "Nations". The main political issues include the island's relationship with the finance sector, housing prices and shortages, and the Manx language.
The island has no representation at either the UK or EU parliaments. The island is goerned by the Tynwald, said to be the world's oldest parliament.
Work permits and visas
All non-Manx citizens, including UK citizens, require a work permit from the Manx government to take up employment on the island. Manx people, as British Citizens, may travel and work freely in the United Kingdom. Manx people are issued with UK passports, but with an additional endorsement that declares their nationality. Manxmen (citizens of Man) are also citizens of the European Union, however protocol three (http://www.feegan.com/manx/protocol3.htm) of the treaty of accession of the United Kingdom (http://www.bmdf.co.uk/ukaccessiontreaty.pdf) stipulates that Manx people "shall not benefit from provisions relating to the free movement of persons and services". This means that a special endorsement is placed in their passports preventing them from freely living or working in other EU states.
Travel to the Isle of Man is regulated by the local government laws. Visitors from countries who require a UK visa may also require a special Man visa, obtainable from a British Embassy. An Isle of Man visa also serves as a UK transit visa and a holder of a UK visa is usually permitted to visit Man. The island is considered part of the de facto Common Travel Area (including UK and Ireland) and all passenger air and sea traffic originates in either the UK or Ireland. Despite the special visa rules, there are currently no Immigration Controls exercised at the ports.
Facts
Country name:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Isle of Man
Data code: IM
Dependency status: British crown dependency
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Douglas, Isle of Man
Administrative divisions: There are 24 local authorities each with its own elections.
Independence: none (British crown dependency)
National holiday: Tynwald Day, 5 July
Constitution: unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act, 1961, does not embody the Manx Constitution
Legal system: English common law and Manx statute
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
Lord of Mann Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor His Excellency Ian David MacFadyen (since 25 October 2000)
head of government:
Chief Minister Richard Corkill (since 4 December 2001)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers
elections:
The monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the Chief Minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 4 December 2001.
election results:
Richard CORKILL elected chief minister by the Tynwald
Legislative branch:
The bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (a 10-member body composed of the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a non-voting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms).
elections:
House of Keys - last held 22 November 2001
election results:
House of Keys - percent of vote by party - not available; seats by party - independents 17, Alliance for Progressive Government 3, Manx Labour Party 2
Judicial branch: High Court of Justice; justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor.
Political parties and leaders: The party system is not strong, and most members sit as independents with no party allegiance. There are a few small political parties however:
- Manx Labour Party
- Alliance for Progressive Government (APG)
- Independent Labour
- Mec Vannin
- Manx National Party (now defunct)
See: List of political parties in the Isle of Man
International organization participation: none
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (British crown dependency)
Flag description: Red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the centre; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used.
- See also : Isle of Man
External links
- Isle of Man Government (http://www.gov.im)
- Tynwald - The Parliament of the Isle of Man (http://www.tynwald.org.im)