Isle of Man, Flourishing in Britain’s Shadow, Faces Pivotal Vote
By Stephen Castle, NY Times, Sept. 21, 2016
DOUGLAS, Isle of Man--The Isle of Man’s governing body, the Tynwald, was founded by Viking settlers and first gained notoriety in 1237 when a gathering degenerated into a pitched battle between two factions that left three men dead.
These days, disputes are settled peaceably at the ballot box, and there is no real party system in the Tynwald, which some citizens see as a modern form of Athenian democracy. But much is at stake in elections on Thursday.
Located in the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is a geopolitical oddity: It is not technically part of the United Kingdom but is instead a crown dependency. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state, but the island is self-governing and reliant on Britain for its defense. It is not a member of the European Union, but its close ties to Britain mean that it effectively trades under Europe’s system of tariffs and customs duties.
In recent decades, that system has suited the Isle of Man just fine. It has chalked up more than three decades of consecutive annual economic growth. It has kept business taxes low or at zero, while bringing more transparency to its banking system in an effort to shed its reputation as a tax haven. It has nurtured online gambling and other new niche industries.
But in the wake of Britain’s decision to withdraw from the European Union, the Isle of Man faces new questions about independence. And after casting off some of the vestiges of the social conservatism for which it has been known, it is confronting gathering demands for changes to restrictive abortion laws.
The island’s response to those issues will be shaped in part by the selection of a new chief minister, who will be chosen after the elections by the members of the new Parliament.
“It’s a watershed moment for the Isle of Man,” said Micky Swindale, president of the chamber of commerce, who worries that the island might start to look inward.
It is just the latest test for the ancient assembly that governs the island.
Like other experts, Andrew Foxon, former head of professional services for Manx National Heritage, the agency that oversees the island’s historical and cultural legacy, is confident that the Tynwald existed in the 10th century. But he said that when a millennium anniversary was celebrated in 1979, it was based on a notional date rather than solid evidence.
“I’m told that some wanted it to be 978, but they didn’t have enough time to set it up, so they chose 979,” he said.
Though Iceland’s Parliament is thought to be older, there are records of it having being suspended, allowing the Tynwald to claim to be the world’s oldest continually active assembly.
The Isle of Man may look and feel like coastal Britain, but it guards its independence, and it values symbols of nationhood. It issues its own bank notes; flies a flag with a distinctive, three-legged symbol; and takes pride in its world-famous TT motorbike races. The island has seen a revival of Manx, its indigenous language of Celtic origin, and people here bristle at mention of Britain as the mainland, referring to visits there as going “across.”
With its population of 85,000 and the lack of real political parties, residents like to think of the Isle of Man as a model democracy.
“It comes close to being a Greek city-state,” said Derek Winterbottom, a historian and author of several books on the Isle of Man, adding that it is perfectly possible for all residents to know their representatives and ministers.
Speaking in his office, the departing chief minister, Allan Bell, argued that “in theory, a government of disparate, independent individuals shouldn’t work.” But it has thrived, he said, by fostering consensus and avoiding big ideological swings, an approach that has meant that change comes slowly.
